A growing protest against lib profs
 

You Oughta Be in Pictures

If you're a college student fed up with heavy-handed leftism from the faculty, here's a chance to do something about it, and possibly end up on the silver screen. (If you have kids who're in college, you might want to forward this column to them.) Evan Coyne Maloney, a young New York-based documentarian, is looking for students to help the full-length version of his film "Brainwashing 101." (The preliminary, 46-minute version is available for ordering or downloading.)

Maloney is collecting information about "professors who turn classrooms into their personal political soapboxes." Here's what you do if you want to participate:

1. When a professor voices his or her political views in class--but only when it does not pertain to the subject matter at hand--keep track of how much class time is spent on the political discussion, and to the best of your ability, record the comments made by the professor.

2. Also, record the date of the discussion, the name of your professor, the name and course ID of the class, and the name and location (city and state) of your school.

3. Lastly, you must be able to provide the name of at least one other student who was present at the time and who is willing to corroborate your report.

Maloney's site, AcademicBias.com, provides an e-mail address where you can submit the info. "Based on your reports, we will be visiting a number of schools to see what the administration's official position is on political advertising in class. If you help us, you could end up in our movie!"

Many college professors are under the impression that "academic freedom" gives them the right not only to say whatever they want but also to be insulated from any scrutiny or criticism. It will be fun to watch them squirm when Maloney shines a light on them.

(Opinion Journal)

and somehow it's a problem only from the "liberal" professors :rolleyes: Sorry I've experienced both it from both sides of the aisle - it comes with the territory... and if the instructor crosses the line between academic debate and propaganda then you can always fire off a formal complaint against them...

Liberal profs are a lot worse than conservative profs! They seem to be stuck in the '60s and '70s, only they've become stuffy in an odd, left-winged way. They have a "that's very nice, dear" attitude, and they really don't take what you're saying very seriously.

I had a copy editing instructor who was basically making fun of the National Post (a conservative newspaper), causing me to leave class in a rage. I don't really read the post, but it was upsetting to me, as someone who is kind of conservative. He's made somewhat inappropriate comments about conservative pepole in general as well.

I'd say that it is equally damaging, Liberal or Conservative... having a course with Preston Manning, or Michael Bliss, or David Frum, can be a lot to stomach - espicially when political philosophy outranks academic arguement... which can happen with "liberals" or "conservatives". Now from personal experience I find the conservative ones much less likely to engage in constructive debate - even when their views are in agreement with yours... I just hate to see opinions dismissed out-of-hand simply because it's a different viewpoint.

As for critizing the Post... please I do that all the time, it is a conservtive paper that tends towards sensationalism, and unfortunately predictability about what side they'll take on a topic (ie. military shortcoming is fault of Liberals, while military success is the result of dedicated soldiers or far-reaching Mulroney policies)... although at least the writing is better than the Sun.

Criticizing the Post is not appropriate for a class in copy editing. This isn't a "let's compare the four major papers in Toronto" class, it is a COPY EDITING class. I'm sucking through this class because I have to take it. I'm not a big fan of the Canadian Press Stylebook, and I have to use it for my work :(

FYI: The CP does not like to use honourifics, such as Mr. or Ms. in their writing. I think the lack of it is not very polite, especially when referring to a woman. I'd much rather go a first name route than to refer to a woman only by her last name. It's almost vulgar.

Let me show you a couple conservative profs I know....

Fact is, the prof with the view that conflicts with yours will probably bother you more. There are profs who can't stick to the topic matter on both sides and they can be equally offensive.

edited: because you should really read your posts before posting.

Most academics, especially in this country, tend to be liberal. I think I've only had two that actually respected my views.

Maybe your views are a little "uncharted?"

Sometimes the problem truly lies within the problem. I'll be honest and say that I think some of your views (as to what I've read on GC) are so off the scale it's hard to take you seriously most of the time.

I think that started during the whole "he started talking and blowing in the fan" post

Now I can't speak for your profs because i'm not them, just as much as you can't speak for "how most profs" in your country lean in regards to politics. This would require you to truly hold class with each one of these persons. This would seem very hard to do in my opinion.

Relating to the topic, I've hard trouble from all kinds of profs for all kinds of stuff, liberal, conservative and other.

What exactly do you mean by "off the scale"? You can PM me if you want.

If anyone finds it too odd, then I apologize for it.

Try some classes in UofT's Classics, History, Political Science, International Relations, or Religious Studies :rolleyes:

It's harder getting a cup of Tim's than it is to find a conservative critic in those departments... my recommendation would be to sit (or try) through a lecture by Michael Bliss or Jack Granstein - on any topic: military, politics, foreign relations, monarchy, women's rights, racial equality...

Oh shnap, you went there.


As I've said in other threads -- while I'm sure that there are some professors who let their politics dictate their teaching, the vast majority on both sides of the spectrum can stay adult about it. If your professors are consistently finding fault with the way your views are expressed, maybe the problem doesn't lie with them . . . If it's just a once-in-a-while thing, you may have a valid argument, but if every professor you've had has an issue with the way you express your politics, it's probably time to take a look inward.

hoosier, would you kindly tell me where I can protest my conservative profs? I'd also like to protest all my non-Catholic profs, I don't pay 25k a year to go here and put money in the hands of Satan. I'd also like to protest the lack of leather recliners in the library while I'm at it.

There are a few articles on the bias against conservative professors in this thread:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ive+professors

-Rudey

I don't pay free to watch a lot of logical fallacies on GC - clean it up sister, even if it's a Hoosier thread.

NO. I don't go here to get educated, I went to college to be with people just like me. I was too busy learning about the Catholic social workers' movement to pay attention in logic class.

Edited to remove the personal attack in case people didn't realize I was joking, which I was.