The Uselessness of Everything

At the end of my Classical mythology class today, my professor brought up the old prejudice against more intellectual avenues of study: "A PhD in Classics and a dollar will get you a Hershey bar." Many people seem to think of degrees in Classics, Religious Studies, Philosophy, or similar theoretical fields as useless except for teaching others to follow that path. Such was my opinion until I had an inspiration today.

Consider pop culture--particularly YouTube. This afternoon I watched a video, entitled "The Kings of MySpace," that represents many of the aspects of the new popular culture that is gaining credibility in the Internet.



The movie is funny, filled with special effects, and obviously a labor of love--yet what has it earned for its creator? Nothing. Probably no money, and whatever fame the creators may have accrued is unlikely to be remembered in fifty, twenty, or even ten years. Will we look back on MySpace, much less its "Kings," with anything other than a mild giggle? I hear students in my generation reminiscing about favorite TV shows or video games, but underlying those memories is an essential emptiness, a knowledge that those things will never return and probably do not deserve to return anyway.

Compare this to a field like Classics. Although classics professors probably have very little practical influence on the world, their skills in Latin and Greek allow them to preserve the best of a world that would otherwise be forgotten. I find even one story of Ovid infinitely more entertaining than "the Kings of MySpace," and I think this is the reason Ovid has been remembered. The same goes for other theoretical fields--although they may not create practical solution, fields like philosophy at least keep alive the ideas that have puzzled generations and awaken the mind to something new. I personally find theoretical ideas inspiring, whatever their usefulness.

Really, it's amazing how much we do that has very little influence on the world at large. I think of the 2006 United States elections that just ended last night, resulting in victory for some and defeat for others. How much time, money, and energy was poured into those races? And what for? Merely a few points of difference in the polls, in a single election that might result in passing a fee laws of importance. Yet every other year Americans jump onto this wasteful bandwagon.

Thus, while a Classics degree might not be the most useful thing for the world, it sure beats a legacy on YouTube.