The world is so full of things that require further explanation that I can’t believe there aren’t more universities. No, seriously. If you look closely, or even casually, there are so many things under-documented that it’s a wonder we get along. Instead we focus on criminals who want to be president and deny science is real. Alas. What brings this on is that I’ve been working on a book that involves researching pop culture. Naturally, there are books and articles to read, and even videos to view. Still, some information just doesn’t seem to be out there. I’ve run across movies that appear with no explanation. They’re simply there. Sure, you can find the name of the writer, director, stars, and such, but how did that movie come to be? Unless someone (normally a journalist) has followed up the story of its origins, there’s really nowhere to go. Unless there are extras.
I’m remembering how CDs came with liner notes. (Does anyone remember CDs?) Good notes gave you further information on the music. It was documented. There was an explanation. DVDs often lack that. If there aren’t “extras” on the disc, the liner notes don’t help you much if they don’t exist. Now that we stream everything a search on IMDb is about the best you can do. Sometimes Wikipedia helps, but only if the article cites its sources. We need more information. I read a lot about movies and I’m always glad when an author has found a source that explains a bit more about why this particular film exists. Are we that non-curious?
Believe me, I know the world is too full of things already. On some subjects too much information is already available. Things like movies, and music—things that really move us—however, are left hanging in the air. I’m curious about them. I suppose I could subscribe to trade magazines, but I wonder why those who’re already paid to be professors—professional researchers rather than erstwhile academic hacks like yours truly—aren’t all over this. Academic respectability can be a real problem sometimes. I know I didn’t feel like I could explore these things until I’d been ousted from the academy. You see, I think we need more universities. Places where the curious can go to learn about even more obscure subjects, but subjects that are really important to people. It seems a far better use for our ill-gotten gain than spending it on lawsuits just to bring down those that education could take care of as a natural benefit.