Since joining academia, have you become more or less liberal than you were before?

[SeattleUte]

FOUL!!! I insist you remove that dagger from LA's back. Poor form!

I learned it from BYU71.

[SeattleUte]

OK, I should have used the word "most". Kinda of ironic you calling me out for talking in "absolute" terms.

That's still not accurate. I bet every tenured Harvard B prof serves on some board of a major corporation. I bet every Harvard law prof writes briefs for the most significant disputes, or advises leading businesses on issues like securites and taxation. Their linguists and humanities professors translate and recast. Their scientits work in laboratories as big as your house on cancer cures, ingredients for new weapons of mass destruction, etc. Their paleantologists are looking at fossils. Their historians are reading diaries and looking at old pictures.

You are confusing being a professor with being a student. Big difference. Teaching is only a sliver of what they do.

[byu71]

That's still not accurate. I bet every tenured Harvard B prof serves on some board of a major corporation. I bet every Harvard law prof writes briefs for the most significant disputes, or advises leading businesses on issues like securites and taxation. Their linguists and humanities professors translate and recast. Their scientits work in laboratories as big as your house on cancer cures, ingredients for new weapons of mass destruction, etc. Their paleantologists are looking at fossils. Their historians are reading diaries and looking at old pictures.

You are confusing being a professor with being a student. Big difference. Teaching is only a sliver of what they do.

First off saying they (meaning the majority of professors not selected Harvard examples), deal in theory is not a degrading statement. I would say someone who has been taught the theory is in much better shape to take on the experience than someone who hasn't been so trained. My guess is part of the college experience is learning how to learn.

I wouldn't put too much stock in what boards of directors do. I believe, note I believe, they are primarily rubber stamp prestige positions. Maybe I should go read something on the subject by someone who knows what they are talking about before I firm up my opinion.

Do you think law professors do 50% of the lawyering that goes on. I know business professors don't run over 50% of the business goings on in America.

[SeattleUte]

First off saying they (meaning the majority of professors not selected Harvard examples), deal in theory is not a degrading statement. I would say someone who has been taught the theory is in much better shape to take on the experience than someone who hasn't been so trained. My guess is part of the college experience is learning how to learn.

I wouldn't put too much stock in what boards of directors do. I believe, note I believe, they are primarily rubber stamp prestige positions. Maybe I should go read something on the subject by someone who knows what they are talking about before I firm up my opinion.

Do you think law professors do 50% of the lawyering that goes on. I know business professors don't run over 50% of the business goings on in America.

Of course they constantly deal with theory. You said they exclusively deal in theory. That's very false.

[byu71]

Of course they constantly deal with theory. You said they exclusively deal in theory. That's very false.

I said they deal in theory. Where except in your own mind would that statement preclude the fact the could also deal in reality. I did recognize that my statement might have indicating I was talking about all academics and therefor revised that part of the statement.

What do I get. You mistating what I said and putting it in your own words and then saying I made a false statement.

I know you don't like this, but I think you will admit that is a famous ex ute technique.

[CardiacCoug]

I was in the College Democrats at BYU and helped organize a talk by an NAACP leader while there.

Since graduating from BYU, I have become progressively more politically conservative. Big government sucks.

[byu71]

I was in the College Democrats at BYU and helped organize a talk by an NAACP leader while there.

Since graduating from BYU, I have become progressively more politically conservative. Big government sucks.

In theory "big government" run by the "best and brightest" can solve all our problems. In reality it can't.

[Jarid in Cedar]

In theory "big government" run by the "best and brightest" can solve all our problems. In reality it can't.

Two words:

Special Interests!

[CardiacCoug]

In theory "big government" run by the "best and brightest" can solve all our problems. In reality it can't.

Very true.

[SeattleUte]

I was in the College Democrats at BYU and helped organize a talk by an NAACP leader while there.

Since graduating from BYU, I have become progressively more politically conservative. Big government sucks.

Translation: I'm a greedy doctor.

[wuapinmon]

This is an unbelievable statement. We can argue about whether the bias is harmful, but it is undeniable that it exists and is pervasive. (I think it's harmful.) Are you seriously taking this position?

I am seriously taking this position. Seriously. I take issue with the entire notion.

Just because I am left-of-center moderate doesn't mean that you'll ever know it in my classroom. If my student wants to talk politics in my office, the poster of Rasputin and my knee-length beard should clue him or her in.

For example, during my Rastafarian class, I expect to have several students with religious 'issues' with the Rasta belief system. So I can get them to move beyond telling me that they love Jesus, a lot, I've given them this assignment...this is a rough draft, so lay off on stylistics:

I expect you to turn in a 5-7 page response to, or opinion about, the Rastafarian Movement. This does not have to be an academic research paper, feel free to include your opinion; but, I expect you to back up your opinion with specific and properly-cited examples. Saying “I liked it” is not enough……tell me what parts spoke to you, what you didn’t like, what bothers you, what factors led to its creation, and had you been Jamaican in the 1920's, a subject of the British king in an impoverished colony, would you have been sympathetic to its message? Is that answer knowable? Any topic is open for discussion. If you have a religious issue with the movement, articulate it with specific examples from your Scriptures….just be sure to state an opinion that you can back up with sources and multiple examples.

This is a risky assignment. I expect to get 2-3 testimonies and lots of poorly-interpreted scriptures from John. But, I'm at least making them think about why they believe what they believe when compared to a different system. That's my job. Read and think and process and describe/expound, that's what I want all my students to do; that's what I'm paid to do, and I take that responsibility over my charges very seriously.

My dissertation director, a self-described Shiite of the Left and atheist had this to say about me on his blog:

Sobre Borges: Mac Williams defendeu, mês passado, aqui em Tulane, sob minha orientaçao, uma brilhante tese que discute as complexas reinterpretações das várias religiões na obra de Borges. Mac, religioso (mormon) e eleitor de políticos conservadores (pelo menos até recentemente). Eu, ateu e xiita de esquerda. Poucas vezes um orientando e um orientador foram tão diferentes e se deram tão bem. Parabéns, Mac. Consulte-se, em breve, a tese de Mac na Internet.

As you can see from his words there, he's acknowledging our differences but pointing out how easily we got along because of mutual respect for the other's way of viewing the world. My experience has been that there is no liberal bias in higher education, even if the overwhelming majority of the faculty are moderate to liberal. Certainly there are some bad eggs, just like there are some on the conservative side that show their bias.....but to cast a sweeping indicting net over all of us (and our profession, which we take very seriously) as liberally biased is hogwash and smacks of someone who has no idea what the cussword they're talking about.

[wuapinmon]

I'm not sure on Indy's intention in crafting the poll, but there are not 16+ college professors on CUF. I interpreted joining academia as meaning become a faculty somewhere. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think people are skewing the stats.

[byu71]

I'm not sure on Indy's intention in crafting the poll, but there are not 16+ college professors on CUF. I interpreted joining academia as meaning become a faculty somewhere. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think people are skewing the stats.

I admit I have only taught accounting at nights at a Jr. College. I probably shouldn't have felt entitled to answer the poll. I ask all of you to forgive me for my indescretion.

[wuapinmon]

I admit I have only taught accounting at nights at a Jr. College. I probably shouldn't have felt entitled to answer the poll. I ask all of you to forgive me for my indescretion.

You've taught as an adjunct, that counts in my book.

[il Padrino Ute]

I'm not sure on Indy's intention in crafting the poll, but there are not 16+ college professors on CUF. I interpreted joining academia as meaning become a faculty somewhere. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think people are skewing the stats.

He stated that the poll was for those who teach at a college or university or those who have a doctorate of some sort.