I'm not sure exactly what inspired this, but I'll post it anyway:
When conservatives complain about liberal bias in the media, liberals tend to react in one of two ways. They either deny the accusation, claiming that the media is neutral, or try to convince us that there's actually a right-wing bias in the media.
However, when we complain about liberal bias in academia, how does the left react? I don't think I've heard anyone complain about conservative professors or unjust right-wing indoctrination in elementary and secondary schools. The most common reaction seems to be something like "Yeah, there are more liberals. Deal with it."
Why are there different reactions to accusations of bias, and why haven't there been many Altermanesque arguments trying to prove that education is dominated by the right?
I think it's an interesting question.
Posted by CD on April 7, 2004 07:12 PMI don't think they think education is dominated by the right. I think they understand this, so they don't even bother. I mean, with Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, the media people can at least try to make stupid claims like that. So the best acadamia can do is say: "We are fair." And then they point to the economics department for the Republicans, and then say that humanities people are naturally liberal because they "care about people" (this doesn't explain the lack of conservative historians, or philosophers at universities though). It isn't fair, but they keep so many classes openly liberal (but the left controls all "fairness" commitees, hence no academic freedom), they encourage only liberal to join up as teachers. It becomes an endless cycle, since conservatives don't feel like dealing with the garbage.
Posted by: Jim at April 7, 2004 09:41 PMIt's because they take it as a compliment 'cause they smugly believe that academia is liberal because liberals are smarter... meaning: academicians are inherently smarter than everyone else.
They believe that teachers are teachers because they're wiser than all of us "pupils" (non-academicians).
They also believe in giving as much athority as possible to the State. This is because they fancy themselves as "architects", not builders.
The snobbishness, then, clearly stems from their inherent inferiority/superiority complex and is a defense against the irrefutable fact that teachers are merely students who were afraid to leave school.
Y'know the saying "Those who can't do teach"? Liberals hate it. :)
Posted by: Tuning Spork at April 7, 2004 09:48 PMJust so you know, both my parents are teachers, so try not to generalize.
(Don't worry; They're also Republicans)
Posted by: CD at April 7, 2004 10:04 PMCD, that is a good point.
I don't think a majority of teachers, even at the collegiate level (regardless of politics) are this way. Of course, I have no way of knowing myself ;) .
It is more of a "establishment issue" and an issue of the unions that have control of the situation I think. I believe that that the minority has a dipartite impact in shaping policy. But it shouldn't be used as an indictment against all (sometimes it can sound that way though, even from me). One must be careful.
Posted by: Jim at April 8, 2004 01:57 PMWell, of course, I was in Coulter-mode when I said "irrefutable fact". I've known conservative professors and high school teachers aplenty.
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