OPINION: Show us, do not merely lecture

I will admit it -- my father is almost nothing like any member of the Backstreet Boys. He is bald, nearly 50, has not had anything close to washboard abs since Woodstock, and unless he is leading some baffling secret life, does not have 13-year-old girls swooning over him.

But daddy-o does have something in common with those teeny-pop singers, or at least with the producers and songwriters that man their puppet-strings -- he would rather tell you what to do than show you how to do it.

My dad never ceases to remind me that he has been through this all before, and that he knows from experience. The Backstreet Boys never cease to remind audiences that "Backstreet's back -- Alright!" For some reason, this provides little comfort.

Whether it is suggestions or orders handed down from dear old dad or blatant messages in song lyrics, both approaches are a lot closer to a lecture than a discussion or seminar. They both want to pound their words into your head, hoping you will accept or at least repeat them unequivocally.

And, while I know I am positively bathing in the goo of hypocrisy by saying it, I will indulge and say it anyway, with just a few simple words --their approach is wrong.

My father tells me I should start putting money into a retirement plan as soon as I start working full-time so I do not end up having to, "work until I am dead," as he claims he will have to do. But then I saw a guy, who must have been at least 80, bagging groceries the other day. And yesterday, I saw a man running -- he was a shirtless, smiling graybeard. So should I listen to my father's advice or find out for myself?

Now, I turn my attention to a song so brilliantly titled "I need you tonight," which Nick or Howie D or Brian or Kevin or A.J. (no I am not a closet BSB fan with those names etched into valuable sections of my brain -- I looked them up on the Internet) sings. "I figured out what to say to you/But sometimes the words they, they come out so wrong/Oh yes they do." These simple lyrics leave little to the imagination.

Although that is some tough stuff to decipher, it reminds me yet again why I so vehemently argued with a lanky buddy of mine (we will call him William) when he did not agree with my claim that Michael Stipe of R.E.M. is the greatest lyricist ever.

In "Losing my Religion," Stipe sings, "Every whisper/Of every waking hour I am/Choosing my confessions/Trying to keep an eye on you."

Decipher that. Compare it to "I need you tonight." Stipe leaves a little more open to interpretation than some cheesy love song.

While I am on the subject of self explanatory messages I am curious as to if the "Wet Paint" sign keep you away or drag you near. Did the "Say no to drugs" ad campaign work for you or like most did you laugh it off? And do you think you learn more if Mr. Professor tells you what John Barth means or if Cindy and Mark argue about it in your dozen-person seminar? Why do I think it is unlikely that the signs and lectures are not nearly as effective as demonstrations or real life situations.

My father watches Bill O'Reilly on television and reads his book and says he agrees with everything he says. But I do not want to live my life according to the advice of a conservative Larry King-wannabe.

Once again I return to some familiar BSB song lyrics, "There are prices to fame, alright/All you people can't you see, can't you see/How your love's affecting our reality." It sounds like the superstars are looking for pity, but I am sure they can find comfort in their millions of dollars.

On the other hand, Stipe sings, "Dreaming of Maria Callas/Whoever she is/This fame thing, I don't get it/I wrap my hand in plastic to try to look through it."

Yet, I am sure there are a lot of you that could finish this admittedly catchy chorus: "I don't care who you are/Where you're from/What you did..."

But have you pondered these love lyrics? Do they grip you? To me, they sound like lines from a cheesy 80's flick. Does "I read bad poetry into your machine" (a Stipe love-lyric original) grip you? I think it does.

In the same way the Backstreet Boys try to implant these pathetic lyrics into your brain, professors stand in front of a crowded classroom trying to pound material into our heads. Now I am not saying we should get rid of standard education practices and go observe nature in lieu of a lecture (as great as that sounds), but I guarantee the average Penn student will learn more from an interactive recitation than hundreds of Power Point lecture slides.

So maybe the Nick Carters of the world and the professors should give up their lyrics and lectures -- show us what you mean, do not simply tell us. And, that William, is why I value that bald lyricist/frontman of R.E.M.

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