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The latest manifestation of the conservative targetting of academia is the Professor Watchlist, created by the "activist organization" Turning Point USA, founded by rising star Charlie Kirk. It's stated purpose is to "watch" professors "who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom"
Of course, this is not new. David Horowitz has written a book called The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America . HeterodoxAcademy.org has rational articles discussing the liberal slant to modern college campuses. Nicholas Kristoff writes an interesting piece on the same topic. However, with the election of President Trump, the stakes may have been raised. A professor in California has gone incognitio after criticizing Trump in the classroom and receiving death threats.
But more important is how the attempt to blacklist liberal academics has actually backfired. George Yancy [not the George Yancey from the Kristoff piece above] published a response, "I Am a Dangerous Professor" in the New York Times, and since then it seems to have become de rigueur for all academics to get their name on the Professor Watchlist in order to cement their tenure. An entire hashtag on Twitter has taken form: #trollprofwatchlist! People have taken to mocking the list by suggesting candidates such as Thomas Jefferson, Gandhi, and Jesus, not to mention Socrates, who obviously belongs.
Charlie Kirk may not be dangerous, but he did start this list. I am watching him now.
[Editor note - This story was substantially rewritten for balance. As always, the original submission is available at the link below.]
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @06:39PM
What do you mean? SoylentNews is the Mighty Buzzard's safe place!!
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday December 20 2016, @08:12PM
Yeah, you lot should probably start saying something when you disagree with me instead of being all polite and restraining yourselves.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @10:31PM
So you're saying we should be nasty dicks who quit school because there no safe spaces for non liberals? Yea, you can go shove that pussy shit right up your ass. Grow a pair for christs sake.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday December 21 2016, @02:41AM
No, I'm saying colleges aren't worth the money outside a very few specialized careers. The liberal bullshit is just that, bullshit. Unless you're gardening, bullshit is not a valuable commodity. Universities are selling very, very little that's actually worthwhile nowadays.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday December 21 2016, @02:05PM
I don't know about that. It's worth something to have drunk in the span of the Western tradition, pored over its fine details, and see its effects played out in the world all around us. Without that the doubt that others know more than I do, or have some special knowledge I don't have, would blunt my edge.
I would say I didn't get that value from undergrad, though, having had to drink from the firehose in grad school with real professors, not teaching assistants, to get there, and it was not worth what they charged. But it was not bullshit, and not without any value.
Washington DC delenda est.