# Pointing out that Art History isn't exactly a useful degree is threadshitting? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 26, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558 "2014-08-26T15:56:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/41 "2014-08-26T23:11:31Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > When I went to the thread and read the first few posts, I thought about that line of reasoning for a minute. But then I realized it didn’t matter. Still rude and uncalled for. Give the poster a chance to let folks know if she wants that sort of feedback. The first post I thought wasn’t that bad. But etv’s Energizer Bunny impersonation, where he just kept going and going and going with sanctimonious and unsought commentary about her major, put it over the edge. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/42 "2014-08-26T23:49:09Z")
In the past, **etv** , you’ve gotten very pissy when people take a dump in your own threads – often asking for them to be closed, or declaring you’re leaving and not coming back. So why is it okay for you to do so to others? You weren’t simply “telling the truth”, and you know that. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/43 "2014-08-27T00:07:16Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > In the past, **etv** , you’ve gotten very pissy when people take a dump in your own threads – often asking for them to be closed, or declaring you’re leaving and not coming back. So why is it okay for you to do so to others? You weren’t simply “telling the truth”, and you know that. MODERATOR COMMENT: Let’s please keep this to the situation at hand, and not bring in extraneous personal comments, OK? ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/44 "2014-08-27T07:40:38Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I was about to join the pile-on and also berate the OP for threadshitting, one of my pet peeves, but then I saw that she brought up her father disagreeing with her choice of major. IMHO, choice of major was then on the table, and valid for discussion. His comment may have been rude, but IMHO not threadshitting. I don’t know **etv78** ’s history, but on the face of it, I agree with this. Also, **etv78** didn’t say that she would be a barista for her career, just that he expected that she might have to start that way. His post was: > [@On another topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/696487/4): > > Sorry to agree with your Dad Emily. I fully expect you to begin your post college life as a barista. Would love to be wrong. mentioning that he hoped to be wrong. As has been mentioned in this thread, starting as a barista is an acceptable way for some people to start their careers while they work on breaking into what they’re interested in. Drama majors and music majors sometimes start with unrelated jobs until they can gain enough connections to do what they’re trained to do. The OP seemed to take it in good spirits with: > [@On another topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/696487/8): > > I’m hoping to work in a museum or art society. My dreams may be extreme, but hey! 😃 Then the thread went pear-shaped as more people were responding to **etv78** about his comments than welcoming the new person. I thought I read someone mention that **etv78** didn’t offer a welcome but can’t find it at the moment. He did later in the thread: > [@On another topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/696487/18): > > Emily, in an effort to be helpful, I’m curious if you have talent for art? That could be a way to supplement Art History. > > BTW, welcome to the Dope, we (usually) don’t bite. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/45 "2014-08-27T10:51:21Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > We have a new poster, who is in Paris studying Art History. I was modded for pointing out it wasn’t exactly a degree you’ll have a lot of marketable skills with. The fact you did it, didn’t realize it was a jerk move, and _started a thread_ inquiring about / defending your position makes it seem pretty clear you are set in your ways. You started this thread and other Dopers - “friends stating a hard truth” - are 100% lined up to tell you it was a jerk move. How is this going for you **etv**? Did you start this thread to make your point and have stopped listening as the posts pile in or are you reconsidering your position? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/46 "2014-08-27T11:02:27Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The first post I thought wasn’t that bad. But etv’s Energizer Bunny impersonation, where he just kept going and going and going with sanctimonious and unsought commentary about her major, put it over the edge. And then to come here and bitch about his mod note? Priceless! ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/47 "2014-08-27T13:30:16Z")
I’ll have to disagree with the mod note, at least in so far as Post 4. In Post 3, the OP notes that her father doesn’t think much of her choice of major. In post 4, **etv78** agrees with her father. His comment was relevant to her previous post, and as such, doesn’t appear to me to be a threadshit, or even that rude. His later comments may have warranted the note (I didn’t read through the entire thread) but i think Post 4 was within bounds. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/48 "2014-08-27T13:45:01Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > MODERATOR COMMENT: Let’s please keep this to the situation at hand, and not bring in extraneous personal comments, OK? How is describing the OP’s behavior when someone offers a similar comment in his threads “extraneous”? Seems on-topic to me. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/49 "2014-08-27T14:02:51Z")
Maybe it is arguable that it was not a jerk move, if it were posted by someone else. But **etv78** has been [suspended just a few months ago for personal insults](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=724499). That means he’s on the short leash where he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt. I guess we could quibble about whether it was threadshitting or just being a jerk. But a note was definitely warranted. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/50 "2014-08-27T14:21:36Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > How is describing the OP’s behavior when someone offers a similar comment in his threads “extraneous”? Seems on-topic to me. First, general principle: This is not a thread about the OP’s behavior in other threads; it’s about whether the moderator was correct in moderating a specific situation. His behavior in other situations is not relevant, by and large.\* Second: specifics. **Guinistasia** ’s post was basically accusing **etv78** of inconsistent behavior. In context, that’s either (a) not relevant or (b) a personal insult. I chose, as moderator, to take the first interpretation. 🙂 - I can think of some potential exceptions, but this wasn’t it. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/51 "2014-08-27T14:42:06Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > Second: specifics. **Guinistasia** ’s post was basically accusing **etv78** of inconsistent behavior. In context, that’s either (a) not relevant or (b) a personal insult. I chose, as moderator, to take the first interpretation. 🙂 Pointing out inconsistent behavior is an insult now? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/52 "2014-08-27T14:46:26Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Pointing out inconsistent behavior is an insult now? A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.🙂 ETA: credit where it is due, turns out Ralph Waldo Emerson said that. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/53 "2014-08-27T14:53:27Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.🙂 > > ETA: credit where it is due, turns out Ralph Waldo Emerson said that. Reported for calling me foolishly consistent. It’s probably against the rules. We’ll find out! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/54 "2014-08-27T14:56:09Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Reported for calling me foolishly consistent. It’s probably against the rules. We’ll find out! Hey - it’s better than being called consistently foolish. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/55 "2014-08-27T15:14:16Z")
**emilyc95** might have some input on the whether she felt insulted by the post. _However_, her last activity was 18 minutes after the offending post. Coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![Larissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@Larissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larissa)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/56 "2014-08-27T16:34:07Z")
Hi everyone! I’m new to this board and am glad I found it so that I can put in my two cents about the art history field. I am a Summa Cum Laude graduate with a BA in art history, and I won numerous academic awards while studying for my degree. I currently work part time as a sales assistant in an art gallery. But here is where my story turns sour. Bear in mind, I’m Summa Cum Laude. That means I graduated among the best in my class. Despite this illustrious designation, I have gotten nothing outside my gallery gig. I understand that a BA isn’t as grand as a Master’s or a Ph.D., but seriously, I should have more than I do! I have applied at every major museum and every school in my area, but I have gotten passed over repeatedly. Most people would accuse me of doing something wrong to hurt my chances of employment in this field. Again I point out the SCL designation, so tell, me, where did I go wrong? I refuse to play the victim and put blame on myself. After a year of being without full-time work, and dismal chances for finding such a gig, I have come to the conclusion that, unless you’re from an upper-class family and have a certain amount of social connections, rethink this career. It’s not a lack of smarts that’s hurting me; it’s the fact that I’m a working-class kid from the wrong side of the tracks that’s pulling me down. The art establishments in many cities – and especially in Philadelphia, where I live – are very tough for the working class to break into. The people in charge are snooty, cliquey types who usually only feel comfortable working among their own. This attitude is especially prevalent in Philly, the locus of Main Line high society. For them to hire me and have me work among them is tantamount to hiring Eliza Doolittle. Not that I am rough and ill-mannered, but I can’t cover up my working-class Philly accent and ways of thinking no matter how hard I try. This is the reason why I have essentially bombed out of this field. My intention was to go to grad school after working for a year, but that’s now out the window. I am loathe to put more money into a degree that most likely won’t earn me money. Having a Master’s still may not get me to where I want to be. At best, I’ll get a lackey adjunct teaching position, and forget about earning tenure. Again, my working-class background will hold me back from opportunity there. I have decided to cut my losses and go back to school, but this time to train for a different degree, one that will actually earn me money. Fortunately, I will be able to transfer the credits I earned while studying art history to the new degree’s curriculum. I will keep my part-time gallery gig, so at least I will have something to show for the degree I worked so hard to earn. In closing, I reiterate that if you’re not from an affluent, socially-connected family, especially if you live in the Philly area, please reconsider this degree. Thanks for taking the time to read these inconvenient truths. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/57 "2014-08-27T16:50:30Z")
Tell emily we said Hi, Larissa! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/58 "2014-08-27T16:53:46Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Pointing out that Art History isn’t exactly a useful degree is threadshitting? > [@etv78](#): > > Guess telling “friends” bard truths is frowned on here. Good to know. What remarkably concise, yet totally accurate summations of the issues at hand. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/59 "2014-08-27T17:22:47Z")
> [@orangeapples](#): > > Bardic Knowledge is from Dungeons & Dragons, a bard (you prob’ly guessed that much) class feature. > > I suspect ‘bard’ was a typo, also. Another vote for typo, but it was a good one. One ironic thing is that D&D bards are considered to be underpowered (at least in some versions of D&D). But they can be fun to play. So long and bitter arguments are had between roleplayers and powergamers over whether or not bards are worthwhile characters. **Larissa** , the few people I know working at museums got the job after putting in years as unpaid interns. In fact, [Emily Graslie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Graslie) did an informal poll at the [Field Museum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_Museum) and only found one employee who had NOT started as an unpaid intern. This is not to say you shouldn’t go back to get a different degree, just that museums have few jobs and lots of interns wanting them. Since the biggest fear a hirer has is the possibility of choosing someone who looks good on paper and interviews well, but that has bad habits or personality flaws, a crew of interns who have been competing for years to show that they are diligent, resourceful, and passionate about their museum can form an impenetrable wall between outsiders and any job openings. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558/60 "2014-08-27T17:37:10Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > **Larissa** , the few people I know working at museums got the job after putting in years as unpaid interns. In fact, [Emily Graslie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Graslie) did an informal poll at the [Field Museum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_Museum) and only found one employee who had NOT started as an unpaid intern. > > This is not to say you shouldn’t go back to get a different degree, just that museums have few jobs and lots of interns wanting them. This is what happened to my friend. A year before he got his degree he started unpaid interning at our local museums. To make money he was working at Trader Joes. After 5 years of unpaid interning and only one position opening up and another intern got picked he gave up and went to work for Trader Joes full time. A couple years later he made assistant manager and then manager. He would always complain that the only way to get a paid position that wasn’t in the gift shop was for either someone to move or die. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-that-art-history-isnt-exactly-a-useful-degree-is-threadshitting/696558.md?page=4)