Comments on: Man Bites Dog at the MLA http://poligazette.com/2007/12/31/man-bites-dog-at-the-mla/ Politics and world events from a moderately liberal and conservative perspective Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:55:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Jason Steck http://poligazette.com/2007/12/31/man-bites-dog-at-the-mla/#comment-14473 Jason Steck Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:00:46 +0000 http://poligazette.com/2007/12/31/man-bites-dog-at-the-mla/#comment-14473 Well, when they call themselves the "radical caucus", I think that makes it pretty justified too. Also, disagreeing with the Iraq war doesn't do it.  Situating that disagreement in a broader rhetorical context of reflexive neo-Marxism, anti-Americanism, and/or BDS does. Well, when they call themselves the "radical caucus", I think that makes it pretty justified too.

Also, disagreeing with the Iraq war doesn’t do it.  Situating that disagreement in a broader rhetorical context of reflexive neo-Marxism, anti-Americanism, and/or BDS does.

]]> By: Tully http://poligazette.com/2007/12/31/man-bites-dog-at-the-mla/#comment-14463 Tully Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:07:39 +0000 http://poligazette.com/2007/12/31/man-bites-dog-at-the-mla/#comment-14463 <em>What does it take to get labelled a "radical leftist" by this blog? </em> For the most part being or sounding like a radical leftist will do it. What does it take to get labelled a "radical leftist" by this blog?

For the most part being or sounding like a radical leftist will do it.

]]> By: C http://poligazette.com/2007/12/31/man-bites-dog-at-the-mla/#comment-14460 C Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:57:52 +0000 http://poligazette.com/2007/12/31/man-bites-dog-at-the-mla/#comment-14460 What does it take to get labelled a "radical leftist" by this blog? Suggesting the war in Iraq was a mistake or motivated by something other than the desire to "free the Iraqi people"? The MLA membership considers resolutions that relate to the profession and/or language usage -- of course it seems "ideologically isolated" and "self-absorbed" for those outside the discipline, much like proceedings of the physicists' or historians' professional organizations would be to me. It doesn't take a genius to know that Churchill was investigated not for allegations of old academic misconduct, but rather for the furor that erupted after his "little Eichmanns" comment. While it would be nice to ascribe institutional power to the Radical Caucus of the MLA, the fact remains (for anyone slightly familiar to the organization) that the Radical Caucus is a marginalized group whose resolutions rarely are passed as written (they are, incidentally, one of the few groups that actually brings resolutions to the delegate assembly).   Interesting enough, FIRE and its allies (Horowitz for example) never can find any actual examples of "homogenous ideology" on campuses, but that doesn't seem to stop the hysterical references to "mobs" of thought-police...and that in itself may be the failure of higher education. What does it take to get labelled a "radical leftist" by this blog? Suggesting the war in Iraq was a mistake or motivated by something other than the desire to "free the Iraqi people"? The MLA membership considers resolutions that relate to the profession and/or language usage — of course it seems "ideologically isolated" and "self-absorbed" for those outside the discipline, much like proceedings of the physicists’ or historians’ professional organizations would be to me. It doesn’t take a genius to know that Churchill was investigated not for allegations of old academic misconduct, but rather for the furor that erupted after his "little Eichmanns" comment. While it would be nice to ascribe institutional power to the Radical Caucus of the MLA, the fact remains (for anyone slightly familiar to the organization) that the Radical Caucus is a marginalized group whose resolutions rarely are passed as written (they are, incidentally, one of the few groups that actually brings resolutions to the delegate assembly).
 
Interesting enough, FIRE and its allies (Horowitz for example) never can find any actual examples of "homogenous ideology" on campuses, but that doesn’t seem to stop the hysterical references to "mobs" of thought-police…and that in itself may be the failure of higher education.

]]> By: Orson Buggeigh http://poligazette.com/2007/12/31/man-bites-dog-at-the-mla/#comment-14100 Orson Buggeigh Tue, 01 Jan 2008 02:36:44 +0000 http://poligazette.com/2007/12/31/man-bites-dog-at-the-mla/#comment-14100 One has to wonder how much of the move to moderation is maturation by members of the MLA, and how much is recognition that the radically activist faculty are losing the support of the public.  Note that the moderating language is from someone who has decent left of center bona fides.  This may be a hopeful sign, but I would not bet the farm on it.  However, note that there may be another shoe to drop in the coming year.  Three of the un-indicted Duke lacrosse players have filed suit, naming some of the Duke administration as well as the members of the law enforcement community that led the prosecutions.  The discovery process might make public much of the dirt about the behavior of the radicals on the faculty and administration that Duke sought to sweep under th carpet by paying off the the three falsely indicted players.  That could bring some much needed sunshine on the state of the radicalsamong the faculty, and get the public's attention.  As for Ward Churchill, the MLA would have been better served to scuttle the whole resolution.  People from various backgrounds, including several reputable scholars who specialize in American Indian - White relations have utterly discredited Churchill's work.  The reality is that is seems very probable that he was hired for purely political reasons - because he was a radical - and not on the basis of either his academic credentials, or his scholarship.  The torrent of writings Churchill has released since his hiring has done nothing to discredit the supposition that he is an academic failure.  On the contrary, it has completely convicted him of academic failure.  There is no credible reason any academic with scholarly integrity to regret his firing.  Churchill should never have been hired in the first place.  His firing was predicated on academic misconduct which had been noticed several years before his repulsive but constitutionally protected "Little Eichmanns" essay.  That fact seems to be ignored by the MLA's radicals.  Orson Buggeigh One has to wonder how much of the move to moderation is maturation by members of the MLA, and how much is recognition that the radically activist faculty are losing the support of the public.  Note that the moderating language is from someone who has decent left of center bona fides.  This may be a hopeful sign, but I would not bet the farm on it. 

However, note that there may be another shoe to drop in the coming year.  Three of the un-indicted Duke lacrosse players have filed suit, naming some of the Duke administration as well as the members of the law enforcement community that led the prosecutions.  The discovery process might make public much of the dirt about the behavior of the radicals on the faculty and administration that Duke sought to sweep under th carpet by paying off the the three falsely indicted players.  That could bring some much needed sunshine on the state of the radicalsamong the faculty, and get the public’s attention. 

As for Ward Churchill, the MLA would have been better served to scuttle the whole resolution.  People from various backgrounds, including several reputable scholars who specialize in American Indian - White relations have utterly discredited Churchill’s work.  The reality is that is seems very probable that he was hired for purely political reasons - because he was a radical - and not on the basis of either his academic credentials, or his scholarship.  The torrent of writings Churchill has released since his hiring has done nothing to discredit the supposition that he is an academic failure.  On the contrary, it has completely convicted him of academic failure.  There is no credible reason any academic with scholarly integrity to regret his firing.  Churchill should never have been hired in the first place.  His firing was predicated on academic misconduct which had been noticed several years before his repulsive but constitutionally protected "Little Eichmanns" essay.  That fact seems to be ignored by the MLA’s radicals. 
Orson Buggeigh

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