Columbia University hires former Weather Undergound convict

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Paslode

If I am paying my young adults education I would not pay for a class taught by a terrorist and if I we were in the process looking for schools to attend come Fall I would cross Columbia off the list.


I do work for a History Professor from time to time that comes from a well known establishment. He is a likeable chap, who among other things mocks Capitalism, his basement is a treasure trove of Communist/Marxists/Socialist literature, he praises Che and Mao, and he lives for the day Dick Cheney bites it.

He also hates Christianity, and enjoys turning his classes on the openly Christian students in the class and rejoices when said students are brought to tears.

The kids love him too and he gets high marks on Rate My Professor! And someone like Yoshioka thinks he is suitable in a classroom as well.

Hunh.

You're implying we should not allow our adult children exposure to anything beyond that of which we personally approve, we should not allow them to determine for themselves what to accept or reject when confronted with someone like the professor you describe (if the description is accurate) or Professor Boudin, we should not allow them to learn how to defend a position or personally held belief when confronted with a strong counter-argument, we should not allow them to be taught by someone who we don’t personally approve of for fear they might get the “wrong” idea(s), we should not trust them to experience life in its many forms and grow to be productively free-thinking adults in a society such as ours which demands such of its citizenry, we should not allow them to attend an internationally recognized university because there may be a professor somewhere on the faculty who might encourage them to accept ideas we find disagreeable and don't trust them to choose courses from other professors, and so forth.

I know you will find this shocking, but I disagree…and strongly suspect my sons would, too, but, as adults, it would be their choice to accept or reject such thinking, either ‘in toto’ or in part.

One of the best professors I had was a rabbi who taught a course on the History of the Zionist Movement at Indiana University. He was a strong admirer of and advocate for socialism as practiced in Sweden, and found fault with many of America’s social institutions and laws. He and I disagreed on many things, but he was an excellent and demanding teacher, and the class remains one of the 10 best I had during my college experiences over several decades.

Personally, I would be curious to hear what Professor Boudin has to say about the NY prison and parole systems and their impact on families as an SME based upon her years of study and experience both in and outside the prison system. I would also like to spend a semester with Noam Chomsky (MIT), Stan McChrystal (Yale), and Angela Davis (UC Santa Cruz) to hear their thinking as SMEs in their recognized areas of expertise.

However, YMMV – and so it goes…

Richard :munchin

[SF-TX]

For those that seem to be indifferent, I wonder if the name were changed to traitorous whore J*** F**** would you still feel the same?

About 70 members of a women's militia marched into Grant Park; Kathy Boudin, her hair cropped and face pressed into an expression worthy of Joan of Arc, carried the Viet Cong flag on a heavy pole.

Source:

The Gory Details About Terrorist Teacher Kathy Boudin

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Richard

One of the best professors I had was a rabbi who taught a course on the History of the Zionist Movement at Indiana University. He was a strong admirer of and advocate for socialism as practiced in Sweden, and found fault with many of America’s social institutions and laws. He and I disagreed on many things, but he was an excellent and demanding teacher, and the class remains one of the 10 best I had during my college experiences over several decades.


Richard :munchin

Well, knock me over with a feather.

How would you feel if your sons came back from school enamored of she who will not be named due to the enlightened instruction they received? That's typical of what's happening.

[sinjefe]

Originally Posted by Richard

Hunh.

You're implying we should not allow our adult children exposure to anything beyond that of which we personally approve, we should not allow them to determine for themselves what to accept or reject when confronted with someone like the professor you describe (if the description is accurate) or Professor Boudin, we should not allow them to learn how to defend a position or personally held belief when confronted with a strong counter-argument, we should not allow them to be taught by someone who we don’t personally approve of for fear they might get the “wrong” idea(s), we should not trust them to experience life in its many forms and grow to be productively free-thinking adults in a society such as ours which demands such of its citizenry, we should not allow them to attend an internationally recognized university because there may be a professor somewhere on the faculty who might encourage them to accept ideas we find disagreeable and don't trust them to choose courses from other professors, and so forth.

I know you will find this shocking, but I disagree…and strongly suspect my sons would, too, but, as adults, it would be their choice to accept or reject such thinking, either ‘in toto’ or in part.

One of the best professors I had was a rabbi who taught a course on the History of the Zionist Movement at Indiana University. He was a strong admirer of and advocate for socialism as practiced in Sweden, and found fault with many of America’s social institutions and laws. He and I disagreed on many things, but he was an excellent and demanding teacher, and the class remains one of the 10 best I had during my college experiences over several decades.

Personally, I would be curious to hear what Professor Boudin has to say about the NY prison and parole systems and their impact on families as an SME based upon her years of study and experience both in and outside the prison system. I would also like to spend a semester with Noam Chomsky (MIT), Stan McChrystal (Yale), and Angela Davis (UC Santa Cruz) to hear their thinking as SMEs in their recognized areas of expertise.

However, YMMV – and so it goes…

Richard :munchin

Richard,

I respect your point of view and might agree if I thought that people like Boudin would be openminded. I don't believe they are. Unfortunately, I think that many professors don't even try and teach, but try and indoctrinate. 18-21 year old kids are just that.....kids. They are still impressionable. A 21 year old mind isn't developed enough to be very good at critical thinking. Plus, universities don't seem to be very free places anyway. Take the Florida University professor who had his students write "Jesus" on a piece of paper and then stomp on it. Only one student refused and he was, initially, punished for not doing it. Only when they were dinged in the press did they change their minds. I am not even religious and that offends me . I think it naive to believe that somehow your kid (or mine) can stand up to the kind of progressive dogma that these institutions mostly push, IMHO.

[Richard]

I understand what everybody's saying here, but I have found this idea to pretty much hold true in America.

"Not to be a socialist at twenty is proof of want of heart;
to be one at thirty is proof of want of head."

- Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929)

To that end, I have developed a great deal of faith and patience in our society's many generational foibles.

And so it goes...

Richard

[ironyoshi]

The notion of academic freedom tends to foster the advancement of scholars expressing controversial opinions. Controversy creates attention, and with sufficient cleverness, one can create a certain air of mystique around his or her views - whereas the same views, baldly expressed, would be repellant. For example, this is part of the reason Noam Chomsky still has a job despite his statements regarding 9-11.

In recent years, a biologist at Cornell expressed the idea that we should introduce elephants and lions to the Midwest on the grounds that they are descendants of animals that once inhabited that region (mammoths and saber-tooths). Nobody has a problem calling that idea what it is. But when it comes to things like the composition of rap in place of conventional dissertation (Cornel West), or the expression of American race relations in a parable of racist white aliens (one of Obama's Harvard instructors), or the idea that all women should be forced to work outside the home (Sontag), a lot of people are going to clam up. Of course, these are in soft science or nonscience professions, where the factor of human interaction makes things messy, but all too often that factor is used as a cover for absolute garbage. At some point, even the most whackjob ideas become acceptable in scholarly discourse because they have no way of being means-tested.

Another problem with this state of affairs is that a professor is supposed to be accorded some higher respect in society. This is already at odds with Kathy Boudin, who as far as I can tell is an unrepentant murderer, or Bill Ayers, who prefers to dance around his history. Furthermore, it gives the professor a bully pulpit to persecute students who hold contrary views. (After all, there is the familiar sentiment that 19-year olds should just shut up and listen to their elders.) Finally, even if the students recognize the professor's views for what they are, they are still forced to publicly maintain a sham by dint of the position of the professor. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's rain.

There is always the argument that such abject contrarians are needed because students need to be exposed to other points of view. Well, a decent instructor will be able to do just that without actually adopting those views as his own.

[ironyoshi]

To wit, some have suggested that Columbia hire Mexican cartel members as faculty. After all, they have a valuable perspective to contribute as SMEs in the complex issue of American imperialist ideology, American and international prisons, institutional and individual racism and the attendant race relations, etc...

Well, the only things stopping a university from hiring them or some gangbanger are 1) a decent command of the English language and 2) family connections.

Originally Posted by ironyoshi

To wit, some have suggested that Columbia hire Mexican cartel members as faculty. After all, they have a valuable perspective to contribute as SMEs in the complex issue of American imperialist ideology, American and international prisons, institutional and individual racism and the attendant race relations, etc...

Well, the only things stopping a university from hiring them or some gangbanger are 1) a decent command of the English language and 2) family connections.

Doctoral degrees (the lack of) would be the first and foremost brick wall they would face.

The notion of academic freedom tends to foster the advancement of scholars expressing controversial opinions.

What controversial opinions has Boudin been expressing in he social work courses?

Originally Posted by ironyoshi

The notion of academic freedom tends to foster the advancement of scholars expressing controversial opinions. Controversy creates attention, and with sufficient cleverness, one can create a certain air of mystique around his or her views - whereas the same views, baldly expressed, would be repellant. For example, this is part of the reason Noam Chomsky still has a job despite his statements regarding 9-11.

In recent years, a biologist at Cornell expressed the idea that we should introduce elephants and lions to the Midwest on the grounds that they are descendants of animals that once inhabited that region (mammoths and saber-tooths). Nobody has a problem calling that idea what it is. But when it comes to things like the composition of rap in place of conventional dissertation (Cornel West), or the expression of American race relations in a parable of racist white aliens (one of Obama's Harvard instructors), or the idea that all women should be forced to work outside the home (Sontag), a lot of people are going to clam up. Of course, these are in soft science or nonscience professions, where the factor of human interaction makes things messy, but all too often that factor is used as a cover for absolute garbage. At some point, even the most whackjob ideas become acceptable in scholarly discourse because they have no way of being means-tested.

Another problem with this state of affairs is that a professor is supposed to be accorded some higher respect in society. This is already at odds with Kathy Boudin, who as far as I can tell is an unrepentant murderer, or Bill Ayers, who prefers to dance around his history. Furthermore, it gives the professor a bully pulpit to persecute students who hold contrary views. (After all, there is the familiar sentiment that 19-year olds should just shut up and listen to their elders.) Finally, even if the students recognize the professor's views for what they are, they are still forced to publicly maintain a sham by dint of the position of the professor. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's rain.

There is always the argument that such abject contrarians are needed because students need to be exposed to other points of view. Well, a decent instructor will be able to do just that without actually adopting those views as his own.

Do you know where Boudin was at the time the murders took place? Was she armed?

"I am responsible for a terrible and misguided act. I carry my responsibility as a heavy rock. In prison, I have tried to live day by day in a way that could express the real value of human life. I know I can't restore what I helped to damage and destroy. Over the last two decades, I have tried to give life." Kathy Boudin

Kathy Boudin isn't teaching political science. Do you even know what courses she teaches at Columbia and NYU?

I'm not making excuses for her actions, however IMO she has probably contributed more to society in the last 10 years than most people do in a lifetime.

Like Richard, I wouldn't have any qualms about her teaching (Social Work) to the college age people in my family.

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by Richard

Hunh.

You're implying we should not allow our adult children exposure to anything beyond that of which we personally approve, we should not allow them to determine for themselves what to accept or reject when confronted with someone like the professor you describe (if the description is accurate) or Professor Boudin, we should not allow them to learn how to defend a position or personally held belief when confronted with a strong counter-argument, we should not allow them to be taught by someone who we don’t personally approve of for fear they might get the “wrong” idea(s), we should not trust them to experience life in its many forms and grow to be productively free-thinking adults in a society such as ours which demands such of its citizenry, we should not allow them to attend an internationally recognized university because there may be a professor somewhere on the faculty who might encourage them to accept ideas we find disagreeable and don't trust them to choose courses from other professors, and so forth.

I know you will find this shocking, but I disagree…and strongly suspect my sons would, too, but, as adults, it would be their choice to accept or reject such thinking, either ‘in toto’ or in part.

One of the best professors I had was a rabbi who taught a course on the History of the Zionist Movement at Indiana University. He was a strong admirer of and advocate for socialism as practiced in Sweden, and found fault with many of America’s social institutions and laws. He and I disagreed on many things, but he was an excellent and demanding teacher, and the class remains one of the 10 best I had during my college experiences over several decades.

Personally, I would be curious to hear what Professor Boudin has to say about the NY prison and parole systems and their impact on families as an SME based upon her years of study and experience both in and outside the prison system. I would also like to spend a semester with Noam Chomsky (MIT), Stan McChrystal (Yale), and Angela Davis (UC Santa Cruz) to hear their thinking as SMEs in their recognized areas of expertise.

However, YMMV – and so it goes…

Richard :munchin

What I am implying is I would not pay for it and I would be pissed if the Institution of Higher Learning failed to disclose my young adult would be in class with Convicted Felon and Terrorist. If my young adult wishes to spend classroom time with (in this case) a terrorist so be it, but it will be on their own dime.

If Columbia put Fred Phelps, Byron De La Beckwith or John Wayne Gacy on the staff as janitor's, let alone a Adjunct Professor's heads would be rolling.

As I see it, evil is evil and should not be given a chance to influence minds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=yaWqQIR7aRw

[Oldrotorhead]

Originally Posted by ironyoshi

To wit, some have suggested that Columbia hire Mexican cartel members as faculty. After all, they have a valuable perspective to contribute as SMEs in the complex issue of American imperialist ideology, American and international prisons, institutional and individual racism and the attendant race relations, etc...

Well, the only things stopping a university from hiring them or some gangbanger are 1) a decent command of the English language and 2) family connections.

Why not a cartel member might be a step up from this guy.

The short story is that his was having sex with his adult female child. He IS on adm leave.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/columbia-professor-charged-incest-accused-bedding-young-relative-3-years-article-1.472204

Originally Posted by Paslode

What I am implying is I would not pay for it and I would be pissed if the Institution of Higher Learning failed to disclose my young adult would be in class with Convicted Felon and Terrorist. If my young adult wishes to spend classroom time with (in this case) a terrorist so be it, but it will be on their own dime.

If Columbia put Fred Phelps, Byron De La Beckwith or John Wayne Gacy on the staff as janitor's, let alone a Adjunct Professor's heads would be rolling.

As I see it, evil is evil and should not be given a chance to influence minds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=yaWqQIR7aRw

Would you pay if your young adult was spending their time in class with gay and lesbian (Married or Single) professors?

Originally Posted by Oldrotorhead

Why not a cartel member might be a step up from this guy.

The short story is that his was having sex with his adult female child. He IS on adm leave.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...ticle-1.472204

Probably wouldn't be in the news if he was in Alabama!!!

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Paslode

What I am implying is...]

I see.

Richard

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by sinjefe

....Plus, universities don't seem to be very free places anyway. Take the Florida University professor who had his students write "Jesus" on a piece of paper and then stomp on it. Only one student refused and he was, initially, punished for not doing it. Only when they were dinged in the press did they change their minds. I am not even religious and that offends me . I think it naive to believe that somehow your kid (or mine) can stand up to the kind of progressive dogma that these institutions mostly push, IMHO.

Would we be equally okay if the word Mohammed were used for this exercise instead? If not, why?

Do you think a professor has the academic integrity and courage to try that stunt?

TR