I Wanna Thank You Falettinme be Mice Elf Agin

Just to follow up on my post yesterday about crazy advice from old people, let me tell you a story about the Old-World Septuagenarian. We had this one conversation over and over again at every single placement meeting in the fall. He'd look at my CV, look at my AOSs and AOCs, and then tell me I had to put M&E as either an AOS or AOC. (Note to lay readers: "M&E" means "metaphysics and epistemology.") I'd hem and haw, and just try to talk about something else, because, well, I don't do M&E. It would be a straight-up lie to say I had an AOS or AOC in M&E.

But the Old-World Septuagenarian figured that everybody has to have an AOS or an AOC in either M&E or ethics. And since I don't do ethics, I'd better say I have at least an AOC in M&E. I had to get my supervisor explicitly to clear my M&E-less CV, which of course he agreed made perfect sense for me. Then, at every placement meeting after that, the Old-World Septuagenarian woud tell me I needed M&E as at least an AOC, and I'd have to remind him that my supervisor had cleared my CV. Each time, he wouldn't quite believe and he'd psush the point. And I'd hem and haw and just try to talk about something else.