In the fall of 1980, my Political Science senior seminar was entitled “Comparative Political Systems” but should have been called “Soviet Communism Here and Now.” The professor used all of the communist mantras like “workers controlling the means of production.” Having just worked in commercial construction to get money for college, I knew that workers controlling the means of production at Rome Builders was a bad thing. The building wasn’t getting built, the “workers committee” was going to convene at the jobsite with a keg of beer and a bucket of chicken, and the means of production (company tools) were going to disappear.
The point is that 15 years later I saw this professor had been made Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He was exactly what they were looking for. So yes, all the conservatives had been purged.
Looking back in retrospect, I wish I’d had the balls to agree with Professor Hanson, and tell him that students should also control the means of production of grades. Having been such great students for all two class sessions held so far, we vote ourselves all A’s for the semester, and head to Nick’s for some beer.
LOL.
Good post.