re: Is academia biased?

Quoting Back to Noob Status:" But liberals are a diverse group of people, far more diverse than the Republican part. "

I see value in diversity as does the R party. The "who has more color and diversity" is silliness at its finest.

Quoting SpaceCowgirl:" You know I love you  There are very intelligent people who do not have a wall covered in credentials and there are also very stupid people with degrees and post grad degrees."

Love ya too!! I really don't take offense to it. Ya I know some who are very smart but no common sense at all

Quoting TheNuge:" I see value in diversity as does the R party. The "who has more color and diversity" is silliness at its finest."

I wasn't talking about ethnic diversity, but okay.  

Quoting Back to Noob Status:" I wasn't talking about ethnic diversity, but okay.  "

all kinds of diversity.

Quoting TheNuge:" In case you had any doubts: http://www.campusreform.org/blog/?ID=4511 96% of political donations went to Obama. Our youth is being brainwashed."

I don't see why this is news. Of course academia generally leans away from the ultra conservatives. They always have, and always will.

Quoting Leisurely Duchess:" I don't see why this is news. Of course academia generally leans away from the ultra conservatives. They always have, and always will."

Lots of people lean away from the ultra-anythings. 96% speaks loudly about the lack of diversity of opinion in higher education.

Don't forget that most people still see only a two-party system. They looked at the GOP this election and saw this gross caricature of conservatism that scared off even a lot of the more reasonable conservatives. I'm fairly moderate and so have a little better view of what's going on to either side of me. I told every one who bitched about this election that Obama was going to win for that reason alone; because the GOP screwed up by backing these smurfing idiotic cryptotheocratic professional liars over more rational conservatives like Gary Johnson, and I knew that I did not have to vote at all to help ensure that Romney & Co didn't get into office.


Then there's this ...

Quoting TheNuge:" Lots of people lean away from the ultra-anythings. 96% speaks loudly about the lack of diversity of opinion in higher education."

This only thing it speaks to is the correlation between higher education and "liberalism". Similar to the correlation between the scientific elite [in both the US and the UK] being dominated by non-theists. It's just the way it is. These things tend to go together.

Diversity of opinion isn't necessarily virtuous for the sake of its own existence.

Mr. Gross said that “professors and a number of other fields are politically typed.” Journalism, art, fashion, social work and therapy are dominated by liberals; while law enforcement, farming, dentistry, medicine and the military attract more conservatives.

“These types of occupational reputations affect people’s career aspirations,” he added in a telephone interview from his office at the University of British Columbia. Mr. Fosse, his co-author, is a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard.

The academic profession “has acquired such a strong reputation for liberalism and secularism that over the last 35 years few politically or religiously conservative students, but many liberal and secular ones, have formed the aspiration to become professors,” they write in the paper, “Why Are Professors Liberal?” That is especially true of their own field, sociology, which has become associated with “the study of race, class and gender inequality — a set of concerns especially important to liberals.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/arts/18liberal.html

Quoting SpaceCowgirl:" Mr. Gross said that “professors and a number of other fields are politically typed.” Journalism, art, ... [snip!] ... gender inequality — a set of concerns especially important to liberals.” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/arts/18liberal.html"

Yes it's true that after generations, it was well noted that higher education correlates more strongly with leanings away from social conservatism, whether it's toward the middle or over to the left, relative to the time. More recently, it's simply become a truism, and then a stereotype, that can discourage conservatives from entering academia or speaking up in academia.

But never forget the reason the reputation for liberalism arose in the first place, it's founded in truth.

Quoting Leisurely Duchess:" This only thing it speaks to is the correlation between higher education and "liberalism". Similar to ... [snip!] ... it is. These things tend to go together. Diversity of opinion isn't necessarily virtuous for the sake of its own existence."

I'm exhausted and i just lost the lengthy post that i typed in response :-/
I dont have the energy for the "who is smarter" debate. All i will say about that topic is that i dont think i can be convinced that those who stay or return to campus are smarter than those who roll up their sleeves and become successful off-campus.

I think our daughters (and society in general), would be better served if their colleges had a solid, significant diversity of thought (i.e. not just token conservatives) so that when they took their business/economics classes they would have a good chance of having instructors that were huge fans of John Keynes and instructors that were huge fans of Milton Friedman.
That is just one example. I want my daughter to be exposed to good role models that represent something closer to the real world and i expect intellectual honesty in higher education. Furthermore, and yet another topic for D & D, i dont think state schools should be churning out young aadults that are clueless about the merits of "the opposing view/theory/etc." I have an Orwellian image of what those kids look like in my head right now.
I hope the above makes some sense as I'm wiped-out.

Quoting Leisurely Duchess:" Yes it's true that after generations, it was well noted that higher education correlates more strongly ... [snip!] ... up in academia. But never forget the reason the reputation for liberalism arose in the first place, it's founded in truth."

lol. "founded in truth."
Anyway, which kind of liberalism? It's changed quite a bit since our founding.

Quoting TheNuge:" I'm exhausted and i just lost the lengthy post that i typed in response :-/ I dont have the energy ... [snip!] ... have an Orwellian image of what those kids look like in my head right now. I hope the above makes some sense as I'm wiped-out."

There are also a lot less women in university teaching positions - I wonder if that means women aren't as smart.

I do think it's funny that liberals flock to a position where they can earn "tenure" and not have to worry about doing a good job, but just worry about showing up for the job.

Quoting TheNuge:" I'm exhausted and i just lost the lengthy post that i typed in response :-/ I dont have the energy ... [snip!] ... have an Orwellian image of what those kids look like in my head right now. I hope the above makes some sense as I'm wiped-out."

I'm not making a who-is-smarter argument. It's no state secret that universities are hunting grounds for Wall Street, and that corporations having been enticing exceptional students from other career paths [such as teaching or the sciences] to work for banks, stock companies, etc

Then there is the fact that our teachers and professors [unless they are tenure at the wealthier universities] are largely underpaid and have been neglected for several decades, in this climate it takes a special kind of person to want to walk that career path.

I'm never impressed to see conservatives invoking Orwell because studies have shown that conservatives tend have more fear in general, have more activity in the fear center of the brain. This also correlates with xenophobia, fear of out-groups that kind of stuff. It also correlates with greater need to promote things like the military and police. Conservatives thus respond more strongly to propaganda that promotes fear.

Quoting Leisurely Duchess:" Don't forget that most people still see only a two-party system. They looked at the GOP this election ... [snip!] ... I knew that I did not have to vote at all to help ensure that Romney & Co didn't get into office. Then there's this ... "

i just read your post with the Goldwater quote. I certainly see his point. Given our system and the need for alliances coupled with the overwhelming liberal alliances with the media, academia, hollywood/pop culture, sometimes i understand needing to "hold your nose" and jump.