The Genesis Of Intimidation In Academia

IBD ^ | December 18, 2007 | Thomas Sowell

[Kaslin]

There is an article in the current issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education — the trade publication of the academic world — about professors being physically intimidated by their students.

"Most of us dread physical confrontation," the author says. "And so these aggressive, and even dangerous, students get passed along, learning that intimidation and implied threats will get them what they want in life."

This professor has been advised, at more than one college, not to let students know where he lives, not to give out his home phone number and to keep his home phone number from being listed.

This is a very different academic world from the one in which I began teaching back in 1962. Over the years, I saw it change before my eyes.

In my first year of teaching, at Douglass College in New Jersey, I was one of the few faculty members who did not invite students to his home. In fact, I was asked by a colleague why I didn't.

[Kaslin]

ping

[Free Vulcan]

Miss the days when you could just put an old-fashioned beat down on a smirky, threatening punk.

[donna]

“The law of this land has effectively removed prayer from our classrooms. How can we hope to retain our freedom through the generations if we fail to teach our young that our liberty springs from an abiding faith in our Creator?”
- President Ronald Reagan -

[who_would_fardels_bear]

How are the professors gonna date their students in order to determine who gets the A's?

This is an outrage!

[who_would_fardels_bear]

I once found out that a student at my college was slandering the university at the university's expense.

I wanted to write an editorial in support of the university so I went around to all the people in the know and found out that the guy was a lying sack of cow manure.

I wrote up the editorial.

The liar got back to me and threatened to sue me for libel, so I took him around to all the people that told me what a scumbag he was.

Surprise, surprise. When I confronted all of these people a second time with the liar in tow, they all changed their stories and apologized for any misunderstanding.

I was lucky I didn't get sued for telling the truth.

[Marysecretary]

Great quote. The more they take God out of classrooms and schools, the more they let the devil do his dastardly deeds.

[pgobrien]

Awesome quote. Thanks for posting.
God Bless Ronaldus Maximus!

[bruinbirdman]

""And so these aggressive, and even dangerous, students get passed along, learning that intimidation and implied threats will get them what they want in life." "

Of course they get passed along. Along with a certificate in "How to Confront Authority" which is taught starting about 6th grade disguised as deconstructed history. Public schools teach and glorify anarchy.

yitbos

[Rembrandt]

“It happened because people who ran colleges and universities were too squeamish ...”

---

It’s no wonder that these same people ran off to Canada to avoid serving in that nasty, violent military thingie.

[Rick.Donaldson]

Authority in general, and physical force in particular, are anathema to many among the intelligentsia, academic or otherwise. They can always think of some "third way" to avoid hard choices, whether on campus, in society or among nations.

Which is precisely why some of these people SHOULD NOT serve in the military, the DOD, in a public office, as Senator, Congressperson or have anything whatsoever to do with creating laws or protecting the public. Ever.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Perhaps many of today’s professors do not merit respect.