Why Academics Leftists and Elitists Need to Treat Ordinary Americans With Respect
- Thread starter nsacpi
- Start date
57Brave
Well-known member
To my mind in favoring trade /tech school one would be even more in favor of union supervised apprentice programs where OJT is the norm. Meaning the union foots the bill while the candidate maintains a full time job in his/her chosen field.
DOGE before ...
But, unions tend to vote (D).
That is the forever endless double edged sword of (R) philosophy
Jaw
It's OVER 5,000!
I’m in agreement on the first part. It’s much more beneficial for the employer and society to use resources training an employee selected for advancement, instead of using those resources on everyone. As for the second part, union votes are realigning.
acesfull86
Well-known member
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/10/19/colleges-universities-viewpoint-diversity-trump/
In the wider world, asking whether academia really skews left makes you look like an idiot or, slightly more charitably, like someone so encased in a bubble that they don’t even know what they’re missing. As for insisting on your right to complete self-governance, free from “secondary, external aims,” as Siraganian puts it … well, if you expect someone else to pay you to pursue truth, at some point, you must accept some secondary, external aims.
Academics tend to recoil from such a crass and mercenary idea, and fair enough, but the world is a crass and mercenary place. We talk about pursuing truth for its own sake, but most academics are pursuing it in exchange for money they can use to satisfy their many less elevated needs. The people who provide that money want something in return. Many will not be content to know that somewhere the global stock of Truth is increasing. Especially if one of the Truths you insist on is that they are dim-witted bigots.
This harsh reality has been hidden from academics because the 20th century gave them a sweetheart deal. (No shade intended: It gave one to journalists, too.) As a complexifying industrial society demanded more scientific research and knowledge workers, federal funds flowed into labs and tuition subsidies, while families paid more and more for that increasingly valuable ticket to a middle-class job. Few were inclined to poke too hard into the inner workings of the goose that laid the golden eggs, lest she stop depositing the goodies.
In the wider world, asking whether academia really skews left makes you look like an idiot or, slightly more charitably, like someone so encased in a bubble that they don’t even know what they’re missing. As for insisting on your right to complete self-governance, free from “secondary, external aims,” as Siraganian puts it … well, if you expect someone else to pay you to pursue truth, at some point, you must accept some secondary, external aims.
Academics tend to recoil from such a crass and mercenary idea, and fair enough, but the world is a crass and mercenary place. We talk about pursuing truth for its own sake, but most academics are pursuing it in exchange for money they can use to satisfy their many less elevated needs. The people who provide that money want something in return. Many will not be content to know that somewhere the global stock of Truth is increasing. Especially if one of the Truths you insist on is that they are dim-witted bigots.
This harsh reality has been hidden from academics because the 20th century gave them a sweetheart deal. (No shade intended: It gave one to journalists, too.) As a complexifying industrial society demanded more scientific research and knowledge workers, federal funds flowed into labs and tuition subsidies, while families paid more and more for that increasingly valuable ticket to a middle-class job. Few were inclined to poke too hard into the inner workings of the goose that laid the golden eggs, lest she stop depositing the goodies.
57Brave
Well-known member
"But she’s a respected university professor!"
Let's stop to see what " university professors " have added to our lives.
Albert Einstein of Princeton is someone everyone has heard of and a good place to start
Einstein's theories are indirectly linked to cell phones through the photoelectric effect, which makes camera sensors possible, and his theory of relativity, which is crucial for the accuracy of GPS. While Einstein did not invent or use cell phones, his work is fundamental to the technology, even though he personally disliked telephones and their ability to disrupt quiet reflection.
We had to call a plumber to repair the drainage issue in our house , I asked him to explain the "photoelectric effect"
He raised the pipe wrench in my direction. must have thought I was mocking him
I guess
In fairness, I asked a physicist to help repair the drainage issue.
He threw a book at me.
The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from a material, such as a metal, when it is struck by light or other electromagnetic radiation. This phenomenon occurs only if the light's frequency is above a certain "threshold frequency" specific to the material, meaning that photons must have enough energy to overcome the material's binding energy (or work function) to eject an electron. It demonstrates the particle-like nature of light, as each photon can eject one electron, and was a key discovery for quantum mechanics.
Let's stop to see what " university professors " have added to our lives.
Albert Einstein of Princeton is someone everyone has heard of and a good place to start
Einstein's theories are indirectly linked to cell phones through the photoelectric effect, which makes camera sensors possible, and his theory of relativity, which is crucial for the accuracy of GPS. While Einstein did not invent or use cell phones, his work is fundamental to the technology, even though he personally disliked telephones and their ability to disrupt quiet reflection.
We had to call a plumber to repair the drainage issue in our house , I asked him to explain the "photoelectric effect"
He raised the pipe wrench in my direction. must have thought I was mocking him
I guess
In fairness, I asked a physicist to help repair the drainage issue.
He threw a book at me.
The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from a material, such as a metal, when it is struck by light or other electromagnetic radiation. This phenomenon occurs only if the light's frequency is above a certain "threshold frequency" specific to the material, meaning that photons must have enough energy to overcome the material's binding energy (or work function) to eject an electron. It demonstrates the particle-like nature of light, as each photon can eject one electron, and was a key discovery for quantum mechanics.
57Brave
Well-known member
Sociologists study human society, social structures, and behavior by examining how groups, organizations, and cultures form and how individuals interact within them. They investigate topics ranging from the family and social institutions to divisions based on race, gender, and class, and they research social issues like inequality, crime, and social change. Sociologists use various research techniques, such as surveys, interviews, and fieldwork, to understand how larger social forces influence individual lives and to develop theories about the social world.
Key areas of study
Key areas of study
- Social structure and organization:
The organization of groups, institutions (like families, schools, and governments), and societies.
- Social inequality:
The divisions and hierarchies in society, including those based on social class, race, and gender, and their impact on opportunities and outcomes.
- Social interaction and behavior:
How individuals and small groups interact, including socialization, culture, and identity.
- Social change:
The processes and forces that lead to changes in society, including resistance and social movements.
- Social problems:
Issues such as crime, poverty, and health, and how they are shaped by social factors.
- Culture:
Shared beliefs, values, and practices and how they influence social dynamics.
- The sociological imagination:
A perspective that helps individuals see the connection between their personal experiences and broader social forces and structures.
- Research and theory:
The development and testing of theories through empirical research to explain social phenomena. Common research methods include social surveys and ethnographic fieldwork.
- Connecting individual and society:
Sociologists explore the interplay between individual autonomy and the influence of social structures, showing how each shapes the other.
Jaw
It's OVER 5,000!
Possums are beneficial for gardens as they help control pests by eating insects like ticks, slugs, and beetles, and they also clean up overripe fruits and carrion. Additionally, they are resistant to snake venom and can help reduce the presence of venomous snakes in the area. That doesn’t mean a rabid possum is a good thing.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
The great thang about legacy media nowadays is it provides partial balance to the new media where anti-Mamdami views (and all sorts of views generally) proliferate. None of y'all have had a problem finding and amplifying those views. To quote the late great Chairman Mao: Let a thousand flowers bloom.
God bless "C3" and "unusual whales"
They are filling important niches.
God bless the ever woke Grok as well!
God bless "C3" and "unusual whales"
They are filling important niches.
God bless the ever woke Grok as well!
Last edited:
acesfull86
Well-known member
Lol
Jaw
It's OVER 5,000!
Poor Tulsi. She’s catching it worse than Trump and as bad as a former FOX News host
Is it fair to say that the more foreign population at our Ivy league schools has resulted in its degradation?
Seemed to be more prestigious 40+ years ago.....
Jaw
It's OVER 5,000!
We’ve gone on two of the student led tours of Harvard. Had good kids lead both. Someone asked the last guy about all the recent protests and how it impacted the feel of the school. He said he hadn’t had time to pay attention to it, but he had a *real* major. I was amused.