Fighting liberalism at UB

[Alaska Darin]

Sounds like they could use an affirmative action program.

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Especially in the public school teaching arena. That's funny.

[slothrop]

This claim that conservatives are oppressed by forced to be voiceless in a liberal academic wasteland is scary. As though they don't control everything else in our society.

 

To me, behind the new conservative movement (as constructed by the media) there is a tinge of red-baiting McCarthyism. "Hunt them down!"

 

What I don't understand is why must a professor be objective? I sought out professors who were outspoken and had the experience to back up thier thoughts. Many of them were progressive (not liberal), liberal, conservative, or outright fascist (in my opinion). I want to be challenged. I want to have my view of the world challenged. I do not want my professor to reflect back at me what I already think I know. That is not what education should be about.

[Alaska Darin]

Many of them were progressive (not liberal), liberal, conservative, or outright fascist (in my opinion).  I want to be challenged. I want to have my view of the world challenged. I do not want my professor to reflect back at me what I already think I know. That is not what education should be about.

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And yet, increasingly, it isn't.

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

What I don't understand is why must a professor be objective? I sought out professors who were outspoken and had the experience to back up thier thoughts. Many of them were progressive (not liberal), liberal, conservative, or outright fascist (in my opinion).  I want to be challenged. I want to have my view of the world challenged. I do not want my professor to reflect back at me what I already think I know. That is not what education should be about.

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A professor should be objective as a teacher, in that he should not show preference to those who agree with his opinions. The best professors I've had have held very strong opinions...but would not begrudge a contrary opinion if it were well-argued and supported. The worst I've had held equally strong opinions...and believed in "My way right or wrong, but I'm right so shut up and sit down." Objectivity in an educator is the difference between "teaching" and "indoctrination".

[Wacka]

Love these libs. Always good for a bunch of laughs. The dems control one or both houses of congress for at least 40 years. The chief justice for at least 15 years (Earl Warren) is as left as they come and because the Republicans have control of both houses of Congress for 4 years, they act like they will be sent to concentration camps or something.

[Johnny Coli]

Love these libs. Always good for a bunch of laughs. The dems control one or both houses of congress for at least 40 years. The chief justice for at least 15 years (Earl Warren) is as left as they come and because the Republicans have control of both houses of Congress for 4 years, they act like they will be sent to concentration camps or something.

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Way to throw in a good "liberal whine" jab in a thread about conservatives whining about not enough conservative faculty.

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

Way to throw in a good "liberal whine" jab in a thread about conservatives whining about not enough conservative faculty.

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You've got to give him some style points, though...he made a very good go of it...

[Johnny Coli]

You've got to give him some style points, though...he made a very good go of it... 

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I almost gave him a pass for mentioning Earl Warren.

[Alaska Darin]

Way to throw in a good "liberal whine" jab in a thread about conservatives whining about not enough conservative faculty.

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There is a certain duality to that, isn't there?

[Wacka]

I put that in there because there was a post about the republicans controlling all three branches of the government and the sky was falling. Either it got deleted by the time I posted, or it was in another thread I read at the same time (if so-my bad).

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Love these libs. Always good for a bunch of laughs. The dems control one or both houses of congress for at least 40 years. The chief justice for at least 15 years (Earl Warren) is as left as they come and because the Republicans have control of both houses of Congress for 4 years, they act like they will be sent to concentration camps or something.

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A most bodacious point, dude!

[Adam]

Now if teachers are grading students unfairly due to political preferences, that is another problem altogether and administrations should certainly be getting involved.  Personally as an educator, I would welcome students who disagree with me and offer another perspective.  I don't see the problem with intelligent discourse and the right to disagree.

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I think this is oversimplification- one should not spread their ideas through the educational process- that is brainwashing, regardless of which side does it.

 

Both sides with their plusses and minusses should be presented to our youth, and its up to them- not their teachers or their parents, where they end up- if they even agree with either side.

[RuntheDamnBall]

I think this is oversimplification- one should not spread their ideas through the educational process- that is brainwashing, regardless of which side does it.

 

Both sides with their plusses and minusses should be presented to our youth, and its up to them- not their teachers or their parents, where they end up- if they even agree with either side.

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I would argue that if, by college, it's brainwashing, that parents haven't done a good job raising their kids. They should be old enough to evaluate and make their own opinions by college, not just blindly follow (or rebel against) what some prof tells them.

 

And education is precisely where ideas are to be shared. That does not mean they are not up for debate or revision (and a good professor knows this). The educational process works when there is discussion, ideas are sharpened and everyone's knowledge is broadened. I think everyone benefits from the shift and challenge of perspective.

 

Complaining about a prof who attempts pure indoctrination, or is grading unfairly due to politics, is one thing. Complaining that a prof happens to be liberal, regardless of how he/she teaches, is quite another.

[RuntheDamnBall]

Love these libs. Always good for a bunch of laughs. The dems control one or both houses of congress for at least 40 years. The chief justice for at least 15 years (Earl Warren) is as left as they come and because the Republicans have control of both houses of Congress for 4 years, they act like they will be sent to concentration camps or something.

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My point is the Republicans cry like they are losing the world when they've actually got carte blanche ownership of the government. Meanwhile, when it gets right down to it, the way they govern is just as corrupt and morally bankrupt and slave to the dollar as the Democrats -- and that is not to let the latter off the hook. It's been quite a winning strategy, really.

 

Was it Darin that said "power corrupts, absolutely"? I'm beginning to like that one.

[KD in CA]

What I don't understand is why must a professor be objective? I sought out professors who were outspoken and had the experience to back up thier thoughts. Many of them were progressive (not liberal), liberal, conservative, or outright fascist (in my opinion).  I want to be challenged. I want to have my view of the world challenged. I do not want my professor to reflect back at me what I already think I know. That is not what education should be about.

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They don't have to be objective. They just have to be accepting of viewpoints that don't match their own when offered from students. And that's where a large portion of the "educators" fall woefully short. And since a sizeable majority of those same professors are hard core liberals, it creates an atmosphere of intolerance on campus.

 

But let's not change anything. Unless of course someone utters the evil N-word.

[sweet baboo]

Now if teachers are grading students unfairly due to political preferences, that is another problem altogether and administrations should certainly be getting involved.  Personally as an educator, I would welcome students who disagree with me and offer another perspective.  I don't see the problem with intelligent discourse and the right to disagree.

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If you ever had Enid Bloch (she taught World Civ), you'd know to keep your mouth shut about your political stance...otherwise you'd just watch your grade drop

she never gave up the chance to tell you how much she hated white people, christianity, jews (she was jewish btw), and would go on to praise how beautiful foreign languages were compared to english, how much she's done for african americans and how amazing islam is and supported the palestinian effort (she even invited the head of the muslim community to our class one day to explain why jihad described in the koran and violence was acceptable in the israel-palestinian conflict...after 9/11 happened, he was on the local news saying "violence is never accepted anywhere in the koran...it is not part of islam")

she claimed to welcome open discussion and thought...i tried that on my first paper...BAM! wakeup call with a D (I wish I kept that paper...her comments were ridiculous...i remember one of them saying "this is just wrong"...how can it be wrong? this is supposed to be open discussion!)...fall in line if you want an A, fall in line...

as an engineer who didn't give a rats ass about gen eds and fighting her bullstevestojan, I did exactly that...i respewed her propaganda onto my papers and came out of the class with a solid A

[PTS]

I'm no republican, but this is good to see. Some of my professors at UB would really get under my skin by sprinkling their leftist ideology into lectures. 

 

Conservatives at UB

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I'm inclined to tell a story about a Geography class I took at UB with my friend who is an Army Ranger. Three of his Ranger-mates were also seated in class with us.

 

This tree-hugging professor kept ripping into Bush about the Kyoto Accord that he won't accept and for good reason. It places the burden of world pollution on the US. This would go on for weeks and then he made the following statement...

 

"We spend millions on sending our people to countries like Iraq to kill innocent people but we won't spend millions on help the world environment."

 

One of the fellas -- and you can tell he's in the Army just by looking at him -- got up in this giant lecture hall and said "Support your God Damn troops, they're the reason you can go to sleep safe at night." He then walks out of class but before he leaves drops "I'm not going to sit in hear and listen to your anti-American bull sh-t."

 

Couple of the tree huggers that sat in front we're in disbelief. I was rolling on the floor laughing! The Professor just drop his head and never mentioned anything about troops, Bush, or anything of that nature again for the rest of the semester.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

I'm inclined to tell a story about a Geography class I took at UB with my friend who is an Army Ranger. Three of his Ranger-mates were also seated in class with us.

 

This tree-hugging professor kept ripping into Bush about the Kyoto Accord that he won't accept and for good reason. It places the burden of world pollution on the US. This would go on for weeks and then he made the following statement...

 

"We spend millions on sending our people to countries like Iraq to kill innocent people but we won't spend millions on help the world environment."

 

One of the fellas -- and you can tell he's in the Army just by looking at him -- got up in this giant lecture hall and said "Support your God Damn troops, they're the reason you can go to sleep safe at night." He then walks out of class but before he leaves drops "I'm not going to sit in hear and listen to your anti-American bull sh-t."

 

Couple of the tree huggers that sat in front we're in disbelief. I was rolling on the floor laughing! The Professor just drop his head and never mentioned anything about troops, Bush, or anything of that nature again for the rest of the semester.

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I'd have thrown stuff at that prof.