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'White trash' Texas town written off by a professor
Daily Telegraph ^ | February 22, 2004 | Julian Coman in Washington

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."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: education; midland; politics; tenuredradicals; texas
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Speaking of sub-standard genetics................
61 posted on 02/22/2004 1:17:16 AM PST by Finalapproach29er ("Don't shoot Mongo, you'll only make him mad.")
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To: jpsb
"I screwed up, please be patient with me."

You are forgiven for now.

Good night.

62 posted on 02/22/2004 1:21:09 AM PST by blackbart.223
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To: humblegunner
Ping!

If yer smart enough to know how to read this, that is.
63 posted on 02/22/2004 1:24:31 AM PST by Flyer (Don't abandon our military - Re-elect President Bush!)
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To: melsec
I don't think you would get what you expect. If you break down on the road you will have three pickups pull in behind you. They will call you every name in the book while they overhaul your engine. You will be lazy, stupid and incompetant for allowing yourself to get in such a fix. It's all a cover for the fact that they are helping you and will spend all day doing it. Samaritans in disguise. They can't give the appearance of being softies.
64 posted on 02/22/2004 1:30:07 AM PST by MARTIAL MONK
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To: raloxk
Prefessors like him are very bitter because the rest of society doesnt take them seriously or value their superior knowledge. He is probably resentful that he has not been called upon by the common people to solve all their problems or direct their daily lives.

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.

65 posted on 02/22/2004 1:44:29 AM PST by DentsRun
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
This posting is certainly rich with opportunities for vicious, scurrilous, unprincipled attacks. So, let me proceed apace, to do my worst.

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...)

66 posted on 02/22/2004 2:15:35 AM PST by fire_eye
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To: fire_eye
I knew there was something wrong with that post even as I posted it, but it somehow escaped my grasp.

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...).

67 posted on 02/22/2004 2:38:00 AM PST by fire_eye
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To: fire_eye
Let's pity the wife, where ever she lies.
68 posted on 02/22/2004 2:41:31 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
I find it interesting that Julian Coman is writing rather trite articles such as this, when in January of 2003 he was writing more serious articles like "Iraq: A Smoking Gun?" ( January 20, 2003)

Squeeze here

"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

69 posted on 02/22/2004 2:58:28 AM PST by G.Mason (The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected -- Will Rogers)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
What a hoot. I'm sure we'll hear more of this fascinating tale of The Perfesser And The Rednecks.

It's a classic.
70 posted on 02/22/2004 3:21:14 AM PST by George W. Bush (It's the Congress, stupid.)
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To: MARTIAL MONK
That's funny it sounds like the typical Australian country bumpkin!

Mel

71 posted on 02/22/2004 3:26:09 AM PST by melsec
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To: kcvl
"He is an Adjunct Scholar of the Ludwig von Mises Institute."

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".

72 posted on 02/22/2004 3:45:58 AM PST by Truthsayer20
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Alpine sounds like a nice place to live - except for the professor.
73 posted on 02/22/2004 3:48:55 AM PST by R. Scott (My cynicism rises with the proximity of the elections.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
And what is the consensus on university professors?

…appallingly ignorant, irrational, anti-intellectual, and, well . . . just plain stupid,"?

74 posted on 02/22/2004 3:50:18 AM PST by R. Scott (My cynicism rises with the proximity of the elections.)
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To: DentsRun
"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."

Well, it seems that the professor in question is a far-right libertarian.

75 posted on 02/22/2004 3:54:23 AM PST by Truthsayer20
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To: Tall_Texan
Yep.I bet the Deaniacs would love to have him They have an opening for a new hero.
76 posted on 02/22/2004 4:50:45 AM PST by beckysueb (Lady Liberty is in danger! Bush/Cheney 04.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
For those who want to connect Alpine to Midland. Its almost as far to Alpine from Midland as it is to Dallas from Midland. People forget that Midland is half way from Dallas to El Paso

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?

77 posted on 02/22/2004 5:32:47 AM PST by cb
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To: freebilly
"In the Land of the Blind, the One-eyed man is King."
78 posted on 02/22/2004 5:39:56 AM PST by Elsie (When the avalanche starts... it's too late for the pebbles to vote....)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
He published this bilge and expected that it wouldn't come back to bite his fat butt?

Who is the really stupid one in this story?

79 posted on 02/22/2004 5:44:20 AM PST by LibKill (My sigil: Two crossed, dead, Frenchmen emblazoned on a mound of dead Frenchmen.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Furious, Sechrest accused the university of punishing him for his views and trying to drive him to quit. ***

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.

80 posted on 02/22/2004 5:44:40 AM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (Don't try to tug at my heart strings. I have no heart and it will make me suspicious of your motives)
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