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Friday, April 04, 2008
What's a right-wing Jew to do?
Western Standard readers will recall our Nuttiest Professors annual report. From the conspiracy kooks to the commies, the radicals to the revolutionaries, the report by Terry O’Neill introduces readers to the profs that students (and their parents) will want to keep far away from.
But keeping far away from nutty professors in Canadian universities is harder than it sounds, as one Dalhousie student has learned.
In an opinion piece in the Gazette, the Dalhousie campus paper, Paige T. MacPherson asks “What's a right-wing Jew to do?” in response to growing political correctness on campus. Here’s an excerpt:
Social and political activism is all the rage on Canadian university campuses. Students are at that ripe, impressionable stage when money generally isn't an object and saving the world is just a picket line away. This would suggest that campuses must be bustling with freedom of thought and a myriad of diverse opinions.
But opinions must remain politically correct, of course. That's somewhat understandable. Unfortunately, Canadian universities have gone a little too far with political correctness, and 'diverse' opinions are encouraged only if they fit the mould....
In an article published in 2006 in the Western Standard, a Canadian political magazine recently out of print but still available online, a McGill University student had one of her professors tell her, "No educated person can support Israel... If you don't change your political views on terrorism, Israel, and just in general, you'll get nowhere in academia...."
I sincerely hope this isn't the future of Canadian academia, but judging by my experience at Dal, I regretfully believe that it is. So what's a right-wing Jew to do? When the professors are preaching it and students are nodding en masse, raising my right hand to comment seems pointless. To put it briefly: I'm downright offended that, somehow, everything I say is downright offensive.
If political correctness isn’t the future of Canadian academia, it will be, in part, because of students like Paige MacPherson.
Posted by westernstandard on April 4, 2008 | Permalink
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Comments
"I can't say I'm not a fan of Al Gore in my political science tutorial without being reprimanded by my fellow students and the TA?"
I bet she cannot tell the difference between "being reprimanded" and someone saying that they don't agree. She just needs to grow a backbone and stop whining. If your view is a minority one, as hers seem to be, and we have free speech, expect to hear a lot of people saying things you don't agree with. University is a time for young people to grow up a bit. She needs to take better advantage of the opportunity.
Posted by: Fact Check | 2008-04-04 9:24:08 PM
As opposed to FC, who apparently is wearing blinders, I'm even surprised that the campus paper printed her.
Posted by: Markalta | 2008-04-04 10:17:31 PM
"I'm even surprised that the campus paper printed her."
Indeed. If things are as bad as she says and as bad as you seem to think they are, then they wouldn't have printed her piece. But they did print it. Therefore ... OOPS!
Posted by: Fact Check | 2008-04-04 10:22:27 PM
In fact there are occasions when professors and students do try to intimidate and silence opposition. In a first year political science course I challenged a point the professor made (everything left of center is good and everything to the right is bad). He kept coming back to the same discussion for two periods and I persisted. It should be mentioned that at twenty four my life experience was greater than that of my fellow students. Through the course I had maintained an honours average. The marking had been done by a TA. The professor marked my final and gave me a 65% mark. This brought my final mark down considerably. It would have stayed there had I not demanded a re-read by the department head. He raised my final mark to 85%. Yes FC, you do have to fight and fight hard. That attitude comes with experience which develops toughness. We don't know the age of the writer but from her tone I expect she will continue to fight for her position.
Posted by: DML | 2008-04-05 12:19:46 AM
Anyone who condemns Israel and supports the Arab cause against the Jewish people is an enemy of reason and common sense. Sometimes one must take a stand against idiocy.
Posted by: dewp | 2008-04-05 1:10:01 AM
Question: What's a right wing-Jew to do?
ANSWER: Move to America: it's full of them!! You'll be right at home!!! Indeed, on any given day, in any of a varity of media, you will see Joe Lieberman, sitting perched either on John McCain's shoulder, in John McCain's lap, or peeking out from behind McCain, to see if he can steal a photo-op and intercalate himself into the pre-consciousness of the American voting public. He wants the VP post so badly, he'll strain himself or give himself an actual hernia!! Such a parasite...He appears to neither know nor care whether McCain even wants him there. No-go with Gore? Try McCain!! Sycophant!
Posted by: Sonychka | 2008-04-08 9:52:27 PM
In response to FC:
Yes, the campus newspaper did publish this article, after more "fack-checking" than usual, and controversy around the office. All of which is fantastic.
There is a clear difference between being reprimanded and having someone disagree. Being told one is wrong and irresponsible--in a condescending tone, no less--is reprimanding, in my opinion.
You say I should take better advantage of the opportunity (to grow up and make use of free speech)? I would argue that my writing this article is doing just that, no?
Just for the record: The age of the writer is 18. And I will continue to fight! :)
Posted by: Paige | 2008-04-13 1:23:02 AM
I think that this is great for her to express her opinion on the subject. I am in some of the same classes as her, and she is a very intelligent and caring individual. Just because you don't like her viewpoint, or maybe how she chooses to express it, doesn't mean she needs to get a "backbone" or "stop whining." She is fully utilizing her ability to express herself, and it's about time more people did it. She writes as if she is much older than she is, and I respect her for that. If you knew what it was like to be in her position, a minority and part of the youth in our society, you would realize that it isn't always easy to speak your mind when the world is telling you not to. You can make comments saying I am unintelligent or that my argument is futile, but I really don't care. Give props to the girl, she did a great piece and she is getting recognition for it, I say congratulations Paige and keep it up.
Posted by: AlisonR | 2008-04-13 7:04:00 AM
I find it very interesting that 'fact check' would be the first and most negative comment posted. It reeks of 'blog plant', a rather insidious form of undermining and censorship that the left is so well known for inflicting on anything that remotely resembles 'free speech' from the right. I am sure 'fact check' hasn't considered anything vaguely resembling 'fact' for a very long time. This terse and condescending tripe being presented by 'fc' is indeed conspicuous by its absolute missing of all germane topicality. What should scare 'fc' about the very brave efforts of the original author is the simple fact that 'fc' is the one most obviously in need of 'backbone'. While 'fc' hides behind the 'fc' moniker and its anonymity , the original author puts her name and personal insights on the line in the face of unfair and illiberal criticism. She has the courage of her convictions...something so rarely displayed by the anonymous hackers and serial 'comments' junkies and saboteurs on the left...and of course, people like 'fc'!
Posted by: JDamn | 2008-04-13 10:57:44 AM
Sonychka...
As an American student in Canada I have a couple of responses to your comment.
1. WTF...what does what your saying have to do with the the article in question? I love a good anti-American 'hate' rant as much as the next person, but really, can not you find a better and more reasonable platform for your brand of fanaticism?
2. Perhaps it is you who should just move to the U.S.of A. There you could learn a few things about things like 'freedom of thought and freedom of expression and indeed freedom of speech'! We love people like you. We call them BIGOTS. You know, those narrow minded, intellectually challenged morons who cannot see the forest for the narrow minded trees.
3. For your information and you do not seem to have much of it, 'right wing Jews' do not fill the United States. Most Americian Jews are anything but 'right wing'. New York Jews for example are well known and respected as the 'left wing' intellegentsia of America. The ranks of the 'socialist' artist communities in New York and Hollywood are almost exclusively Jews. In the 'McCarthy era', 85% of the writers blacklisted as communists were Jews. Exactly how many 'commie' right wing Jew Americans do you know Sonychka? None of us, the reasonable Americans', are fans of people like Paul Wolfowicz or any other 'Neo-Con' who happens to be a Jew. They hardly 'FILL' America. You insult with your prejudice and ignorance.
Please keep your less than 'enlightened' remarks about America and Jews to a minimum. There are enough leftist fascists out there, they don't need you dragging down their collective I.Q's.
Posted by: JuicyLucy | 2008-04-13 11:43:54 AM
i have known the author for the better half of my life, and she has always had an opinion. upon reading her commentary on this subject i felt a strong sense of pride and respect for her, this is regardless of any of the ideas or problems voiced. time and time again she has demonstrated her willingness to have a voice, and i wish her well in the future.
Posted by: craig watters | 2008-04-13 1:09:45 PM
LOL! Imagine what it was like for Nehru, Gandhi, Fanon, Ho Chi Minh, or any number of others to attend university in the capitals of their colonial masters and listen to vicious racist propaganda about them and their countryfolk!
Churchill, a government official, called Gandhi a "half-naked fakir". They survived their racist professors and fellow schoolmates taunts to shake free of their imperial masters. When I attended universities in the west, I was often the lone voice of dissent to prevailing wisdom, the right thinking of the day.
And here we have students who think they deserve medals for dissenting from what their highly educated profs say to their 18 year old ears! LOL! Too funny!
There was a time, not so long ago, when overt racism was mainstream in Canadian and western universities and all minorities were unwelcome and harassed. In America, schools and universities are segregated in the South til well into the 1960s (and even until more recently at some places). Black students had to be escorted in by state troopers and national guard units. Compare that to the discomfort some whimps here feel for having to voice dissent! LOL! Pathetic.
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 2:24:37 PM
Craig, why not just ask her for a date the old-fashioned way, instead of grovelling here before us to show your love and affection for her?
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 2:25:55 PM
What are you even saying Roger? That she shouldn't stand up against unfair bias just because in history there have been worse cases of it? What are you thinking?
And by your logic doesn't that make you even worse than her?
Posted by: NickyG | 2008-04-13 3:57:16 PM
NickyG, where did I say what you claim I said? Nowhere! LOL! Of course she ought to voice her thoughts, however misguided and wrong they are. Education is about struggling with ideas and voicing one's fears, anxieties and opinions, and being prepared to have them challenged. Adversity makes one stronger. Of course, there is also ethics involved, on both sides of the lecture hall. So, let her stand up and shout out her disdain and be prepared to be challenged!
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 4:23:28 PM
ROGER,
"They survived their racist professors and fellow schoolmates taunts..."
Surely, if nothing had been said about these occurances, you wouldn't have known about them and had them at your disposal to use in your own weak argument. As you asked NickyG, where did I say what you claim I said.. "I deserve a medal"? I also did not claim to be more educated than my profs. If anything, I'm suggesting that their level of education should discourage their small-mindedness, which it obviously does not.
First you call me pathetic for voicing my thoughts, then you go back on that and say "of course I should." Just because something was worse in history does not mean that it shouldn't be challenged today. That's ridiculous.. I'm not sure if YOU'RE sure what you're even saying, aside from "LOL".
Posted by: Paige | 2008-04-13 5:49:13 PM
Thank you for your reply. Please stop whining about how your professors and fellow students are challenging your points of view. That is part of education. In addition, please do not expect anyone to automatically side with you against your professor because your professor did not accept your point of view. However, in order for us to get a better picture of your complaints, kindly explained what happened and why you are complaining and seeking sympathy here. Every year numerous young people show up at university to waste their parents money on partying, while some also show up to work. The orientation to universities are not conducive to instilling the values of intellectual enterprise in the newcomers, but instead encourage the worst kind of behaviour. Over the years, the drunken displays have been curtailed by institutions under great public pressure and scrutiny after a few deaths and injuries. Then classes start, and every newcomer believes they can express any and every opinion and have professors and fellow students accept their views unchallenged. They recoil in horror when they are challenged and have to defend what they have said.
of course there are problems with universities in he west. If I wished to, I could write volumes about the problems, and the greatest outrages perpetrated at universities. None of which would support your point of view, I suspect. But please, explain what happened to you and why anyone ought to care.
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 6:53:28 PM
Roger, it so so wonderful to see than you have been able to bring Nehru, Gandhi, Fanon, Ho Chi Minh into the discussion. Other than your wishing to share your familiarity with historic figures with the class, what was the point again? What was the relevance to this discussion.
Roger rants 'When I attended universities in the west, I was often the lone voice of dissent to prevailing wisdom, the right thinking of the day." Roger sounds a little bitter about his 'school days'. I wonder what HIS "voice of dissent" was saying and why he conveniently omits his 'story' from the dialogue. I also wonder what was "the right thinking of the day" of which he speaks so eloquently...or not. What kind of damage was inflicted upon this desperate soul? Please Roger...do tell.
Roger finds it hard to get through a paragraph without having to LOL! Why the online version of the 'nervous laugh'? Or perhaps it is just the cackle of the truely sanctimonious boor. A 'boor' Roger,is 'a rude or insensitive person', which brings me to my next point.
Roger has to attack on an 'ad hominem' personal level as opposed to making a 'convincing' point!
My 'ad hominem' moment here is much more attack minded because Roger has failed to provide an argument that requires serious rebuttal.
Roger's 'ad hominem' could also hold a more sinister purpose. Perhaps Roger is attacking the title of the article and its author because he has trouble with the terminology. Which offends you more Roger...'right wing' or 'Jew'???
Roger sounds like Roger is perhaps more in need of a date than Craig.
Roger's response to this rather personal and sarcastic comment should be a measure of his ability to absorbe the criticism he so freely pours over others. Bring it on baby!
Posted by: JDamn | 2008-04-13 6:59:13 PM
JDAMN, LOL!!!! Your post is all ad hominem!
When Menachem Begin described his years as a law student in Poland in bitter recollection, of being forced to stand through entire lectures because Jews were not allowed to sit down, was he merely being boorish? That is what Jdamn implies.
Of course, perhaps that is why Begin went on to become a terrorist and a stealer of land.
When young school children have to be protected by armed state troopers to prevent mobs of racist parents from attacking them, as happened in the 1960s in the Deep South, then one can admire the courage of those poor children going to school each day. But here we have noble Paige expecting sympathy for having to defend her opinions in a classroom at a Canadian univerity and claiming that this is an example of how bad things have BECOME! To see how much PROGRESS has been made from the bad old days, one can compare Paige's situation to the predicament of students of the past! And lest anyone forget, McGill University had a quota on how many Jewish students they would admit in any given year, let alone black or other minorities! And that is no laughing matter!
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 7:07:41 PM
ROGER,
I think if you had clicked on the link and actually read my article, you would have read, in more detail, what happened to me. I do not expect you to care. Everything you've said has been laughably off topic.
Writing an article to get my opinion out there would hardly be classified as "whining". I am simply pointing out the fact that one point of view is massively discouraged, and the opposite is encouraged, which is not the way I feel education should be approached at university. Regardless of who is more educated, or whatever it is that you were saying, university should be a place where all viewpoints should be encouraged, and furthermore, challenged. It shouldn't be that ONLY left-wing viewpoints are promoted, and ONLY right-wing viewpoints are not.
I did not expect anyone to automatically side with me over my professor. Again, if you had actually read my article you would realize that I am stressing that I can expect the opposite.
For you to speak for "every newcomer" is absurd. As a newcomer myself, I would certainly not want you speaking on my behalf.
Posted by: Paige | 2008-04-13 7:08:06 PM
Roger, at the risk of insulting you, it so so wonderful to see than you have been able to bring Nehru, Gandhi, Fanon, Ho Chi Minh and any number of others into the discussion. Other than your wishing to share your familiarity with historic figures with the class, what was the point again? What was the relevance to this discussion.
Roger rants 'When I attended universities in the west, I was often the lone voice of dissent to prevailing wisdom, the right thinking of the day." Roger sounds a little bitter about his 'school days'. I wonder what HIS "voice of dissent" was saying and why he conveniently omits his 'story' from the dialogue. I also wonder what was "the right thinking of the day" of which he speaks so eloquently...or not. What kind of damage was inflicted upon this desperate soul? Please Roger...do tell.
Roger finds it hard to get through a paragraph without having to LOL! Why the online version of the 'nervous laugh'? Or perhaps it is just the cackle of the truely sanctimonious boor. A 'boor' Roger,is 'a rude or insensitive person', which brings me to my next point.
Roger has to attack on an 'ad hominem' personal level as opposed to making a 'convincing' point!
My 'ad hominem' moment here is much more attack minded because Roger has failed to provide an argument that requires serious rebuttal.
Roger's 'ad hominem' could also hold a more sinister purpose. Perhaps Roger is attacking the title of the article and its author because he has trouble with the terminology. Which offends you more Roger...'right wing' or 'Jew'???
Roger sounds like Roger is perhaps more in need of a date than Craig. Or do they 'date' on your planet in the 'east'! I dare say Roger, I would be willing to wager that if there is a 'wimp' to be identified in this discussion, you would be the overwhelmingly obvious choice. Your lack of depth and and tactical ability deserve a modicum of pity, which I am sure many people feel for you.
Roger's response to this rather personal and sarcastic comment should be a measure of his ability to absorbe the criticism he so freely pours over others. Bring it on baby!
Posted by: JDamn | 2008-04-13 7:14:19 PM
Paige writes that " university should be a place where all viewpoints should be encouraged."
Let's see. Paige thinks nazism ought to be encouraged, along with skinhead ideologies, racism, cannibalism, warmongering.... That is what Paige says. Hmm. LOL!
This is why some students need to listen more closely when their profs lecture.
Ps Paige, you need some help with reading comprehension. I am no new-comer to university life. I would never wish to speak on your behalf--you could not pay me enough! LOL!
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 7:14:36 PM
LOL! JDamn sure knows how to post a lot of nothing--no pretense of intellectual content there! I guess he is throwing his whole arsenal of nothing at me, hoping to score a hit. LOL! Poor guy. See, education does matter. Without a proper education, one is reduced to acting the clown like Jdamn. At least I can laugh at him. LOL!
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 7:19:28 PM
ROGER,
What you are saying is so ironic, first of all. But it's entertaining for everyone reading, at least. To say that I need help with reading comprehension is the greatest of them all. This was you speaking for all newcomers, including me, as I am a newcomer:
"Then classes start, and every newcomer believes they can express any and every opinion and have professors and fellow students accept their views unchallenged."
I never called you a newcomer. Please read up before posting in the future. To say that I think nazism should be encouraged is absolutely ridiculous. I believe that all viewpoints should be welcomed, as I support freedom of speech. However, I do go on to say that they should all be challenged, as well. I see you conviniently left that out. Oh well.
Also it was funny that you called Jdamn out on being "ad hominem" when he recognized that was exactly what he was doing, in the very post you called him out on. Reading comprehension, hmm?
Posted by: Paige | 2008-04-13 7:21:58 PM
Roger, wow! You got it. I was worried that MY ad hominem might blow right over your head.
The 'true' nature of the Roger shows its UGLY face. Nice swipe ay the Jew. Bravo freedom fighter. You should be kissing the collective 'west' ass for even providing you with something you will not allow half of your countrymen and women...an education. Only in your pathetic world you have any credibility. Now even all your 'lefiy' sympathizers see you for the hypocritical anti-semetic piece of crap you really are.
Posted by: JDamn | 2008-04-13 7:23:41 PM
After calling for all viewpoints TO BE ENCOURAGED on university campuses, Paige now backtracks and wants some not to be encouraged. LOL! Oh, to be 18 years old again! In reading the poor piece of writing she submitted to her student paper, this gem sticks out, "So people can make statements like this without getting a slap on the wrist"! LOL! No kidding!
WHO should do the slapping on the wrist? The university administration? The government? Frosh students? LOL! It boggles the mind that university students can be unable to read basic English and still make it through first year! I believe universities are not selective enough in who they admit. Mediocrity is inevitable.
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 7:31:17 PM
ROGER,
Please point out for everyone where exactly I stated that some viewpoints should not be encouraged. While you're at it, you should point out where I said I am a fan of cannibalism. Best of luck.
I believe that when a statement like the one I quote in my article is made by a university professor, to a student--one in which the prof attempts to force a viewpoint on a student--it should be the university administration who does the "wrist-slapping". Not the Frosh students.. but nice dig. That was very clever, ROGER!
Also, I would like you to point out where you got the idea that I cannot read basic English. In the meantime, I will draw attention to your grammatical error: "who they admit".
I do agree with you on one thing, though. Mediocrity is inevitable, when everyone is encouraged to think the same thing.
Posted by: Paige | 2008-04-13 7:37:40 PM
How can a journalism student not understand the difference between reporting events and being a spokesperson involved in events? LOL! The current state of journalism students in Canada!
Most new students today are know-it-alls who want to tell their profs what end is up and they expect everyone to hang onto the pearls of wisdom that spring to their minds spontaneously after their hard won high school diploma studies. LOL! Paige epitomizes these new students. Paige also states in her article that university students don't have to worry about money!!!! Anyone here know university students who don't have to worry about money? Yeah, we know those students--wasting daddy and mommies money partying. LOL!
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 7:40:33 PM
ROGER,
First of all, I am not a journalism student. I don't even know which said "events" you're referring to.
Again, I ask you to stop speaking for all university students. Your generalizations are lacking in any form of support, and as a result, they are highlighting your lack of knowledge.
I do not state that all university students "don't have to worry about money". Like I said, please actually read what I wrote before misquoting it. My exact words were "money generally isn't an object." Based on my experience, which is solely what the article is in reference to, a lot of students are having their education paid for, either by their parents, or student loans that they will have to worry about later.
Although you've yet to contribute anything that is even the least bit relevant to this conversation, I'm glad you're at least LOL-ing an awful lot, most likely at how brilliant you seem to think you are (for no good reason), in front of your computer screen.
Posted by: Paige | 2008-04-13 7:49:30 PM
Paige's version: "it should be the university administration who does the "wrist-slapping".
In the long history of the university, an institution introduced to Europe by Muslims, professors have never been mere employees! The concept of a "university administration" is a relatively new concept and is a contrary to the concept under which universities were founded. National control of universities has slowly crept in, it is true. So today, one has a requirement of nationality to be a professor in many countries, not least of which is Germany--one has to be a German citizen (whether that is still true or not since unification and the EU, I do not know, but it was a requirement previously).
But the greater issue is, on what basis can the administration discipline a professor? If the professor is an expert in her field, how is the administration to decide the validity or not of what the professor teaches?
Moreover, Phillip Rushton has taught for years his racist ideology, yet no one here has complained. On the contrary, people on this blog defended Rushton's racist views! Seems like some are blind in their right eye and only see bad through their left eye, when they choose to see. The claim that universities are a hot bed of left wing ideology is completely false. Anyone who has been around knows the reality. But let's see the claims of those who say it is--what is their evidence? A whole lot of nothing.
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 7:50:34 PM
ROGER,
Also, are you still working on pointing out where I said I love cannibals and Nazis? How about when I said some viewpoints should not be encouraged? I'd love to see where I said these things, because somehow, I have no recollection of saying them, and they just aren't showing up on my screen.
Oh you know what, perhaps it's my inability to read English.
Posted by: Paige | 2008-04-13 7:52:21 PM
ROGER,
Nothing you have said has any real relevance to Paige's article. You're wasting everybody's time and energy- although it is pretty entertaining- you have no idea what you're talking about.
Also, you are making yourself look like an industrial sized douchebag.
Posted by: munja | 2008-04-13 7:52:22 PM
Paige wrote in her article, "to the cramming of CBC content down my throat in my journalism class."
I wrote, "How can a journalism student not understand the difference between reporting events and being a spokesperson involved in events?"
Paige wrote, "First of all, I am not a journalism student."
Why do they let people into university who cannot comprehend basic English? Where is the meritocracy? Why should professors and good students have to tolerate the mediocrity of the masses? Just because someone's parents can afford to pay their university expenses is not good enough reason to admit that person to university! LOL! Sad, but funny.
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 7:59:30 PM
Ummm......... Roger is a troll of historic proportions. Under-medicated and over-stressed with his new burqua fitting. Please, for everyone reading this blog, DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!
Posted by: Not-ROGER | 2008-04-13 8:00:40 PM
ROGER,
It is both unprofessional and disadvantageous to learning if a professor tells a student they will get nowhere in academia if they do not promptly change their views to suit that of the prof. To say that this is not so is ludicrous. I am not paying thousands of dollars to be brainwashed.
The evidence I provided in support of my view is, thus far, a lot more valid than anything you have contributed. It is obvious that there is a left-wing slant in Canadian universities. Nearly every bit of feedback I got about the article--and that is a lot--was in agreeance with that fact, despite whether the viewpoints of those who commented agreed with the 'right' side of things or not.
Unfortunately, you cannot see past your own petty views and just grit your teeth and admit what is so evidently true. But I understand your problem with my article now. That was made clear when you called Menachem Begin a "terrorist and land stealer", and when you pointed out that it was the Muslims who brought university to the world. A delightfully unnecessary and highly irrelevant little tidbit.
Posted by: Paige | 2008-04-13 8:02:24 PM
Paige writes that " university should be a place where all viewpoints should be encouraged."
All viewpoints. Which viewpoints should not be encouraged, according to you? You never made any qualification. LOL! You can try to wiggle, but you are firmly on the hook of your own construction! Better to retract than impale yourself further. But hey, you are 18 years old and know it all! LOL! What does your prof know compared to your intellect? LOL!
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 8:03:38 PM
Paige,
Let the guppy go, you've skinned, filleted, fried and served the dude's ass on a platter. Good show!
Posted by: briansouthern | 2008-04-13 8:08:23 PM
Paige wrote: "It is both unprofessional and disadvantageous to learning if a professor tells a student they will get nowhere in academia if they do not promptly change their views to suit that of the prof. To say that this is not so is ludicrous. I am not paying thousands of dollars to be brainwashed."
LOL! According to Paige, because she is paying thousands of dollars, the prof ought to give her the transaction for which she paid! LOL! The university is reduced to a trade school for rich kids! Wow! Centuries of the idea of the university blown away by consumerism of the worst kind! Profs are little more than high school teachers in Paige's view. Indeed, they are tradespeople! Karl Jaspers, eat your heart out! LOL!
Paige is like those students who demand As in their courses, because they paid their tuition fees! Other students' parents show up at profs offices demanding to know why their genius child is not doing well in the course and threaten profs if they don't up the grades! LOL! We are hearing Paige's version, wait til the profs give their version!
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 8:11:10 PM
ROGER,
Again (my, I wish you would just read what I have been writing so I could stop saying again), nowhere did I state I am smarter than my professors. Doing something like that would place me on as ignorant a plain as you currently reside. I never once questioned the intelligence of my professors.
Also, my saying "all viewpoints should be encouraged" does not mean "some viewpoints should not be encouraged". "All", in English, means the entire quantity of something.
Your personal attacking me is getting old. You obviously have a problem with me that is more deep-rooted than my article, as you seem to be spewing out irrelevant information and "LOL"s by the gallon.
I'm going to stop "feeding the troll" now. Thank you, ROGER, for providing entertainment for us all and drawing attention to my article. Best wishes in the future. You'll need them.
Posted by: Paige | 2008-04-13 8:11:42 PM
So, according to you, all viewpoints should be encouraged! Nazism, cannibalism, polygamy, bestiality.... Not tolerated, but ENCOURAGED! LOL! Glad we sorted that out. LOL!
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 8:15:55 PM
Paige, thank you for your kind farewell. I admire your courage in doing what none of your fellows here have dared to try--engaging me in debate. Even though you lost every point, your get points for effort. I would advise you to stay away from careers where attention to the details of language are important, such as law and academia, but you could probably cobble out a career in consumerism, marketing and business admin, where the customer is always right, even when they are wrong. You could also get a job as Professor Tom Flanagan's advisor on how to present balance in academic work. LOL!
Au revoir!
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 8:49:27 PM
Roger. So how does it feel having your ass handed to you on a platter by, of all things, an 18 year old Jew girl? You are a fine representative of your people and all the other fascists who happen to share your very narrow, hate driven views.
Now run along and play. I think I hear Mecca calling with its sweet sounds of repression and female apartheid and it's for you.
BTW Roger, AS IF that is your real name, are you indeed a prof. at Dal? That is all the buzz around here. LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL and did I mention LOL?
I'm off to have some delicious pork chops baby. Oh...too soon? Think I'll pat my dog while I eat. Good luck with your personal crusade. Oops! Bad choice of words again. So so sorry! How about good luck with your Jihad? Oops again. Doesn't that mean 'submission'. Submitting to people like you. Now there's a happy thought.
Just don't feel so bad about 'bombing' here, you were in over your head. I am sure you will go on to 'bomb' in many more discussions in the future. Oh my, am I offending you with these words. I am so so sorry. I know how sensitive your type can be. Welcome to CANADA baby. We LIVE free speech while in some countries people die for free speech. Anyplace you can think of? Answers...anyone? Troll? No?
Then, under that bridge. Oh, sorry again. Not too much infrastructure like bridges back there in the 7th century. Although I hear the universities are good...unless you happen to be a female. Much like today in some 'enlightened' societies! Back in your cave Osama Bin Moron. I saved you some grizzel.
Posted by: JDamn | 2008-04-13 9:02:19 PM
LOL! Jdamn probably writes essays like his post above then claims he got a failing grade because of his point of view! LOL! Note to readers, paying tuition at university does not mean you are buying an A or even a guarantee of a passing grade! JDamn has exhausted his armory of intellectual weapons. I guess I ought to go easy on him. Poor guy must be struggling in school. Easiest thing is to blame his profs for his failure. LOL!
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 9:15:13 PM
So you ARE a prof. at DAl. They were right.
I would have thought that someone with your 'obvious' writing talent wouldn't have to teach. Oh yeah. Those who can't do...teach.
We will be watching out for you professor Ahmed.
We know ALL about you and your kind. Loser!
Here's $10, buy yourself a better life! Kisses!
If I am gay, will you behead me?
Posted by: JDamn | 2008-04-13 9:25:07 PM
The poor students usually latch onto sayings which they repeat, hoping to sound intelligent. Take JDamn's statement, those who can't, teach. Albert Einstein taught. Max Planck taught. Heisinger taught. So did Schroedinger. Milton Friedman, Hecksher, Olin, Charles Taylor, all taught. However, to be more precise, they were all professors. To reduce a professor to being a "teacher" is to denigrate the position of professor. If professors and teachers are so incompetent and so lacking in worth and respect, why do you bother to take lessons from people you do not respect? Is it not more honourable to refuse to learn from those you do not respect? If your teachers and professors are so incompetent, and they are the ones teaching you, what does that make you? LOL! Poor Jdamn, he is being taught by people he does not respect. No wonder he feels so badly and writes so poorly.
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 9:43:12 PM
I can't speak for the rest of those reading this article, but I personally find it humorous that someone who writes as though he is superior to the rest of those involved in the conversation finds some pleasure in criticising the work of an intelligent university student who stands up for what she believes in.
Posted by: Alex | 2008-04-13 10:27:40 PM
ROGER
Paige has the right to voice her opinion, as do you on her article. Maybe you are looking for some sort of debate but why are you tring so hard to prove her wrong? She's a young girl expressing what she feels and therefore you should leave it at that. Im not saying you are wrong or right but I think you should let the girl be and move on. She clearly did something right if it got published, wouldn't you say so?
PAIGE
I loved the article and keep doing what you are doing. Don't listen to these other people who are so negative. This is just the beginning..
Everyone has the right to say what they believe. Isn't it freedom of speech so many people fight for? We are lucky to have that in Canada but so many people don't appreciate what other people have to say.
Posted by: NKL | 2008-04-13 10:36:35 PM
LOL! Certainly people have the right to voice their opinion, but I have a right to criticize any opinion expressed.
Paige wrote a letter to her school paper. In the article, she expressed the opinion that her professor ought to be disciplined. Paige does not recognize the professor's right to express an opinion without fear of retaliation. She expresses the opinion the professor is merely an employee and that the university administration can and ought to discipline the professor. This is an attack on centuries old rights of professors and an encouragement to attack the academy. University administrators are not in any position to judge the merits of a professor's opinions.
As for claiming that everyone has the right to say what they believe, that is not true, not in Canada or anywhere else. Just ask David Irving or Ernst Zundel or anyone threatened with a libel suit.
Paige states that all ideas ought to be encouraged on a university campus. ALL ideas. Pedophilia is an idea that I would not wish to see encouraged on a university campus. But that is what Paige is suggesting ought to be encouraged, along with everything else! LOL! Neither youthful exuberance nore senility is a defense to being wrong in a debate/discussion.
As for her claims about being in a journalism class then denying she studied journalism, without ever addressing the substantive point that she misconstrued reporting events from speaking on behalf of a group.
There is a general lack of respect in society. Young people demand respect, but they do not offer any respect in return. Professors have earned the respect of peers in order to get where they are. Frosh students do not wish to invest the time to earn respect but expect it to be conferred upon them because they are paying a lot in tuition, even when they never paid themselves but are living on the expense accounts of rich, indulgent parents.
There is a belief that arguments can be voted on as to which is a winner and which is a loser. In reality, no matter how much people vote that 1 plus 1 equals 3, it does not make it so. So, like flies circling a steaming hot pile in the thousands, the mistaken belief is that like-minded idiots can make a steaming pile into a meaningful intellectual achievement. Not so. The crisis in western academia is getting worse and mediocrity has set in on every front. Universities are now factories for churning out sausages. Professors are being reduced to factory production line workers. Clowns like Prof Tom Flanagan dabble in politics and being a party bagman, as when he tried to make an offer to Chuck Cadman, besmirching the academy. Now we have students who demand free speech rights for themselves while demanding that professors be silenced by threat of administrations disciplining them! Such impudence and impertinence by these liberal youth! Are there no conservative students left anymore who respect the traditions of the academy and professors? Apparently not!
Posted by: ROGER | 2008-04-13 11:06:41 PM
Yeah, Paige....good write, hmmm...ROGER...good night.
Posted by: prairie dog | 2008-04-13 11:14:10 PM
Alright, I'm just going to clear this up, because ROGER is wasting everyone's time repeating it again and again.
I am NOT a journalism student. I took one journalism class. I didn't miscontstrue anything. I have no idea what that was even in reference to.
I also am confused as to why you think that writing an article about my experience in university is equivalent to expressing disrespect to my professors. I would not be in university if I did not want to learn from my professors. This is all very far away from the point of my article. I didn't "demand that professors be silenced". I simply stated that they shouldn't be discouraging selective viewpoints. This does not make me disrespectful.
Also, you haven't the slightest idea who is paying for my education. Please stop assuming knowledge that you lack and wasting your time attacking me, someone whom you obviously believe to be outrageously inferior to yourself.
You are absolutely asinine, ROGER.
Posted by: Paige | 2008-04-13 11:28:07 PM
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