Have Amercian Colleges Failed US

[knapplc]

My apologies for trying to bring sanity to the board.

 

TG, please keep posting threads about fringe ideas that you don't actually believe, which harbor divisive ideas/ideals, are heavily slanted to the right, have their foundations in email forwards and/or far-right agendas, and which have little or no basis in fact or reality. All in the name of creating "discussion."

[BigRedBuster]

My apologies for trying to bring sanity to the board.

 

TG, please keep posting threads about fringe ideas that you don't actually believe, which harbor divisive ideas/ideals, are heavily slanted to the right, have their foundations in email forwards and/or far-right agendas, and which have little or no basis in fact or reality. All in the name of creating "discussion."

I guess I don't see your point.

 

This is the board for doing such a thing. Then, if the majority of the people on the board don't agree with what is posted, then it can be stated so and it can be shown to be a load of crap.

 

There have constantly been postings from Fox News on here that the poster didn't agree with but it was posted to show what is being said in public and (as that particular poster thought) it showed what a messed up media outlet Fox News is.

Nothing was said about that because trashing Fox News is widely accepted around here.

 

So, if that is acceptable, why isn't posting an email that someone received that they may or may not agree with?

[knapplc]

If you had an employee who was constantly causing dissent, would you let them keep doing so to foster conversation on your work floor? Or would you say something to them, BRB?

 

What if that employee tells you they're just trying to engage people, to learn more? Is there a point where you have to make a judgment call, or do you just believe their story and let them be?

[TGHusker]

My apologies for trying to bring sanity to the board.

 

TG, please keep posting threads about fringe ideas that you don't actually believe, which harbor divisive ideas/ideals, are heavily slanted to the right, have their foundations in email forwards and/or far-right agendas, and which have little or no basis in fact or reality. All in the name of creating "discussion."

Knapp, why all of the harshness? What is so divisive or far right of a post on free speech rights of students, left or right? It seems to me Knapp that your posts are becoming a caricature of what this discussion is all about - (no offense intended). It appears you are trying to 'sanitize' the board wt politically correct (or in your case acceptable) topics by attacking me the poster. Why the harsh tones? It seems by the reviews of the book, Unlearning Liberty by Greg Lukianoff, posted above - that this topic has no small merit and is based in reality and that it is not a left vs right issue.

[TGHusker]

Is "Rand Paul a d-bag" an acceptable topic? It must be. I added posts to it but did not jump on the original poster just because he was attacking someone on the right. I wasn't there to defend RP either. But I could see how many might consider that a very divisive thread. But it appears to be an acceptable topic if you come from the left of center. I didn't see any labels placed on the OP as a shill. Have I called anyone a D-bag? No. I don't use the word 'liberal' in a derogatory way that others use 'tea party'.

[TGHusker]

If you had an employee who was constantly causing dissent, would you let them keep doing so to foster conversation on your work floor? Or would you say something to them, BRB?

 

What if that employee tells you they're just trying to engage people, to learn more? Is there a point where you have to make a judgment call, or do you just believe their story and let them be?

Knapp, we had our PM discussion and you know I've moderated since those earlier OP of mine. You also mentioned a couple of weeks ago that you were going to make an independent out of me yet as I was supporting you and others on some topic - can't remember the thread. We are going to disagree at times but that doesn't mean we can't agree to disagree. If you call causing dissent not pulling the left of center line that so many take on this board, then I would disagree with that characterization. It is called having an independent opinion. I've seen posters with conservative or religious views are often chided/ridiculed directly or indirectly for their views. That shouldn't be happening. People are characterized as tea baggers (the derogatory form) or nutso for believing in 'their invisible friend' or worse. -- taken from the 'If Stephen Fry met God' thread - which I guess isn't divisive or slanted since it agrees with your religious philosophy.

[knapplc]

I still think you're a subversive propagandist. But proceed.

[Creighton Duke]

Well done TG!

 

This is an important topic that deserves more widespread attention. Of course, there are the naysayers who want to think that they money that their parents spent on college tuition or the money that they are spending on their children’s tuition isn’t going to waste, but the truth isn’t so rosy.

 

The real interesting development is that this discussion has taken a turn in a manner that very closely resembles the general atmosphere on American university and college campuses today. While these institutions used to be places of inquiry, shared ideas, and open areas to discuss diverse and enriching topics, now anything that is deemed “offensive” must come packaged with a “trigger-warning”.

 

Hell, why even subject such special snowflakes to the horrors of opinions or ideas that might differ from or even challenge their own world views? Instead, how about we send out some of our best comrades to censor any dissenting opinion or thought that may make anyone have to feel “uncomfortable”. God (ahem, “god” when on campus...duh) forbid that someone present an opposing point that might quash the rosy illusions of grandeur that society, government, popular media, etc. has sold college-goers. Not on college campuses and CERTAINLY NOT on college football message boards!

 

Keep paying that tuition that has so drastically out-paced inflation for that oh-so-valuable liberal arts degree! The service sector needs (minimally) useful idiots to serve lattes!

 

When all else fails, classic shaming techniques are more than adequate, as we’ve seen time and time again…

[Street Novelist]

I still think you're a subversive propagandist. But proceed.

 

So, you're perfectly fine with liberal posters starting a thread called "Rand Paul is a douchebag"? Your bias is really shining through. I thought mods weren't allowed to do this. I thought they weren't supposed to take a side, but be in the middle.

[Moiraine]

Well done TG!

 

This is an important topic that deserves more widespread attention. Of course, there are the naysayers who want to think that they money that their parents spent on college tuition or the money that they are spending on their children’s tuition isn’t going to waste, but the truth isn’t so rosy.

 

I don't think anyone's said that's what they think. I just think the reason has absolutely nothing to do with indoctrination, censorship, lack of free speech, or intolerance.

 

It's to do with the fact that a much higher percentage of the population is going to college than ever before. 3-4 decades ago, only the smartest people went to college. The rest got jobs in things like manufacturing. It's also to due with the U.S. being a country that believes in inclusion. We try to make sure everyone can go to college if they want to. We don't have rigorous testing like, say, China.

 

The reason I called the post a bunch of sh*t is because... it's a meandering bunch of sh#t about free speech, followed by a bunch of gloomy stats, with nothing connecting the two except a strategically placed "meanwhile." I know those stats are real but there are a million and one causes more likely than the ones mentioned in this thread. Correlation does not imply causation. On top of that I'm not sure there actually IS any correlation here. Obviously my evidence is anecdotal but I have yet to see a single incident in one of my classes of quashing dissenting voices or telling someone their opinion isn't valid. I don't know where you guys are coming up with this stuff.

[Moiraine]

 

I still think you're a subversive propagandist. But proceed.

 

So, you're perfectly fine with liberal posters starting a thread called "Rand Paul is a douchebag"? Your bias is really shining through. I thought mods weren't allowed to do this. I thought they weren't supposed to take a side, but be in the middle.

 

 

Huh? knapp didn't agree to be an independent when he agreed to be a mod. He can take whatever damn side he wants and not be "fine with" a topic as long as he's not editing/deleting it just because he doesn't agree with it. Complain when this topic gets deleted and none of the liberal ones do.

 

And there's nothing wrong with that OP other than the word "douchebag."

[knapplc]

I knew I should have used my carlfense account to out TGHusker as a propagandist. I haven't logged in to that account for a long time...

[HuskerNBigD]

 

I still think you're a subversive propagandist. But proceed.

 

So, you're perfectly fine with liberal posters starting a thread called "Rand Paul is a douchebag"? Your bias is really shining through. I thought mods weren't allowed to do this. I thought they weren't supposed to take a side, but be in the middle.

It's been obvious for a while how the political forum on this board has been leaning. Any sort of right wing "propaganda" topic started has been attacked from the onset and criticized as far fetched (granted some topics would've been better off if they weren't started). Hell a lot of the comments could even be considered personal attacks, but that's how political forums are. When you have individuals with differing opinions, and are pretty firm in their beliefs - you're going to get hostility. You're never going to have a site where everyone agrees and I'll say that it does keep things interesting and I've actually learned some insight about differing views.

 

Sometimes it's best just to let people get their opinions out and not take anything too personal, again going back to the hostility and how politics seems to bring out the worst in people. I also think that a forum is tough to discuss the politics because a lot

of things can be lost in translation. It's very easy to read a post, with a differing view, in a more defensive or hostile manner than what the original poster was trying to portray.

[knapplc]

I don't think TGHusker is hostile.

 

And I haven't deleted, closed, locked or removed any posts or threads here. So everyone flipping their lid over how this board should be modded, chill. I think I know what I'm doing.

[HuskerNBigD]

I don't think TGHusker is hostile.And I haven't deleted, closed, locked or removed any posts or threads here. So everyone flipping their lid over how this board should be modded, chill. I think I know what I'm doing.

I wasn't making a direct reference to him, speaking more in terms of the political forum as a whole. Not sure if this last post was directed to my comment, or not - just wanted to provide some clarification.