A couple Christmases ago I gave the hubster the "Don't be a jerk" postcard as a greeting card. He's not a jerk, but I was trying to find a really out-there card to punch through some of the schmaltz that usually invades the holidays. Plus, it's just plain good advice. I was reminded of the card a few weekends ago, when an undergrad friend of ours was visiting. She's been on leave from Jackass University and is now preparing to head back to get the damn degree over with.

I would like to send this card to JA uni. Actually, I think I'd like to send it to any prof who thinks being a jerk is okay. It's not. Aforementioned friend and I were discussing the university phenomenon of profs who think that because they're kick-ass researchers and leaders in their fields, they are under no obligation to improve their people skills. The fact that people can freely be ignorant, unappreciative, utterly inflexible and often just plain jerks in a teaching profession is astonishing -- and pretty disgusting. Undergrad friend said she noticed such jerkiness was more prevalent amongst male members of the profession, and I think that's true to some extent, depending on the institution you belong to, but I've met a few jerky female profs as well. But undergrad friend also said that men get away with it more often. They're the absent-minded professor! They're really just harmless! Women are nurturers -- they ice your bruised ego and bake you cookies. They're expected to adapt to people-centred roles and they're penalized if they're not. They're shrews and bitches. Meanwhile, absent-minded male professor is known as the cranky but brilliant prof. They must be brilliant if they're such assholes. [/sarcasm].

What I really need is a whole stack of those "Don't be a jerk" postcards. They're the perfect card for any occasion, after all -- a spiffy image and some good solid advice. What more do you need in a greeting card anyway?

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