BERKELEY, Calif.—Sophomore Richard Rider provided his Econ 1 Professor with much needed emotional support this Thursday in a display of body language his peers found “intimidating as fuck.”
“You would do it too, if you shared the kind of intellectual connection Professor Muny and I do,” remarked Rider on his bobblehead-esque behavior. “I mean did you see that supply versus demand graph? Honestly, it moved me to tears, and the last time I cried was back when Steve Jobs died. It’s just such an honor to learn from someone so brilliant, and I had to show her that I was picking up what she was putting down, you know? Real recognize real.”
The recipient of Rider’s nods, Professor Muny, commented on her student’s persistent non-verbal communication.
“I have received massive acclaim over the course of my thirty year career studying the global economy, but nothing compares to the feeling I get knowing that some nineteen year old from Orange County approves of my lectures,” commented Professor Muny. “My papers are cited by thousands of academics, I redefined the contemporary understanding of neoclassical economics, and I literally invented the piggy bank. But without Richard’s evocative squint and nod, how could I ever be sure that I was adding value to the world?”
Rider’s classmate, Lou Gubrious, had much to say on his peer’s clearly superior understanding of lecture material.
“I thought I was doing okay in this class,” lamented Gubrious. “I scored above the mean on our last midterm, and I take pretty good notes, but when I looked over at Richard during lecture last Thursday this massive wave of inferiority washed over me. I mean he wasn’t even trying to take notes, he just sat there with his hand on his chin, nodding throughout the entire lecture. I couldn’t possibly tell you what he must have been pondering, or the dots he must have been connecting, not that it even matters. I doubt a layman like myself would have understood it anyways.”
At press time, Rider was overheard asking Professor Muny borderline invasive questions about her career at office hours.