Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Hannibal]

I believe there's bias in hiring liberal professors. I also don't think there's a big body of conservatives out there dying for a chance to become a teacher and being denied. Most conservatives I know or have met have at least a mild degree of contempt for teachers at every level of education. And anyone denying that there isn't a strong strain of anti-intellectualism present in Trump-brand "populist" conservatism is kidding themselves. Education is seen as a flaw.

This healthy sense of distrust of which you speak is well earned. For many reasons. One thing that this election has exposed, on both sides of the aisle, is the massive amount contempt and disrespect that the country's social, political, and intellectual elites have towards the unwashed masses who dare demand accountability and results from their government and their media.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I think there's a bias. Exposure to my wife's thesis advisor at UM, and her husband in the same department, was awfully discouraging. I think you are generally probably right overall, and would add that it's kinda the same in media -- it's so disparaged, and not exactly lucrative to start with, so most people end up lefties without any intent by anyone. But, still, I think there's some bias.

Arguable here, but it's not as if the conservatives there are are exactly forward thinking either. You could say the economics dept at the U of Chicago is one of the more famously conservative elements of academia. You'd think there could be some new ideas coming out of that group already, but it seems they are dedicated to just defending more of the same. But Geezer's point is that mixing them gives you the intellectual stimulation needed to get them all thinking harder about their own stuff, and that's a very valid point. Adding conservative echo chambers to the liberal ones isn't that.

Speaking of conservative echo chambers, this was a good article from NR from a week ago

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438651/fox-news-conservative-media-echo-chamber-hurts-conservatives

And I agree that most university departments do not celebrate diversity of thought. I'd argue though most large-scale organizations of any kind tend to encourage groupthink. It's probably more offensive at a university though where intellectual honesty is presumably a value.

[hack]

This healthy sense of distrust of which you speak is well earned. For many reasons. One thing that this election has exposed, on both sides of the aisle, is the massive amount contempt and disrespect that the country's social, political, and intellectual elites have towards the unwashed masses who dare demand accountability and results from their government and their media.

If they are demanding accountability and results they wouldn't embrace obvious lies and bullshit racism. There's never been more evidence to justify that condescending. That said, the left has no monopoly on that sort of thing. You yourself have proclaimed liberals to be inherently categorically stupid multiple times, so no whining please when you get the same from the other side.

[Wild Hoss]

One thing that this election has exposed, on both sides of the aisle, is the massive amount contempt and disrespect that the country's social, political, and intellectual elites have towards the unwashed masses who dare demand accountability and results from their government and their media.

Just curious...but what exactly is it about said "unwashed masses" that should elicit respect? Between BLM, Trumpsters, BernieBros and the TeaBaggers, this election cycle has exposed the amount of jackasses running around free out here, and laid bare their true nature. The results are terrifying, and should reinforce our commitment to representative democracy. We just need to do better.

[Dr. Strangelove]

[youtube]sP493LmSJrE[/youtube]

1) He's a Trump fan
2) He's an independent researcher
3) He has a very important message worth risking death over
4) I think Obama's real birth certificate has been found!!!!

[Prime2]

I like it DSL, thought you were a little taller and a little more mealy-mouthed.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Sorry to disappoint. I'm one of the great unwashed and deserve to be taken seriously!!!

[CGVT]

I wash, dammit.

[hack]

I work from home. I should really be better at that but sometimes the day goes by and I just forgot.

[Ghengis Jon]

Between BLM, Trumpsters, BernieBros and the TeaBaggers, this election cycle has exposed the amount of jackasses running around free out here, and laid bare their true nature.

Mandatory sterilization for the good of mankind?

[Wild Hoss]

Lets stick a pin in that and revisit in four years. Maybe less.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[iam416]

Portman is up by 9 in a Quinnipiac Poll of LV. Trump was down 4 in the same poll. That mirrors my vote.

[entropy]

The US does not produce enough students that are versed in IT. We have a big shortage on that and need to import a lot of immigrants from the east. Mostly India but other countries as well. They are all college graduates as far as I can tell.

this is true. I'd actually add that are not just versed in IT but they general, they are well qualified.

Eastern Europe is also developing a lot of IT talent.

[Ghengis Jon]

We must import the only good Indian engineers and IT people. My company moved a large segment of IT development to India (1/3 the cost) and they aren't worth a flying fuck. We spend probably half the time it takes to develop and execute a project just fixing the shit they produce. On the other hand, the two that we have here stateside are top notch. My management is pretty much clueless to the concept of penny wise pound foolish.

[Prime2]

Early this morning I drove to the Executive Airport at Miami International to catch my "ride" to work in Manhattan.

Lo and behold, soon to be Mr. President-elect's 757 was in my parking space.

It's good to be King.