Leon
09-28-2003, 02:40 PM
Academia (Colleges, Universities, both public and private) should mean freedom of expression. What it should mean and what it DOES mean are two different things. Many have voiced alarm and some even went as far as calling the Academia world discriminatory towards dissenting views and opposition.
Well yesterday, The New York Times, ladies and gentlemen, out of all place, has published a marvelous OpEd from David Brooks on just this topic. I found that it backed member's assertions but in revealing the inner circles of this I was also very much alarmed by this.
You see, to me at least, Academia SHOULD be a place where you are honored and celebrated and at the very least recognized for what you know, now what politics you choose. Even if you disagree with one's views, Academia, *I* thought, was the best place to debate, discuss, and present your views. The goal was for the opposition not necessarily AGREE with yours, but to UNDERSTAND why one may think the way they do. Of course, in today's world in America, that's not even a discussion.
Here's a quote on what Mr. Kors, who happens to be a conservative, uses as a logic form in discussing what happens when a young conservative (he or she) is thinking about pursuing an academic career in the humanities or social sciences.
"This is one of the most difficult things," says Alan Kors, a rare conservative at Penn. "One is desperate to see people of independent mind willing to enter the academic world. On the other hand, it is simply the case they will be entering hostile and discriminatory territory."
"Here's what I'm thinking when an outstanding kid comes in," says George, of Princeton. "If the kid applies to one of the top graduate schools, he's likely to be not admitted. Say he gets past that first screen. He's going to face pressure to conform, or he'll be the victim of discrimination. It's a lot harder to hide then than it was as an undergrad.
"But say he gets through. He's going to run into intense discrimination trying to find a job. But say he lands a tenure-track job. He'll run into even more intense discrimination because the establishment gets more concerned the closer you get to the golden ring. By the time you come up for tenure, you're in your mid-30's with a spouse and a couple of kids. It's the worst time to be uncertain about your career. Can I really take the responsibility of advising a kid to take these kinds of risks?"
The most common advice conservative students get is to keep their views in the closet. Will Inboden was working on a master's degree in U.S. history at Yale when a liberal professor pulled him aside after class and said: "You're one of the best students I've got, and you could have an outstanding career. But I have to caution you: hiring committees are loath to hire political conservatives. You've got to be really quiet."
Conservative professors emphasize that most discrimination is not conscious.
Am I alone to think that when my kid is old enough to go to College, a College in the US may not be the best choice for her? As a matter of fact, if I were faced with that decision today, I'd probably send her to Central or Eastern Europe. While she is being taught objectively--and that she will--she will also pick up another language.
If parents like myself decide to do the same thing, or something similar, I fear for the future of what will become America. Now, granted being a lefty is not the worst thing in the world, but being brainwashed in to one is one of the most disgusted things I can think of. Perhaps it's because I came to America thinking Lenin was God and will never ever forget how I felt when my world came crushing down when I found out the real truth.
Well yesterday, The New York Times, ladies and gentlemen, out of all place, has published a marvelous OpEd from David Brooks on just this topic. I found that it backed member's assertions but in revealing the inner circles of this I was also very much alarmed by this.
You see, to me at least, Academia SHOULD be a place where you are honored and celebrated and at the very least recognized for what you know, now what politics you choose. Even if you disagree with one's views, Academia, *I* thought, was the best place to debate, discuss, and present your views. The goal was for the opposition not necessarily AGREE with yours, but to UNDERSTAND why one may think the way they do. Of course, in today's world in America, that's not even a discussion.
Here's a quote on what Mr. Kors, who happens to be a conservative, uses as a logic form in discussing what happens when a young conservative (he or she) is thinking about pursuing an academic career in the humanities or social sciences.
"This is one of the most difficult things," says Alan Kors, a rare conservative at Penn. "One is desperate to see people of independent mind willing to enter the academic world. On the other hand, it is simply the case they will be entering hostile and discriminatory territory."
"Here's what I'm thinking when an outstanding kid comes in," says George, of Princeton. "If the kid applies to one of the top graduate schools, he's likely to be not admitted. Say he gets past that first screen. He's going to face pressure to conform, or he'll be the victim of discrimination. It's a lot harder to hide then than it was as an undergrad.
"But say he gets through. He's going to run into intense discrimination trying to find a job. But say he lands a tenure-track job. He'll run into even more intense discrimination because the establishment gets more concerned the closer you get to the golden ring. By the time you come up for tenure, you're in your mid-30's with a spouse and a couple of kids. It's the worst time to be uncertain about your career. Can I really take the responsibility of advising a kid to take these kinds of risks?"
The most common advice conservative students get is to keep their views in the closet. Will Inboden was working on a master's degree in U.S. history at Yale when a liberal professor pulled him aside after class and said: "You're one of the best students I've got, and you could have an outstanding career. But I have to caution you: hiring committees are loath to hire political conservatives. You've got to be really quiet."
Conservative professors emphasize that most discrimination is not conscious.
Am I alone to think that when my kid is old enough to go to College, a College in the US may not be the best choice for her? As a matter of fact, if I were faced with that decision today, I'd probably send her to Central or Eastern Europe. While she is being taught objectively--and that she will--she will also pick up another language.
If parents like myself decide to do the same thing, or something similar, I fear for the future of what will become America. Now, granted being a lefty is not the worst thing in the world, but being brainwashed in to one is one of the most disgusted things I can think of. Perhaps it's because I came to America thinking Lenin was God and will never ever forget how I felt when my world came crushing down when I found out the real truth.