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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Intellectual Conformity 1, Intellectual Diversity 0

Harvard Professor Ruth Wisse explains in today's WSJ how intellectual diversity on college campuses has been replaced by intellectual conformism, aka political correctness: 

"The increased political conformism at universities may be traced in part to the redefinition of diversity that accompanied the introduction of group preferences, aka "affirmative action." Schools instituting this policy never acknowledged that it conflicted with competing commitments to equal consideration "irrespective of race, religion, or gender," or that at least half the country questioned its wisdom."

"In part the policy has become a joke, with claimants to 1/32nd Cherokee heritage gaining preferential treatment as minority hires. What is not a joke is that the meaning of "diversity" has shifted from the intellectual to the racial-ethnic sphere, foreclosing discussion of certain subjects like affirmative action, gender differences and everything considered politically incorrect."

"Thus, the current Guide to the First Year at Harvard alerts incoming students to orientation programs in diversity designed to build connections within and across "nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, physical ability, and religion." Characteristically and tellingly absent from the list is political or intellectual diversity."

Update: Excellent comment by J. Storrs Hall, "I have a dream: that a day will come when academics value diversity in the content of our minds, and not the color of our skin...", which was featured here at Maggie's Farm

18 comments:

  1. I agree with this sentiments expressed in this post.

    But why does not the University of Chicago ever attempt to catalog and publicize the full range of federal subsidies that flood upon rural America, in power systems, water systems, railroads, highways, airports, postal service, telephone service, airports, crop supports, regulations and subsidies?

    Where are the trenchant studies on the huge federal subsidies that flow to rural states, amounting to more than $10k per resident, for a state like North Dakota?

    I see political correctness shouting down dissent on both sides of the aisle.

    Public pensions in the United States are way too fat--but no one ever dare mention that the U.S. military hands out pensions that would make French railway workers blush.

    Once you take off your partisan blinders and red-colored glasses, you see a lot of hypocrisy in both parties.


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  2. I have a dream: that a day will come when academics value diversity in the content of our minds, and not the color of our skin...

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  3. On the contrary. Anyone who doesn't submit to Soviet style intellectual conformism is ironically labeled "anti-intellectual".

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  4. I've a question:

    Affirmative action was a response to using racial preference in determining a candidate for a position.

    Affirmative action requires using racial preferences in determining a candidate for a position.

    True, the races involved are flip-flopped, but from a moral/metaphysical point of view, is it really any different?

    Ethically, is affirmative action an improvement?

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  5. "Ethically, is affirmative action an improvement?"

    If throwing down newspaper over spilled milk is a solution, yeah it's an improvement.

    I've grown up my whole life having this pounded in my head. They had us make an "underground Railroad" in kindergarten. The only thing I understood at that age was that MLK day was a day off of school.


    I'm sick of hearing about it.

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  6. Kate over at Small Dead Animals: "The opposite of diversity is university."

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  7. "But why does not the University of Chicago ever attempt to catalog and publicize the full range of federal subsidies that flood upon rural America, in power systems, water systems, railroads, highways, airports, postal service, telephone service, airports, crop supports, regulations and subsidies?"...

    Oh dear! Did poor, little pseudo benny get burned at the local farmer's market?

    How come you're not whining about the $3.2 billion in matching federal funds in Gov. Moonbean's ghetto to ghetto choo choo train instead?

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  8. J. Storrs Hall: Congrats, your excellent comment appears here on the Maggie's Farm website/blog.

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  9. My first college room mate walked in and said " so bored I am I glad to see you" *why is that I asked?"

    "Because my mama told me that if they put me in with 1 of those black boys that I was to come home".


    I never heard someone say they thought it was dusgusting to see a conservative married to a liberal.

    I never heard someone say " you are not going trust that conservative house sit for you.


    Sorry, I think this is intellectual diversity thing is a load off crap.

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  10. I never heard someone say they thought it was dusgusting to see a conservative married to a liberal.

    It's more prevalent than you think.

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  11. I never heard someone say they thought it was dusgusting to see a conservative married to a liberal.

    I never heard someone say " you are not going trust that conservative house sit for you.


    I've never seen anyone so thoroughly miss the point.

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  12. Methinks said:

    I've never seen anyone so thoroughly miss the point.


    Try a mirror, it will help a lot, especially if there's a reflection.

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  13. Snappy, bart, my darling. I like it. This alone has finally convinced me of your genius and your unique, almost paranormal market timing skillzzz!

    You have opened my eyes to the possibilities for profit when you have no clue what's going on!

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  14. You can't read the freaking article, it's a pay-only article.

    I do wish people wouldn't use articles like that as a basis for posts.

    :-S

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  15. >>> no one ever dare mention that the U.S. military hands out pensions that would make French railway workers blush.

    Oh, geez, beeeny once more hops on his anti-military bandwagon and starts banging away at his tin drum.

    Its tiring, beeeny.

    You keep stating the same shit over and over, and we refute you repeatedly shredding your arguments... and you just come back parroting the SAME BULLSHIT CLAIMS AND ARGUMENTS OVER AND OVER.

    Go away until you learn some intellectual honesty and actually UPDATE your now totally BS claims to reflect the inarguably invalidated claims.

    ...But then you'd have nothing to freaking say, would you?

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  16. }}}} "You have opened my eyes to the possibilities for profit when you have no clue what's going on!"

    Isn't that pretty much the only way to profit in a liberal administration?

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  17. Consider military pay plus military pensions and then do a net present value calculation to compare the lifetime stream of money to some other professions. When you do that, calculate the most probable value of that pension, given the probabilities that it may never be collected.

    While you are at it throw in the educational, housing, healthcare, and travel benefits.

    It is not a bad deal, but it isnt great, considering the risks.

    Capital investors want a lot more return for a lot less risk.

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  18. "When you do that, calculate the most probable value of that pension, given the probabilities that it may never be collected."

    You have failed to make a point once again.

    Where, exactly, does military service rank on a scale of dangerous jobs?

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