Posted on 02/21/2004 11:47:11 PM PST by 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."
You are forgiven for now.
Good night.
You said it well. I've often thought that the reason so many inellectuals and college professors are socialist is that in socialist countries it is people like them who get to run the economy. Captains of industry have to bow down to them. Ask their permission. While they in turn get to plan everything.
In a capitalist country like America though, we have no need for central planners. Intellectuals aren't just laughed at. It's far worse. They're simply ignored.
First, let me begin by saying that I hope the porcine professor's wife lets HER get on top.
Second, (and assuming my first exemplar of unprincipled, reprehensible ad hominem invective has escaped the censors) let me say that the death threats against the esteemed professor are thoroughly insupportable, since I vehemently oppose killing liberals on the grounds that their death obviates all possibility of further torturing them.
Third, (and I submit the ESTEEMED Professor's comments:) "Here, one has poor white trash and poor Mexican trash socialising with each other," he wrote. "Here, the lowest ommon denominators get together to pro-create."
I MUST insist on focusing on the pejorative, "Trash". MAY I perchance point out to the **********ESTEEMED********** professor, the overuse of the descriptor, "Trash"? Certainly, it is undeniable that there is a *value judgement* contained in that term?
(I leave it to the ******************************ESTEEMED************************* Professor, to draw the necessary conclusion from the inescapable evidence of his having applied a (no doubt culturally biased) *value judgement* to his erstwhile academically detached assessment of the...
(Fire_eye... you REALLY need to lock that bottle of vodka up somewhere where even YOU can't find it...)
I meant to say, "I hope the porcine Professor lets his *wife* get on top"... but somehow, my fingers disobeyed my intentions.
(There... Now, if that doesn't get me censored, I should consider myself immune...).
"A Smoking Gun" is a pre-war article, and an interesting look at where we were at that time.
Hans Blix is an enemy of the United States
Mel
I would guess this guy is not a liberal. Most probably he's a far-right elitist. A liberal would never write about "poor Mexican trash".
And what is the consensus on university professors?
…appallingly ignorant, irrational, anti-intellectual, and, well . . . just plain stupid,"?
Well, it seems that the professor in question is a far-right libertarian.
Alpine is a pretty little town out in the middle of nowhere. Sul Ross is not known as a seat of higher learning, its basically a cowboy/rodeo School and if you can't make it anywhere....you can't probably make it there.
So, who forgot to tell this clown?
Who is the really stupid one in this story?
Well, duh!
Personally I would fire him. If he has no respect for the town or the students then he shouldn't be teaching there.
I have known teachers who hated their students. The damage done by those sadistic SOB's had to be seen to be believed.
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