Posted on 12/03/2004 12:55:13 PM PST by Ramonan
In his column, "Campuses remain Democratic havens," George Will certainly tries hard to explain why faculty members at our prominent universities are overwhelmingly liberal. But as is often the case with Will, he fails to mention the obvious. These people are liberal because they are intelligent, thoughtful and well-educated. They know something of labor and social history and realize that for most people a return to conditions of the early 20th century would not be in their interest. Finally, they are unpersuaded by slogans like "compassionate conservative" and "ownership society," which are primarily a cover for the transfer of society's wealth into the pockets of the rich.
THOMAS ALDEN Borrego Springs
Demonstrating once again that you can be articulate, educated, powerful and connected yet still have no clue to what is actually going on, Will bemoans the lack of "conservative" thought on college campuses. The first thing that comes to my mind is thank God. If most professors' ideological rudders represented those of the current Republican Party, institutions of higher learning would be teaching creationism as the explanation of man's existence on Earth, ignoring more than a century of anthropological discoveries because they conflicted with biblical teachings. Government studies would renounce labor unions as pseudocommunist fronts, since businesses always do what is best for workers. Law schools would concern themselves primarily with property law, since only owners of property have rights.
CLIFF HANNA San Diego
(Excerpt) Read more at signonsandiego.com ...
I have, and I would not make such a hasty generalization about most professors.
Sure, there are a few outstanding professors, but many are just putting in time. Interestingly, the outstanding ones tended not to be doctrinaire liberals, at least from my observation.
They are liberal because they've never held any real jobs - never experienced real life before teaching (and couldn't). That does not hold true for all but for most.
possible troll.
Hi friend, what's happened here?
I read these letters in the paper and thought about posting them but didn't because these idiots are so clueless.
They are the very non thinking robots that the government schools have been working so hard to produce for the last 30+ years.
They have bought the BS that professors spew hook line and sinker!
"Intelligent"?? Not necessarily. In all too many cases, university professors are sluggards who specialized in some arcane, totally useless (in the working world) area and have no recourse but to remain in academia and pose as eggheads.
I've known plenty of college professors who knew positively zip outside of the latest sociological pap, or English lit, or some other totally useless nonsense. .
>As a Mensan, I reiterate what better folk that me have previously observed: some extremely intelligent, highly accomplished people in this world are complete morons outside of their very specific fields of endeavor.<
You are stating what plain, country folks have maintained for years. Some people have book learning (or "larnin") and the rest have common sense.
don't be so sure liberal professors are not on the gravey train....elect a liberal local/state/national gov't and who do you think get the fat "consultant fees" ? who do you think gets the multi-million $$ grants to study " the social dynamics and linguistics interface on the city basketball courts after midnight" ( true grant delivered)? who do you think get the fat "development plans for our liberal region" fees? have you forgotten multiple committee appointments that pay $10,000 and much more each for meeting a half day per year? and on and on and on....
Do not bemoan the financial plight of liberal professors as the grease is slathered onto them...bemoan the conservative professors who are denied tenure, all appointments and are constantly waiting for the pink slip...
"Why professors are liberal: They're intelligent"
Yes, but can they tie their own shoelaces?
Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.
My fav article on this subject is
Edward Feser: Why Are Universities Dominated by the Left?
Tech Central Station ^ | 02/13/2004 | Edward Feser
http://www.techcentralstation.com/021304A.html
Cheers,
-- Joe
FA Hayek makes the point that one reason that "intellectuals" make so many mistakes is that they overvalue their own intelligence.
In place of common sense, I guess.
The author presupposes the lib profs are correct. This constant reinforcement (I'm smart and you're not) is needed with a failed ideology. You see, if you were smarter, you'd see what I mean. There's no examples of success to point to for verification - so they need to do a verbal dance.
The libs have a major problem in that there is no feedback or corrective actions to their failed policies.
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