CCC-Casual College House Conversations- Ask Me Anything 9PM Mezzanine

AMA- Ask me Anything

Come to the Cafe tonight for a break for some snacks and a cup of tea. Bring a mug and save a cup. See you at 9PM on the Hanrwell Mezzanine.


It has been a busy week globally with politics and I have ended up in many conversations with students about peace processes and wars. Rallies and protests, and fudning social safety nets and political games.

I love politics. Well, I love watching politics like entertainment, like watching a movie. For some, it might be the genre of horror, for others it might be comedy. For many, it would definitely be drama. And every now and then it looks like a rom-com or some other farcical piece. I don’t want to study politics academically, and I don’t want to participate in politics more than voting. But I am fascinated by watching politics. I used to say I liked to watch politics but it has become too extreme to still simply enjoy it. Now it is like a curiosity.

Sometimes I think I am watching a real-life version of Niccolò Machiavelli and his instructions for ancient princes of what would become Italy. Other times I think I am watching Elmer Fudd hunting rabbits. (This is a compilation of Bugs Bunny being hunted by Mr. Fudd. Fudd is serious about his pursuit of Bugs but somehow never has the organization of focus to catch Bugs. And he often ends up getting Donald Duck, who despises Bugs too. But somehow Fudd and Donald are always losing to the nsneaks Bugs.

So many students have started asking me anything. Left leading students ask me to affirm or explain things they are thinking about. Right-leaning students challenge me to affirm or explain a topic or issue they are thinking about. They both end up calling me a “Devil's advocate" because, while I affirm who they are, I usually do not affirm what they believe. I don’t do this because I am teacher, I do this because politics has become a game of optics where “both sides” are hiding their own reality as they work to create a positive image of themselves and a negative image of the “other”.

As an example, and don’t spend too much time thinking about this. Is the current shutdown about saving government money and supporting the military, this week's tack (not tactic but instead the turning of a sailboat across the wind) by Republicans? Or is it about saving acres to health insurance for poor people? What exactly are the Republicans asking for? Is it to cut 20% of the federal workforce and fund the military to go to war? What are the democrats actually asking for? Is it really Obamacare subsidies for wealthy people and the poor are just a prop in the narrative? Why do you believe one side or the other?

Anyway, I have spent the last week talking about historic partitions, European borders, chip manufacturing, and access to health care with students. They suggested that I do an AMA, and Ask Me Anything.

Come and have a cup of tea in the Cafe at 9PM on the Mezzanine and ask me anything.

be well

—
kdwb



What is a Casual College (House) Conversation?

I moved into Ware College House 21 years ago to fill in for a Faculty Fellow on sabbatical. I wasn’t sure exactly what Penn’s College House system was but I thought, based on my experience as an undergrad, it would be fun. Beyond fun, it was terrific. The best part was casual conversations that happened spontaneously, at random times, in different places in the house, about different topics. These conversations were about things one might study, might advocate for, or might lead solutions for. It was fun to learn together.

The next year I moved into Harnwell and I have been in one role or another in Harnwell for the past 20 years. I still value the conversations that happen spontaneously on the mezzanine, on the front porch, down in the dungeon, outside in the pit, up in the rooftop lounge, or in floor lounges and faculty apartments.

So CCC, usually Sunday evening, is a space to take a break, hang out for conversations about relevant events, public programs, ideas, and theories.

The contents of this email are “off the record” and not for quotation without specific permission from the author. [I am not part of the show] ©Kent Bream, 2025