When Scholarship and Politics Collided at Yale

NY Times ^ | 28 December 2005 | Karen W Arenson

[Lorianne]

David Graeber pulled a green object shaped like a Champagne cork out of his pocket.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked recently. "It's a plastic bullet." The bullet, he said, was fired by the police in Quebec City during a protest against globalization in 2001, grazing his head.

Battles with the police are a fact of life for Dr. Graeber, an associate professor of anthropology at Yale and a self-proclaimed anarchist. It was his battle with Yale that surprised him.

The university notified him in the spring of 2005 that it would not renew his contract next year. Yale gave no reason, and officials said they could not discuss the dismissal because personnel matters were confidential.

But to Dr. Graeber the reason was obvious: his politics. He appealed, and supporters around the world wrote letters on his behalf, some calling him one of the most brilliant anthropologists of his generation.

This month, Yale, which says that personal political beliefs "are not a consideration" in appointments, amended its decision; it offered Dr. Graeber a paid sabbatical if he would drop his appeal. He accepted.

[Rummyfan]

Battles with the police are a fact of life for Dr. Graeber, an associate professor of anthropology at Yale and a self-proclaimed anarchist.

Some anarchist! An anarchist who wants to keep his cushy university position to fund his weekend antics.....

[Chickensoup]

Such wussies.

[Tzimisce]

Yeah, cause we all know that Universities only discriminate against Communists, Anarcharists and other hard core lefties.

If this guy is getting canned, he must own a gun or something. Besides, he can put this on his resume to USC, UCLA, Boston College...

[Coyoteman]

Battles with the police are a fact of life for Dr. Graeber, an associate professor of anthropology at Yale and a self-proclaimed anarchist.

It is wise to remember Niven's Laws, particularly NUMBER 1:

1a) Never throw sh*t at an armed man.
1b) Never stand next to someone who is throwing sh*t at an armed man.

Source.

(There are a lot more; check 'em out.)

[rbg81]

Maybe they dropped him 'cause he was such a health insurance risk.

Do you ever wonder why you never see these "anarchists" in places like Bejing, protesting the authoritarian Chinese government? They only protest in places where they know they'll walk away from (without any broken bones, cracked skulls, gunshot wounds, or long prison terms). Getting grased by a plastic bullet is an anomaly (if it happened at all). To many of these guys, it's more akin to street theater or a sport. Cheap weekend thrills only--with little or no pain.

[Jeff Chandler]

A self-proclaimed anti-Christ? Too. Much. Mold cedicine

[Zeppo]

People coming to a consensus without anyone running the show. You wouldn't think it could happen, but it does. And it's compelling.

. . .

He was an organizer and spokesman for the protest against the World Economic Forum in New York in 2001.

I'm sure that everybody except for Graeber sees the inherent contradiction in those two statements, as well as the contradiction in the concept of an anarchist who expresses contempt and disdain for centralized authority yet who becomes an organizer for a mass demonstration (without anyone running the show, of course). But in his wisdom and brilliance he is going to teach the world... Right...

[Clioman]

Having anarchism as a hobby is an interesting idea. It means you can go throw rocks at 'the system' on weekends, but still return to academia on Monday morning with your middle class entitlements left entirely undisturbed. Sorta like being a teenager, but without having acne.

[Zeppo]

David Graeber pulled a green object shaped like a Champagne cork out of his pocket.

Is that a plastic bullet in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

[Redbob]

"...it (Yale) offered Dr. Graeber a paid sabbatical if he would drop his appeal. He accepted."

So, the "principled" counter-culturalist has his price, eh?

"We know what you are, now we're just trying to arive at price..." LOL!

[rightwinggoth]

"Battles with the police are a fact of life for Dr. Graeber, an associate professor of anthropology at Yale and a self-proclaimed anarchist."

The story of every misunderstood, crime-fighting superhero.

[babydoll22]

(if it happened at all).

Bingo.

[Travis McGee]

Yeah, a wussy weekend anarchist. I'll bet his starry-eyed little neo-marxist students adore him.

[Ruth A.]

amended its decision; it offered Dr. Graeber a paid sabbatical if he would drop his appeal. He accepted.

He should show them how it is done and start a new lawsuit against them. Heck, he should get tenure and a chair from it since these wimps have no backbone.

[ApplegateRanch]

It is wise to remember Niven's Laws, particularly NUMBER 1:

Maybe Yale also decided, that in Dr. Graeber's case, Sturgeon's Law also applies: 90% of him (and all of what he spews) is sh*t.

[Ninian Dryhope]

"The bullet, he said, was fired by the police in Quebec City during a protest against globalization in 2001, grazing his head."

Too bad it didn't hit him in the eye.

[vrwc0915]

""Do you know what this is?" he asked recently. "It's a plastic bullet." The bullet, he said, was fired by the police in Quebec City during a protest against globalization in 2001, grazing his head."

Poor little socialist baby, Damn canucks can't hit anything!

[Dumb_Ox]

This poor underpriviliged Ivy League Professor, so oppressed by a virtually totalitarian state, has been in academic news for some time. People Power, Brother!

Sarcasm aside, somehow I was familiar enough with the case I had deja vu upon reading the piece, and then I almost thought the article was plagiarized.

[Ninian Dryhope]

At least the dude, after years and years of hanging around college campuses to get his Doctor's degree, is only making $63,000/year. He is making chump change in his forties. I read the entire article and I did not notice any mention of Mrs. Anarchist. No surprise, since his probably a rump ranger as well as a rabble rouser.