Your Money at Work
Prof. McAdams has a post about an MU sociology professor that went off on a rant about those evil conservatives.
My favorite part:
Oh, humor. But seriously, how can anyone be shocked by this? Well, I think that many parents of Marquette students, the ones who are footing the bill for the rather steep tuition, might be shocked by this. I'm not. I escaped UWM with an undergraduate degree and a lesson about college in general. If you are in a sociology, political science, philosophy, psychology, English Lit, or history course, you are very likely to get a solid dose of liberal philosophy along with your material. There are many professors who have no problem turning class into their personal soapbox. Sometimes it will just be a smart remark about Bush or Republicans, and sometimes it will be a full tilt, balls to the wall political rant.
What are you to do? Sit there and take it? Argue with the man or woman who has ultimate control over your grade? Complain to the dean? Throw a chair? All seem reasonable. You know what I used to do? I would sit there and play the 5 Years Game. If you haven't heard of it, this is what you do. You imagine where the offending party will be in 5 years, and then imagine where you will be in 5 years. Now compare.
As I sat in one of my 400 level History courses senior year at UWM, listening to my professor go on and on about all of those great Democrats running in the primary, I imagined myself 5 years in the future. I would have a law degree, I would be working in a prestigious, intellectually satisfying, well paying field. My ax grinding professor would probably still be at UWM, spouting another political rant to another room of half awake students who are only there to fill a requirement. Who's better off? Who will be happier at the end of the day?
In other words, don't sweat it. This is probably the only moment of power this professor has in his life. The only time people will listen to him is when they are a captive audience. I pity the guy. Not everyone can have a wildly successful blog where a dozen people choose to come and read your views.
My favorite part:
He also said that he pitied young conservatives, saying "“they have nowhere to progress when they get older."”How about to a higher tax bracket? HEY-O!
Oh, humor. But seriously, how can anyone be shocked by this? Well, I think that many parents of Marquette students, the ones who are footing the bill for the rather steep tuition, might be shocked by this. I'm not. I escaped UWM with an undergraduate degree and a lesson about college in general. If you are in a sociology, political science, philosophy, psychology, English Lit, or history course, you are very likely to get a solid dose of liberal philosophy along with your material. There are many professors who have no problem turning class into their personal soapbox. Sometimes it will just be a smart remark about Bush or Republicans, and sometimes it will be a full tilt, balls to the wall political rant.
What are you to do? Sit there and take it? Argue with the man or woman who has ultimate control over your grade? Complain to the dean? Throw a chair? All seem reasonable. You know what I used to do? I would sit there and play the 5 Years Game. If you haven't heard of it, this is what you do. You imagine where the offending party will be in 5 years, and then imagine where you will be in 5 years. Now compare.
As I sat in one of my 400 level History courses senior year at UWM, listening to my professor go on and on about all of those great Democrats running in the primary, I imagined myself 5 years in the future. I would have a law degree, I would be working in a prestigious, intellectually satisfying, well paying field. My ax grinding professor would probably still be at UWM, spouting another political rant to another room of half awake students who are only there to fill a requirement. Who's better off? Who will be happier at the end of the day?
In other words, don't sweat it. This is probably the only moment of power this professor has in his life. The only time people will listen to him is when they are a captive audience. I pity the guy. Not everyone can have a wildly successful blog where a dozen people choose to come and read your views.
