Life among idjits: according to OC Reg readers, English, history and philosophy are just "empty bling"!
EARLIER TODAY, I noted Gary Robbins’ post about the UCI faculty who have signed a petition calling for a “walkout” on the first day of class. (See 73 professors join call for faculty walkout at UCI)
Robbins oddly notes that 50 of the signers are from the “soft” sciences, which he takes to be “the humanities and social sciences.” (Um, no.) Included among the latter areas are history, English, philosophy, and some fields that, in some circles, are associated with liberal or progressive agendas: Chicano studies and Women’s studies, etc.
I thought it might be interesting to read the Register readership’s response to Robbins’ post.
—Yes, I know. Entering into the Reg’s comment zone is a bit like entering a sleazy bar in a crummy part of town late at night. You don’t do that expecting to run into brainiacs.
I fully expected Reg readers to bash the so-called “soft sciences,” as Robbins oddly defines them. (It seems to me that the fields within the Humanities do not claim to be “sciences,” except in an archaic sense of that word.) Using that term was like waving a red piece-o-meat.
Sure enough, the right-wingers did not disappoint:
anonymous says:
yeah. They [i.e., petition signers] are angry that, “…The entire Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Division which houses American Studies, Asian Studies, Cognitive Science, Development Studies, Environmental Sciences, Latin American Studies, Media Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Religious Studies, and six other hugely popular major and minor programs is facing likely closure….” [who’s he quoting?] along with other grievances.
I strongly agree that our US Citizens should be open to other cultures and peoples. But I am not against closing down these departments. There will always be Liberal Arts Colleges that will offer these majors, but let’s not try to do everything at our universities. we [sic] simply cannot afford it. Maybe encourage foreign study abroad a little more aggressively for that sort of exposure.
Bob says:
…do we need any more graduates whose employment will mostly include saying ‘and do you want fries with that’?
It’s time to shut down un-necessary, especially ’soft’ Departments, like any well-managed business would do - and not just in tight financial times.
Marc960 says:
What are “studies”?
Women’s Studies, Chicano/Latino Studies, African American Studies,
—These can all be combined into “Racists, Bigots and Chauvinist Studies”.
I still don’t get why there are no “What is an American” studies. It seems to me someone [sic] best start teaching that before it is just another chapter of a History book.
Major Variola (ret) says:
About 50 of the signers are from the humanities and social sciences, the so-called ’soft sciences.” They include faculty from such programs as sociology, history, English, comparative literature, Chicano studies, Women’s studies, philosophy and languages.
These are not sciences, they are sinecure jobs for useless “scholars” that Calif. can no longer afford. Empty bling is out.
History, English, and Philosophy are "empty bling"? Guess so!
Evidently, that last one was too much even for Gary Robbins, who responded:
Sociology is a field of science. W. E. B. Du Bois was a sociologist. So was H.G. Wells. And Alexis de Tocqueville. And Alvin Toffler. And Margaret Mead. Michelle Obama majored in sociolgy, among other subjects.
My God, doesn’t Robbins realize that his list of sociological heroes are likely on the Major's list of Unamerican commie homo atheistic rat bastards?
(Wells and Toffler are sociologists? Well, sort of. M. Mead was an anthropologist; was she ipso facto a sociologist? Don't think so. Robbins is a knucklehead.)
There’ve been a few classic Register rude right-wing rants:
debaser [!] says:
Overpaid leftist punks want to stage a walkout. Cretins are lucky to have a job. Not a damn speck of sympathy for any of them. Ivory tower morons.
Yeah! (I've got to admit: I do enjoy this fellow's no-nonsense, stogie-chompin' writing style!)
Naturally, some commenters seem to be reading from the Fuentes/Wagner/Williams Bible of Fiscal Staunchitude, which advises that a college should be run like a business:
ocdisgust says:
Hmmm, 30 [sic] professors, UCI needs to cut classes, staff furloughs…Maybe these 30 should be the first to go. That should alleviate some of the budget mess. I believe in freedom of speech/expression, but when you are an “Employee”, you have an obligation to the employer and when you choose to neglect your responsibilities to that employer (ie. [sic] being in the class providing the education they pay you for), you should face the consequences. Any employee in any other company would face consequences for skipping work; so should they.
I don't know about you, but I'm really gonna miss the OC Reg.
But not its readers.
24 comments:
Your the rat bastard.
Ivory tower moron!
I am shocked every time I read comments by the Register's readers. Maybe the intelligent ones somehow just don't like to comment. That is my hope. It is a ridiculous hope, I know.
6:07,
Who are you calling "your?"
YOU'RE (a contraction for YOU+ARE) the one who could use a few lessons from those you accuse of bastardtudiness of the rat kind. YOUR (an ADJECTIVE relating to one or oneself) kind are the ones providing the rest of us (I'm including myself because I'm studying under these softies in hopes of becoming soft myself) with a bit of self-righteous affirmation. I mean, at least we can spell. Shoot, at the worst, we can even cognitively understand the red-dotted lines under spelling and grammatical errors in our writing before clicking "publish your comment." As if red never alerted any sort of caution or error or danger or some sort of "holy fuck shit" kind of problem.
Damn soft sciences. Pssh. What a bunch of rat bastards.
It reminds me of this one time at the zoo. I saw the monkey pick up his own doodie. He threw it into the air, and it landed on him! He slung his own doodie at himself, covering himself in doodie!! Oh man, I was laughing hysterically.
13 Stoploss - Oh man, I am laughing hysterically!
ES
13, we do have certain standards. According to the DtB style sheet, "d**dle" is never to be used or even mentioned. Consider yourself warned.
Love 'ya, 13 S. But even aside from DtB's stylesheet: PLEASE don't ever write that odious word "d-----" again! It's even worse than ES's "Chunky-Lump," or whatever that awful name was that I can never remember because it was so horrifying.
MAH
Sorry, I wasn't aware of such negative connotations of the D-word. Actually, I was trying to avoid overusing "shit."
Oh well.
I love that picture of Dana Cove!! WHY, OH WHY, don't I have a time travel machine?!
ES
"Shit," like most things, is perfectly good, if spread sparingly. Too much "shit" and you've gotta shitty blog. No shit.
As you can see, I was not entirely in good faith when I attacked your (I mean you're) "d**dle" usage, since, as you have no doubt perceived, I used the word myself (and cunningly, too) in today's post about "begging the question." --Which begs the question: who the hell do these self-defecating grammar police think they are anyway? Must they flout their learnedness, pretending meretriciousness? Irregardless, I shall not count them among the hoi polloi, no sir!
If you ban "doodie", then you will never be able to use the word "doodie-ful" in place of "dutiful" when describing Mathur.
ES
"Doodie-ful"? Good Lord, woman, are there no limits to your temerity?
probably not...(sigh)
ES
Speaking of dutiful behavior, when Kant pops up in your Ethics class, watch, closely, the face of your students. I almost busted up laughing like a little first grader when you talked about Kant's deontological positions. "Kant believed in duty," Roy would say.
I swear, you knew how funny that word sounded to some students because you almost abused it, or so it seemed.
believes that duty stinks - BS
Oh, I know, 13 S. -- and you are to be commended for your unusual (especially around this blog, sometimes) efforts to maintain decorum and courtesy.
It was purely on aesthetic grounds that I objected to that "d-----"-word that I so abhorred. I have an eccentric aesthetic sense according to which that term should never be uttered nor written. Other words in that category (for me) include "toot," "treat," and the phrase "picking your brain"--AAAAK! I'm sorry that I wrote it even in quotation marks.
Another hideous example that has cropped up on the otherwise noble NPR's usually tasteful ads lately: "edutopia." YUCK!
So now you know how weird I am...... ;)
MAH
I have such a list. It is only slightly less eccentric than MAH's.
"nowadays" and "at this place in time." Arrgh.
For some reason, I shrink back in horror when Brits say, "if you like." --NO, I don't like!
I nearly have a fit each time someone says "as far as" without finishing that phrase: e.g., "as far as health care, I'm in favor of voluntary suicide."
The next time someone says that they've got a lot "on their plate," I'm gonna find a plate and smash it.
And then there's that "everything sounds like a question" manner of speech--you know, when people raise the pitch at the end of each sentences. Stop it, stop it, stop it!
And let's hear no more about "paradigms" or "paradigm shifts". Only groups of people in which each person is familiar with Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions" should be allowed to use such terms. (That means YOU, English collegues.)
The adjective "cool" has now become the chirp of morons. Kids who utter it should be spanked (with a virtual switch).
OK, "how has that worked out for you?" has run its course as a neon sign of smartypantsery. It gets my vote as this year's "you go, girl!" Asshole Prize. Stamp it out, stamp it out!
Gotta go.
--RB
Had I my way, no one would be allowed to speak (That isn't true, but sometimes I think the thought). I find face-to-face conversation pretty confusing as conversations usually flutter about, topic to topic, and questions will often go unanswered. A family friend from Wyoming once remarked that "People in California have this uncanny ability to carry on two conversations at once," and boy, that sure sounds about right.
Few of my nitpicks:
- "But, um,..." - This is only a problem because I am struck by the urge to go "Buh-dum-tsh!" (the rimshot).
- "And like, like, like, like, like..... like......like....." That is, excessive and inappropriate use of the word "like." I think that is the chirp of morons. Cool is a statement of apathy now. If I think you did something "Cool *head nod*" chances are, I don't really care. I sometimes catch myself on misusing "like" and mentally scold myself for a few moments.
- "At least...," I'm generally against this optimistic phrase ("At least you didn't drop it!"). It's just such a vacuous statement in my opinion, as it is pretty much incapable of being false. You're just forced in to immediately agreeing with the other person while feeling like an asshole:
"At least you didn't burn yourself!"
"Yeah... I guess...(asshole)."
"See? Don't you feel better..."
"No."
"Pessimist."
*grin*
Just think about it: any time something bad happens, you could pull an "at least" out of your ass if it really helps you feel better. There is no such situation in which a general "at least" doesn't apply. Except maybe a painful end of world scenario.
mmmm, tasty BS
Why am I so tolerant of your intolerance, BS?
You should see me driving: "Good Lord, learn to drive, asshole!" I fume.
But I'm not upset at all. I'm just having fun!
And so, no, I don't really wanna smash plates and weild switches. But I reserve the right to express myself in bursts of peevitude at all the silly, trendy crap that people pick up, like iPhones and iPods and STDs. -R
Ooh! Ooh!
I gots a funny!
An Army friend of mine would often use the word "fuck" or "fuckin'" as if it were a comma.
"I was driving to Nashville the other night, and, fuckin', this cop pulled me over for doing 73 in a 70..."
Sometimes, instead of an "and, fuckin'," it would go "but, fuckin'."
"I was thinking about going home for the weekend, but, fuckin', I don't know if I want to get home late Sunday night."
So, then another friend who was listening in on the conversation would appropriately interrupt with a chuckle and a smirk, "Butt-fuckin', huh?"
Yes. Butt-fucking.
I apologize for developing software for the trendy crap.
I need to make extra money somehow!
BS
I was just using iPhones and iPods as examples. I have nothing against them, really (it's more how they're used). Indeed, I bought my mom an iPod.
You don't develop software for STDs, do you? Sometimes, the messages I receive seem routed through a scrambler. -R
You know, there was more to my last comment but it seemed too odd so I dropped it. Now it seems even odder.
Note, I've been sans caffeine for 4 days, so, lets just let it be. What my mind is going through is inexplicable.
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