Marxist Historian.
Two words which amuse, when in each other’s company.
As someone who has been an academic for the past 15 years, this is an easy one to answer.
The academy is socialism writ small. We have committees that have committees deciding everything, from the size of paper clips to the curriculum of the schools. Expertise is everything. There are plans for this and plans for that, and meetings about changing the plans, and plans about meetings to propose new plans to supercede the old plans. We have a guaranteed job for life, and it is almost impossible get rid of us, even if there are obvious signs of incompetence. We have guaranteed pay that only goes upward to reflect greater expertise, which is measured in college credits and degrees, meaning that other academics are conferring expertise on their fellows. Like other socialist enterprises, politics mediates all interactions, so people tend to take the easy route and spout the expected slogans and phrases needed to gain advancement from those academics conferring the credits and degrees.
It is amazing anything works at all, but, then again, the Soviets managed to produce just enough food to hold off starvation, most of the time. We manage to produce some educated people anyway. Who wouldda thunk it?
God willing I will see vouchers and the destruction of the Union Supposedly Representing Me, but I don’t think so.
In the meantime, think of me operating as the anti-Gramscii, making the long march through THEIR institutions. LOL