This is a very appropriate quote from a Founder of the Country. Perhaps, in the words of cliffelam, the "Donks" (and I was one at one time) and Progressives should really educate themselves on the meaning of "Original Intent" instead of the Progressive "drool" we hear spouted from the academic elite about the Constitution and the "original intent" (most of which, these days, were hippies from a prior generation who couldn't make a business run successfully if they had to and have to rely on "tenure" (that great bastion of mediocrity, un-creativity, intolerance for opposing opinions, and ludicrous unproductive union inventions" to keep their jobs).
No compact among men... can be pronounced everlasting and inviolable, and if I may so express myself, that no Wall of words, which no mound of parchment can be so formed as to stand against the sweeping torrent of boundless ambition on the one side, aided by the sapping current of corrupted morals on the other….George Washington, draft of First Inaugural Address, April 1789
Boundless ambition is more than "Wall Street Greed or Government Political Greed", but the view that I am right and everyone who disagrees is a mindless, right-wing, uneducated, unintelligent, biased, and bigoted moron; you know like Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Wilber Wilberforce, and Fredrich Hayek (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek).
As for morals, "Oh, there are none - I decide on my own - there are no absolutes or inalienable rights"! I am the center of the universe! "There is no God, only the great ME!"
Why am I suddenly seeing "academic" used as a pejorative all over the place?
Because there are "true academics" and those who use their position to impose their own "worldview" (in violation of "higher education") on those unsuspecting younger folks who take their word as "gospel' and don't research the "roots" of what they are saying! If they do, they are usually "belilttled" for their views - more to come later!
Woah. I don't know what you're talking about in saying that younger folks take professors and academics word as gospel. Numerous times I have personally been taught a way to approach a problem, but either delved deeper into the issue myself or asked the professor why it's done that way. In more than one instance mistakes have been found and corrected, which could only have been done through this skepticism. Mind you that this is Engineering where there usually isn't too much leeway or room for interpretation. I'm sure it's even more interesting in softer sciences. I can assure you that all of my classmates have done the same with asking and challenging our professors and faculty, along with other Engineering students that I know. Nor have any of us ever been belittled for having a different view, being of a different ethnicity, or anything in between. If anything, as thenewgreen said, you're looked upon in a good light for doing so (within a reasonable limit). That said, some of my...debates...with administration and faculty have got heated but never to the point of belittling each other. It appears as though you have had very different experiences than myself.
I attended two different universities and I never encountered professors belittling people for having a dissenting opinion. If anything, I found that students that challenged assumptions were more often than not, favorites of the professors. Have you personally experienced this? edit: I also don't think you give young college students enough credit. Most young adults have a finer-tuned bullshit detector than most adults. If a professor is passing off opinion as fact, most students will pick up on it.
Just came across this discussion while looking through the "rant" tag. Hubski is so much fun. re are students allowed to have dissenting opinions? (A conversation worth taking to the greater community - do you think?) Anyway, I've taken to beginning classes by putting my underlying assumption on the table. On Wednesday I ran a workshop on communicating nondefensively. My underlying assumption was this: in any disagreement, your initial response can make the conflict WAY worse quite quickly and shut down productive communication or your initial response can open the possibility of further communication. I asked the class if they agreed with that premise. When it seemed they had bought into that assumption, I continued. I think I'll do this more often....of course it requires examining my underlying assumptions. I think, though, the above is probably the underlying assumption of all my workshops.
I attended two different Uni's as well and it was clear to me on day one of each which professors were spouting "received wisdom" and which wanted to engage. Remind me someday to tell you about the "history of conquest in the new world" class with the avowedly Marxist prof. Great class but don't cross the prof vibe. On the upside there was Tequila at the end of class party. -XC
Oh, like many prof's the root of all evil was white european men. Arguable when you're talking about the conquest of the new world one can draw that as a conclusion. Anyway, this guy was a throwback hard drinking heavy smoking tenured prof in his early 40's who was busily working his way through the female graduate student body. It was a neat class - he was a dynamic speaker, really knew the history, and didn't mind if you didn't agree wiht his interpretation as long as you were cogent. I didn't mind his rank communism. I heard later he married a gal whose family had been early Wal*Mart investors. Irony is tasty as a main dish. -XC
Did a liberal steal your lunch money today, or what? What prompted the rant?
Also, most liberals know that they aren't the center of the universe, something that conservative christians had a hard time adopting to. Hell, some still think the earth is less than 6000 years old. Imagine that?bloated union benefits......most of which, these days, were hippies from a prior generation who couldn't make a business run successfully if they had to and have to rely on "tenur
-This coming from a guy that, according to your bio, has spent 26 years in the auto industry. I hear that industry has some union representation. But I'm sure over those 26 years you fought tooth and nail to ensure that those nasty unions didn't allow for above market pay or exorbitant pensions. Also, what business of your own have you successfully run? Seems to me you somewhat fit the bill of that which you claim to abhor.
Yes they do, and they have wrecked many of the domestic auto companies! Why do you think Toyota, Honda, Daimler-Benz, BMW, Hyundai-Kia, and the likes built their plants in non-union, right to work states....hmmmm! Talk about outdated, arcane work rules and benefits agreements. Only through declaring bankruptcy are the domestic auto companies, and many municipalities, able to escape the overwhelming, unrealistic burden of certain union entities. I am NOT against Unions, just Union abuses and the corrupt politics of giving money to candidates, getting them elected, and then making agreements with those same people who are beholden to you (it works with both parties by the way and it is NOT the RIGHT way to represent your entire constituency!). I am for collective "bargaining" but not for "collective bludgeoning"! It was these issues, not the lack of producing the abject failure, "The VOLT", which caused the predicament of the domestic auto makers.
thenewgreen I assume you shared this because you wanted some other people to weigh in on this rant, or something? I wish I could propose another community tag; #notworthyourtime
I find it, frankly, barely coherent. And would like to point out: > most of which, these days, were hippies from a prior generation who couldn't make a business run successfully if they had to and Most people these days aren't capable of running a business successfully, or at least their jobs don't entail that. It's hardly a requirement for being a successful or contributing member of society. Just because someone couldn't make a business run successfully doesn't mean they can't educate someone successfully.
True, but in too many cases, they rail against the "evils" of the capitalistic society (not all - I had great professors in college, but I investigated them to make sure they were educators, and not ideologues whose main interest was to educate YOU in the way THEY saw the world; there are tons of You Tube clips and recordings of such "educational rants" by professors in higher institutions of "learning" (did I say learning out loud - it must have been a faux pas!).