Time for a rant.

A narrowly-focused email digest that I receive (which shall remain nameless, though it isn't B-Greek) had -- as it frequently does -- mention of a seminar/course/workshop having loosely to do with the email group's primary topic. After long and tedious explanation of the course/workshop, the final paragraph noted (emphasis is mine):

These workshop (sic) have something to offer everybody. They are not strictly designed for computer types. The only prerequisites are an open mind and the desire to learn.

It sounds so nice, so pleasing, so enlightened and so innocuous. But it makes me chafe everytime I read it or something similar. One shouldn't have to list "an open mind" as a prerequiste, as if disagreeing or holding an alternate view is a sign of a closed mind. It isn't. Someone can hold an opposite opinion or position and it isn't a sign of a closed mind. And, someone may hold the same opinion and that isn't necessarily a sign of an open mind.

It's all meaningless blather and has nothing to do with anything. These sorts of "prerequisites" are useless, throwaway, make-the-author-feel-enlightened statements. If the seminar/workshop is interesting, then go, by all means. But attendence has nothing at all to do with an open mind or a closed mind. (Is my mind then closed when I'm done with the workshop?)

And -- here's a news flash for the description writer -- if someone is interested enough to do the travel and pony up the dinero to actually go to such a workshop (this one ranges from 749-2500 Euro ... and the course is in the Netherlands!) well ... that's a pretty good indication of a desire to learn (or the degree to which one is being compelled to learn).

So, my advice: be wary of anything that lists "an open mind" as a prerequisite.

OK, I'm done ranting now.