I got to my Computer Music class early today, as I usually do, because half an hour between classes just isn't enough time to do anything useful except check e-mail, and I'm not that popular that checking my e-mail takes half an hour.

There's these three other kids there, typical CS major types, though on the less nerdy side. They're complaining to each other about the class. All aspects of the class. "The assigments are vague," they whine. Well, yes. The professor doesn't speak English very well, she's from another country, so ask her or the English-speaking TA for clarification on the assignment, genius.

"They changed that one function in the lecture notes without telling us, and it screwed me up on the homework." They did tell us, but you weren't at that lecture, were you now? Or maybe you were, and you were talking at a normal conversational volume rather than paying attention?

Here's my favorite: "I can't believe they brought in audio CDs and made us listen to music. This isn't a music appreciation course. If they're playing music again, let's leave and go work on the assignment."

I am so angry I have to number things now.

ONE. You're not teaching the course. If they want to make it a music appreciation course, that's their choice. If you don't like it, drop the damn course. It's an elective. There were 9 people on the waitlist who all showed up the first day, and I'm sure they'd love to be in the course, except that your stupid ass is taking one of the seats and complaining about everything.

TWO. It's a computer music course. Of course we're going to listen to music. If you were taking a computer graphics course, you'd probably complain every time they showed you a picture. "What is this, art history?" you would say, in your obnoxious know-it-all tone. If you're so good at setting curricula, how come you're not a professor yet, smartass? (See ONE.)

THREE. If you're not planning on staying through the whole lecture, no matter what it is, then don't come to the freaking lecture. Don't get up halfway through because you're bored or some shit and drag your bony ass in front of everyone else's view because you had to sit in the far corner. Jagoff.

All the CS majors here know how to do is criticize. In every CS class I've been in, there's a subset - sometimes a large subset - of students that criticize everything, the lectures, the homeworks, the material... Listen, guys, when life gives you lemons, you make fucking lemonade, you don't criticize the lemons for not having the right amount of citric acid. I've had plenty of bad professors before. And you know what? I still learned things in their class.

Christ. You live in America. You are guaranteed three things: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Beyond that, capitalism takes over. Nowhere in that list is "a world-class education served to you exactly the way you want it". You don't like a class, fucking drop it. You don't like the way things are done here, go to a different college.

Just!

stop!

whining!

about!

it!