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Australia Plans University Fees Hike to Deter Humanities Students

posted by Fnord666 on Sunday June 21 2020, @11:53PM   Printer-friendly

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Australia's conservative government announced plans Friday to double university fees for humanities students, in a bid to push people into more useful, "job-relevant" courses like maths and science.

Under the proposal—which critics panned as an "ideological assault"—the cost of degrees like history or cultural studies will rise up to 113 percent to around US$29,000, while other courses such as nursing and information technology will become cheaper.

Education Minister Dan Tehan—an arts graduate with two advanced degrees in international relations—said the government wanted to corral young people towards "jobs of the future" to boost the country's economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

"If you are wanting to do philosophy, which will be great for your critical thinking, also think about doing IT," Tehan said.

The plan would help pay for an additional 39,000 university places by 2023 and for cost cuts for courses like science, agriculture, maths and languages.

[...] "I'm an arts graduate and so is the minister for education so I'm not sure you can draw the conclusion that we're completely unemployable," said opposition lawmaker Tanya Plibersek.

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  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:45AM (4 children)

    by khallow (3766) on Thursday June 25 2020, @02:45AM (#1012269) Journal

    This means he's the kind of person who's good at pointing out what the problems are

    Let's give a couple of examples from here [soylentnews.org].

    On leaving this sphere of simple circulation or of exchange of commodities, which furnishes the “Free-trader Vulgaris” with his views and ideas, and with the standard by which he judges a society based on capital and wages, we think we can perceive a change in the physiognomy of our dramatis personae. He, who before was the money-owner, now strides in front as capitalist; the possessor of labour-power follows as his labourer. The one with an air of importance, smirking, intent on business; the other, timid and holding back, like one who is bringing his own hide to market and has nothing to expect but — a hiding.

    Value, therefore, being the active factor in such a process, and assuming at one time the form of money, at another that of commodities, but through all these changes preserving itself and expanding, it requires some independent form, by means of which its identity may at any time be established. And this form it possesses only in the shape of money. It is under the form of money that value begins and ends, and begins again, every act of its own spontaneous generation. It began by being £100, it is now £110, and so on. But the money itself is only one of the two forms of value. Unless it takes the form of some commodity, it does not become capital. There is here no antagonism, as in the case of hoarding, between the money and commodities. The capitalist knows that all commodities, however scurvy they may look, or however badly they may smell, are in faith and in truth money, inwardly circumcised Jews, and what is more, a wonderful means whereby out of money to make more money.

    Marx can't criticize something without breaking out the cringing white hats and smirking black hats, and dealing out a host of inwardly circumcised tales that have nothing to do with reality. I imagine this is a huge part of the reason why his solutions sucked so much too.

  • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday June 25 2020, @01:21PM (3 children)

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Thursday June 25 2020, @01:21PM (#1012379) Journal

    So because you don't like his hyperbolic descriptions, the message is wrong? Jesus. But that's just like you, Hallow. You were always "feelz over realz," and the more you protested that you weren't, the more obvious it became.

    Shorter version of the above: "Money is an abstraction or proxy to actual value which has been elevated to the status of value itself and abused to make more of itself with no real concrete backing. This isn't sustainable and distorts both trading and human relations."

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...

    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday June 25 2020, @01:33PM (2 children)

      by khallow (3766) on Thursday June 25 2020, @01:33PM (#1012386) Journal

      So because you don't like his hyperbolic descriptions, the message is wrong?

      Yes. That's it in a nutshell. It's not criticism, it's fantasy.

      • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday June 26 2020, @01:41AM (1 child)

        by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Friday June 26 2020, @01:41AM (#1012729) Journal

        That is amazing. You don't like the tone so the message is wrong, and you just outright admitted that. Feelz over realz. Nice own goal though!

        --
        I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...

        • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday June 26 2020, @03:46AM

          by khallow (3766) on Friday June 26 2020, @03:46AM (#1012775) Journal

          You don't like the tone

          Hyperbolic descriptions isn't tone. It's error.