Praising Paglia: A lonely voice on education

National Review Online ^ | 8/12/2003 | Thomas Hibbs

[lainde]

Agree or disagree, Paglia makes you think!

[society-by-contract]

Thanks for posting this. I am more interested on Paglia's views on art than political philosophy, but she is dead on when it comes to the disaster that is government-run education.

[NutCrackerBoy]

I suspect a reason her voice on education is so lonely is that folks are avoiding controversy.

[Congressman Billybob]

I agree with every word of this review of Paglia's work. Even those who disagree with her on one or many issues have to respect the scope of her mind and the brilliance of her use of the English language. On the subject of this Paglia speech, I agree whole-heartedly. American education at all levels is bad and getting worse. And the changes she suggests to turn things around are spot on.

Congressman Billybob

[NutCrackerBoy]

... she is one of the few who continues to talk publicly, with conviction and clarity, about the nature of liberal education.

Why so few, though?

[Mannaggia l'America]

I would love to take one of her classes.

[reed_inthe_wind]

She sees the apathy of todays liberals. Real liberals have bold ideas - wrong headed ones too. Our liberals are sniveling reactionaries defending crusty old empires. Maybe that's a good thing.

[NutCrackerBoy]

American education at all levels is bad and getting worse.

In higher education, other traditional disciplines still limp along despite certain trends, but the humanities are completely damaged.

Critical Theory is marginalized where real life still plays a part.

[Tacis]

"Union teachers don't have no time to read no steenkin books!"

"Reading books gives kids strange ideas and limits the time that union teachers have to teach self-esteem, the glories of faggitude, and socialism."

[Tacis]

"Union teachers don't have no time to read no steenkin books!"

"Reading books gives kids strange ideas and limits the time that union teachers have to teach self-esteem, the glories of faggitude, and socialism."

[NutCrackerBoy]

She is especially impatient with the education establishment, which uses the classroom for "social engineering" and reduces education to lessons in toleration and how not to offend. Labeling this as "day-care center stuff," she urges fighting the "calcified public-education system" by any means necessary, including vouchers.

Despite fiery clashes like the 2000 debacle (caused by Gore and the SCOFla, of course), and talk of the need for more civility, there really is insufficient debate on many topics in American life. People talk past each other. Just as large organizations become risk-averse, American discourse has become controversy-averse.

[NutCrackerBoy]

Reading books gives kids strange ideas and limits the time that union teachers have to teach self-esteem, the glories of faggitude, and socialism

I agree with your point, though I don't much care for the word "faggitude".

[DPB101]

Studying the classics is now "controversial" in America. Go figure huh?

There is another person on the liberal side of the spectrum who has good ideas for reforming public education--Leon Botstein, president of Bard College. Leon wants to cut at least two years off K-12. He blasts the left for always wanting to do more of what fails. Leon wants kids to stay home with their parents as long as possible and he doesn't want 17 years olds and 14 year olds mixing in High School. Get the kids out early and let them have a year or two to think, travel and work before college.

[society-by-contract]

... she is one of the few who continues to talk publicly, with conviction and clarity, about the nature of liberal education.

Why so few, though?

I'm one of those people who prefers statist to liberal. After reading the classical liberal philosophers, it pains me that the statists stole this once noble word. So does Paglia mean classical liberal education of government-run (statist) education?

[society-by-contract]

I agree with your point, though I don't much care for the word "faggitude".

I laughed out loud when I read faggitude, and even shared it with my office mate.

[NutCrackerBoy]

does Paglia mean classical liberal education [or] government-run (statist) education?

By "liberal education", the author meant it like the liberal arts.

[NutCrackerBoy]

I laughed out loud when I read faggitude, and even shared it with my office mate.

I confess to a snicker when I read Tacis' bon mot.

[TontoKowalski]

I would love to take one of her classes.

Me, too. It's interesting... she's a free-thinking pro-choice, lesbian liberal who could have her own Fan Club on Free Republic.

I've always thought conservatives were more intellectual... more open to hearing honestly-and-eloquently rendered dissenting opinion. I don't agree with her on a whole lot, but it's surprising that we do agree on some things. I look forward to reading her work, even if I'm not in agreement with her conclusions.

[LiteKeeper]

SPOTREP - education