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.
