Congeries of cross connected concepts
The support among American academics for socialism and brutal totalitarian regimes is ever fascinating. A common view is that these people simply don’t understand the realities of such regimes through naivite, ignorance, or self-delusion. However, when I read things like this (via Big Arm Woman) and think of the many other similar tales of modern academia, I begin to wonder. Perhaps those academics are aware of what a totalitarian system does and actually like it. Many of them, particularly in social or angry studies, seem to arrange their own environments to be as much like a totalitarian state as possible.
| Tom C., Stamford,Ct Wednesday, 30 May 2007 at 16:42 |  |
AOG- Absolutely! They honestly believe they have qualities of disinterested wisdom and would make good,enlightened tyrants.The habit of condescension mixed with noblesse oblige are the dead giveaways. They don’t call it the ivory tower without reason.
| Annoying Old Guy Wednesday, 30 May 2007 at 18:32 | |
Yes, but the new thought that occurred to me is that these academics impose this kind of regime on themselves. Entire departments get locked in to a very specific ideology and set of mental postures voluntarily, as far as I can tell.
| pj Wednesday, 30 May 2007 at 19:40 | |
It’s not an ideology, but a spirituality. It’s hatred and misery and narcissism and lust for revenge for imagined slights. It has nothing to do with ideas.
| Tom C., Stamford,Ct Wednesday, 30 May 2007 at 20:27 | |
Do they really impose anything on themselves other than an attitude of the self-righteous smugbugger ruling over a small group of generally muddle-headed adolescents/young adults who actually buy into the half-baked? If only I had real power! As far as departments go, peer pressure works wonders on the arrested development types. Good, old-fashioned group-think, but with a vengeance.
