Snowflake Rating System

College Search & Selection
21

Another nasty response. Also, I guess you have another definition of “Good Day” than the one I know.

For the record, people refer to content in books often here, and in fact just a few days ago I pulled one off my shelf and wrote a short summary of a chapter for those that didn’t have it handy.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1920599-the-gatekeepers-15-years-later-p4.html

People seemed to find it helpful. Maybe it even helped someone make up their mind about something, which was my intent in asking you. Remember, I did not ask you for a book report like I provided – just an example of valid research not being published because of political positions. I find that un-academic and un-American, and that’s why I wanted to know.

For the record, I do plan to read the book, and unless this thread gets closed before my library can provide, I will come back and report what I read.

Now I will show you how I define “Good Day” by genuinely wishing you have a better one than it seems you are.

22

@bodangles -

I didn’t. Postmodern was rude in he/she/ze’s dismissal of the article and mis-stated that it had no examples. From the fourth paragraph of the article:

The original statement in question was: “Conservative leaning faculty do not get promoted, gain tenure, and an entire spectrum of academic research goes unpublished.” If a Republican professor has to hide in a park a mile away from campus for an interview, that is pretty good evidence of at least the first two parts of the statement.

Given that postmodern mis-represented the contents of the article, I deduced that he/she/ve either is repressing criticism of the status quo, or someone who likes to argue for the sake of arguing. Given the passive-aggressive nature of Postmodern’s last post, the latter is likely true.

23

Am I the only person who came to this thread thinking, “hey, a system for rating snowflakes–cool idea!” ? I guess I lived in upstate New York for too long. :slight_smile:

24

Again, Zinhead: I did not dismiss the article. I read it in full and pointed out it had no examples of research going unpublished because of political affiliations.

And the example in the article which you quote does not do so either.

No, it is not evidence of the things you claimed ("Conservative leaning faculty do not get promoted, gain tenure, and an entire spectrum of academic research goes unpublished") at all… all it shows is that professor’s opinion, or fear, or other. Possibly justified, but without examples of events to give cause for it we cannot know.

I did no such thing and you are flat out LYING now.

Nope.

Just waiting for examples of the claim you made so I can make up my own mind.

Still.

25

I have to agree with @Zinhead from anecdotal evidence. I have had numerous conversations with professors at my local university both as a student and an alumnus. Tenured conservative professors tend to concentrate on their teaching and research and stay away from departmental politics. As far as its effect on students, the bias is real, it is pervasive, and a certain viewpoint is usually necessary for students to get good grades in classes. Fortunately bias is less pervasive in the hard sciences, engineering, and business.

26

" As far as its effect on students, the bias is real, it is pervasive, and a certain viewpoint is usually necessary for students to get good grades in classes. Fortunately bias is less pervasive in the hard sciences, engineering, and business. "

^^My experience also.

27

Yow, let’s try not to make this political. You attend a college or you work for one and you should know the context, the environment and the milieu you will deal with. This “woe is me” is fruitless. And I daresay, unsubstantiated. One book does not make universal truths. The article is rather conversational. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a liberal professor in a bowtie.” Huh?

I’m with ThankYouforHelp. Ask people who work for these so-called “too liberal for me” colleges and you learn dialogue is part of the fabric. The conservative orgs on campus are strong, your friends will encompass a wide array of opinions. You are expected to have an open mind, on either side.

As for publishing, so what if that U press doesn’t publish you? The individual presses have their own legit focuses and many, many scholars publish in different journals or by different houses. And this book, published by Oxford Press, is one example of that- not some meaty endorsement by the mighty Oxford U. (Books, btw, are vetted for sales potential.)

Btw, FIRE is slanted, by intention.

28

About my comment to speak with those on campuses and learn about dialogue. I’m reacting to the general summary dismissal of liberals as being anti-conservative. (That’s rather boxy thinking, no?) Clearly, the authors did speak with conservative professors and came up with what they purport is a pattern. But I’m cautioning about leaping to conclusions based on this work which, in itself, may be slanted. Purposely.

I don’t assume anything about hiding in a park. It’s pretty curious- in fact, at first, seems to me a dramatic ploy. Poor prof, looking over his shoulder lest the KGB spot him. For heaven’s sake, they could have met at a coffee shop or anywhere that allowed some privacy. But no, the park bench allows one to visualize, get the creeps, and sure reminds me of House of Cards or Scandal, where they meet secretly, on a bench, outside range of snooping devices.

"Finding out wasn’t easy, in part because so many conservative professors are—as they put it—closeted. Some of the people they interviewed explicitly said they identify with the experience of gays and lesbians in having to hide who they are. One tenure-track sociology professor even asked to meet Shields and Dunn in a park a mile away from his university. “When the sound of footsteps intruded on our sanctuary, he stopped talking altogether, his eyes darting about,” they write. “Given the drama of this encounter, one might think that he is concealing something scandalous. In truth, this professor is hiding the fact that he is a Republican.”

There’s a point at which, Claremont McKenna, CO, or Oxford notwithstanding, you have to say, “Oh, c’mon.”

And chew on this: don’t you ever think that some liberals also hide some of their outlying beliefs? Don’t you know anyone who’s, eg, progressive on certain social issues and, on others, fiscally conservative, but keeps it out of conversations, for good reasons? Can we be fair to both sides?

29

@lookingforward -

No quite sure what the implication was, but Greg Lukianoff, CEO of FIRE, self-identifies as a liberal atheist.

30

MODERATOR’S NOTE: Please stay civil. Going back and forth and back and forth with each other is pointless.

I really don’t want to close the thread.

31

I’m pretty liberal, and my kids are too. Having said that, I wouldn’t want my next to end up at a college where people are screaming at each other or finding fault with every little thing. (I don’t know that they are, it’s just my impression it’s happening some places.) Analogizing to the middle-range stats that schools publish, I’d like her to end up at a school in the middle 50% of the spectrum, so in the 25%-75% range. (Hopefully right around 35% if liberal is toward the zero end, but that’s my bias.)

32

Even if your child was at one of those schools, do you really think the majority is acting in the manner described?

33

Here is a video of what you are describing. The action gets heated about the 14:00 minute mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTe1Aqzp8aQ

34

@Zinhead Yes, that’s what I’m hoping to avoid. Though I doubt she’d end up in that room. She (like us) is kind of a live and let live kind of person. We try to avoid hysterical people, be they liberal or conservative.

35

Uh…UChicago has plenty of people who will happily yell at you for being racist. The most annoying thing about that stupid letter is that people keep holding us up as some shining beacon of conservatism and an alt-right paradise. No one is going to stop you from saying that you don’t think racism exists anymore in your sosc class, but you will get most of the class arguing fervently against you.

And why do people complaining about “those darn SJWs” keep making lists of safe spaces for conservatives without seeing any irony?

36

Heated?

37

Ha! Nice. SQWs gonna fight fight fight for the status quo.

38

Cornell has melted plenty of snowflakes I know…

39

Snowflakes are engineered to melt. The problem is when they are given life support, apparently against the 4th law of thermodynamics, global warming.

40

Nothing focuses snowflake melt faster than no longer living on OPM.