'White trash' Texas town written off by a professor

Daily Telegraph ^ | February 22, 2004 | Julian Coman in Washington

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Over the years, Texans have been the butt of many cruel jokes. Opponents of President George W. Bush, who grew up in Midland, Texas, love to lampoon his folksy cowboy language.

But no one has been quite as insulting as Dr Larry Sechrest, a university professor in the Texan town of Alpine.

Last month, he published a 7,000-word essay entitled "A strange little town in Texas", in a small-circulation magazine based in Washington state. Unfortunately, a couple of subscribers who live in Alpine read his indictment of his 5,000 neighbours, two of whom have responded with death threats.

"The secret problem here," Dr Sechrest wrote in the introduction, "is that the students and more generally the long-term residents of the entire area are appallingly ignorant, irrational, anti-intellectual and well, just plain stupid."

The diatribe, which appeared in Liberty, an obscure libertarian journal, was apparently inspired by a letter from a student. On reading the words "Thank you for all your patients", an exasperated Dr Sechrest put pen to paper. "Here, one has poor white trash and poor Mexican trash socialising with each other," he wrote. "Here, the lowest common denominators get together to pro-create."

There was more. "Many of the kids are only a notch above retardation," he said. "The students here are among the worst... anywhere. I am prepared to defend to the death the proposition that this area of Texas generally is the proud home of some of the dumbest clods on the planet."

As an economics professor, Dr Sechrest had tried to interest the residents in theories of capital markets but most were interested only in "football, beer, sex and church".

Now he says: "The article was a Mark Twain sort of thing. I can't believe there's such anger."

[Future Snake Eater]

wait, I thought his name was Larry Sechrest, not Bruce Vilanche.

LOL! Where's Whoopi when he needs her?

I'll give 20 to one odds this guy got so smart by studying by flashlight while he was stuffed in his locker in high school.

That would have to be one big locker...

[international american]

"The chain hotel manager has lived in the little town of Alpine for 13 years"

He must be living like a king in this small town:)

[FormerACLUmember]

"Professor" Larry Sechrest is a secret undercover agent of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy converting all of West Texas into Republicans!

[KC_for_Freedom]

They also have one of the best full services hospitals in the region for many a mile. A fellow traveler got hurt in Turlinga and had to be driven back to Alpine for treatment. Not bad for a small backwoods town.

[Criminal Number 18F]

The U.S. military is not necessarily even the best option [for hunting Bin Laden].

I happen to be more familiar than the average FReeper with what has been and is being done in this regard, with the resources (governmental and private) available and in use, and with the logistics and, above all, coordination required.

In this particular instance, I believe Mr Sechrest is badly mistaken. I think the problem is that he got that electric jolt that most people get from reading Ayn Rand at about age 14, and he never grew out of that phase. For whatever reason, he's a real ivory-tower cat, all theory and no skinned knuckles.

The odd thing is that he's right, that college level students are no longer writing or thinking at college level. But he's barking mad if he thinks the problem is isolated to or in some way the fault of his West Texas location. It's practically universal in the products feel-good, "decontented" public ed.

Poor Larry. He probably needs to exit Texas at the earliest opportunity, but guess how many Ivy League schools and big public universities want a libertarian professor? Also... I bet he lives a lot better on his $100k/yr where he is than he would on a lot more in Boston.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Swanks]

Can someone take this pic and strap on a pair of six-shooters and a cowboy hat?

[MountainYankee]

It is as simple as that !! This guy must have a serious self image problem....

[Indie]

Hmmmm.next time I take a bike trip to Big Bend, perhaps I'll drop by and challenge this moron to a gunfight debate. Nothin' scarier than a native Texan graduate from a liberal university, who is an ex-cop, carries guns and rides a bike. BWA HA! [no they couldn't convert me]

[Criminal Number 18F]

I think that was a hell of a good essay, actually: http://www.freeradical.co.nz/content/33/33sechrest.html.

You have to wonder, though, why he thought that lazy, ill-prepared students at Sul Ross are any different from lazy, ill-prepared students from San Diego to New York.

For a bright guy, publishing an essay (not this one) that suggests that his home town is, apart from him, populated completely by morons, was an action that sure passed the "Forrest Gump's Mama's Stupid Test."

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

ping...

[litehaus]

"and more generally the long-term residents of the entire area, are appallingly ignorant, irrational, anti-intellectual, and, well . . . just plain stupid," he wrote."

Funny, thought that was the description of Palm Beach County Voters............

[Mamzelle]

Boycotting his classes? Cool!! And remarkable that it might actually have an effect via the administration. Though I think the fact that Sechrest included Mexicans in on his ire might have something to do with that

[Mamzelle]

His home page--bet it disappears soon, catch it while you can

[gusopol3]

Detroit Tigers ex- third baseman, Norm Cash , my childhood hero, was a graduate of Sul Ross, and I think it might have been him to whom the perfesser was alluding. Years after batting .361 and winning the AL batting title ( he would have won MVP, except Maris hit 61 HRs that year), he confessed to having done it with a corked bat. I have it on eyewitness authority that Cash invited both his wife and girlfriend to the same special Wive's ballgame event. Sadly, he passed away ten years ago when his fishing boat tipped over while he was reportedly intoxicated.

[international american]

This guy is obviously intelligent. What I would like to know, is why a man so scholarly, would settle in a working class town, as opposed to being a resident scholar at the University of Chicago!!

I noticed that he mentioned every accolade that has ever been bestowed upon him. Arrogance becomes him. Who's Who in America? The World Who's Who? rotflmao! My brother,mother and father are members of these rags for years. They never mentioned it to anyone that I am aware of.

I also noticed that he is a member of the Ayn Rand objectivist cult. Well, that is his prerogative.
My FReeper buddy, Conspiracy Guy once told us he respects intelligence over intellect. I second that emotion.

[Mamzelle]

Now that I am long in the tooth, I have decided that "smart" and "intelligent" are very confusing terms, with little meaning or import.

I think that if I were described as "wise"--I'd be much happier than "brainy"--

I noticed that I didn't find Sechrest's alma mater, or where he got his PhD.

[international american]

Some do it with corked bats, others with steroids....."Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio our nation turns it's lonely eyes to you......

[Dialup Llama]

>In a recent interview, Dr. Sechrest said he never expected the people in Alpine to read the article, nor did he expect such violent reaction.

Guess they're not illiterate.

[Dialup Llama]

>I have received several commendations for my classroom teaching, including being included twice in Who's Who Among America's Teachers.

Some tell Larry Sechrest that the Who' Who thing is marketing ploy. They stick your name in it and then try to get you to buy a copy. Its not the Nobel Prize.

[international american]

"Now that I am long in the tooth, I have decided that "smart" and "intelligent" are very confusing terms, with little meaning or import.
I think that if I were described as "wise"--I'd be much happier than "brainy"--

I noticed that I didn't find Sechrest's alma mater, or where he got his PhD."

I would like to frame this!

" noticed that I didn't find Sechrest's alma mater, or where he got his PhD."

I was looking fervently for the same. Maybe it was Toogaloo College of Science and Automatic Transmission Repair:)



To me smart is natural intelligence. The ability to reason and make sound judgement. Someone who is able to discern reality from the unreal or spurious.