Does the structure of modern academia encourage woke leftism? - Or, the tenure-troonure pipeline

[Milkis]

I'm not talking about academia being full of leftists. Yes, the American system is full of them now, but - my question is whether the fundamental structure of doctorates, tenure, grants, and publish-or-perish actually can induce leftism even without intervention.

At the ground level, modern academia is a funamentally stressful endeavour. Ask any graduate student you see. There is immense pressure to find a good advisor, get a good topic, do novel research, do any research at all, obtain grants, get published, and finally, secure a research position. The end goal and holy grail is tenure. But there are so few tenured positions in the US and Canada, far fewer than the number of graduate students, postgrads, and associate lecturers. And they all know it.

So this is the primary cause of a sort of all-penetrating anxiety among graduate students. Getting a doctorate is a long, expensive endeavour, a vast investment of your life and money, and at the other end you have a slim and somewhat random chance of succeeding (by obtaining tenure). The other option, due to the well-known publish or perish problem, is to flunk out, having wasted your adolescence and saddled yourself with debt.

What does this have to do with leftism? Well, Kaczynski writes in Industrial Society and its Future of progressive leftism being a mental phenomenon, whose root cause is oversocialization. This he describes as:

Oversocialization can lead to low self-esteem, a sense of powerlessness, defeatism, guilt, etc. One of the most important means by which our society socializes children is by making them feel ashamed of behavior or speech that is contrary to society's expectations. If this is overdone, or if a particular child is especially susceptible to such feelings, he ends by feeling ashamed of HIMSELF. Moreover the thought and the behavior of the oversocialized person are more restricted by society's expectations than are those of the lightly socialized person.

An overabundance of shame, a constant, penetrating anxiety that you will not live up to society's expectations - this is precisely the neurosis which we find induced among many graduate students. Except in this case the students are probably not all prone to neurosis; rather, society's expectations for them as aspiring academics are abnormally high.

Most anyone would crack under such conditions. Does the crack which develops line up with Kaczynski's theories of oversocialization? And does this provide another explanation for the vigour of woke leftism in North American academia?

 

[The Pink Panther]

>the Unabomber

And......OP is a faggot.

 

[Lemmingwise]

Then tenure troonure pipeline...

...why exactly would the structure induce leftism? You describe a highly competitive field that has a strong hierarchy as result of limited top level positions. I think one could argue as easily that it induces a right wing worldview.

 

[Kosher Dill]

Leftism in academia long predates the current factory-farm system. There was no cutthroat publish-or-perish grind back when academics lined up with the inspirational new Soviet phenomenon in the early 20th century, for example.

 

[Milkis]

Then tenure troonure pipeline...

...why exactly would the structure induce leftism? You describe a highly competitive field that has a strong hierarchy as result of limited top level positions. I think one could argue as easily that it induces a right wing worldview.

I think the point is that there is no hierarchy. When I think of a hierarchy, there's a space for everyone at different levels of the hierarchy. A count is, for instance, not attempting to become a king and his family will not consider him a failure if so. The army is not composed of generals and those who must become generals or resign (well... except in the USAF). We do not think less of MAJ Winters for never rising above regimental level. In contrast, there are only tenured positions, and transitional positions to tenure where the pressure is on you. Nobody is going to be happy just being an associate lecturer all their career, and, well, they can't; if they don't reach tenure within a certain time they're out of a job altogether.

 

[Chris_Stuckmann]

The KGB infiltrated western academia during the Cold War with the intention of demoralizing the western youth and encouraging insurrection. After the fall of the USSR, modern corporations (influenced by China and incentivized by profit) continued the demoralization process because opening America up to massive influxes of immigrants is good for their profit margins, as is a closer relationship with China.

 

[ConfederateIrishman]

Then tenure troonure pipeline...

...why exactly would the structure induce leftism? You describe a highly competitive field that has a strong hierarchy as result of limited top level positions. I think one could argue as easily that it induces a right wing worldview.

Probably the biggest irony I saw in academia: Yes, that competitive field with a hierarchy exists -- but only center to far left views are accepted; Now, It is not that you couldn't say anything center-right or farther right, you could, it is just that you're going to find yourself socially ostracized very quickly, and in such a competitive field it immediately becomes obvious to just lie to get ahead ("why yes professor, I think Classics are inherently white supremacist -- so did I get an A on my paper? I need to get my GPA up").

The other funny thing I noticed is the millennials/gen x and younger seemed to be conscious about this, and were fine with it -- while Boomers and older seemed confused why Students would never ask questions in class anymore and even why it would take 30 slow seconds for a single person to answer a loaded question they were asking.

Edit: I will also make the note that Center-Right views were accepted in the Economics department, but even then the views were mild at best and they were full free markets -- The other departments disliked them at best as well.

 

[Dr. Henry Armitage]

I think it's less about over socialization and more of a woke feedback loop. You've got a lot of people vying for a few positions where most everyone is liberal. Being woke scores you social credibility. so if you're not seen as woke you have a smaller chance of making friends who can help you land a job so you get woke. But someone else is more woke than you so you get more woke than them to make yourself look better. Now they have to one up you so on and so on. Eventually you get to the point where its bigoted to tell a forty year old man in a dress he cant help little girls change their tampons or host a nude child swimming event where parents aren't allowed. Over socialization is less of a cause and more of a symptom of the problem.

Now, It is not that you couldn't say anything center-right or farther right, you could, it is just that you're going to find yourself socially ostracized very quickly, and in such a competitive field it immediately becomes obvious to just lie to get ahead ("why yes professor, I think Classics are inherently white supremacist -- so did I get an A on my paper? I need to get my GPA up").

Unfortunately I didn't learn this in college until it was to late. Had an English professor who hated my guts because I dared to question the Kony 2012 video. We had to write a paper either for or against something and the class would argue to opposite. I argued the Kony 2012 video was misleading and oversimplified the problem. You'd have thought I came to class in a full Nazi officers uniform.

 

[ConfederateIrishman]

I think the point is that there is no hierarchy. When I think of a hierarchy, there's a space for everyone at different levels of the hierarchy. A count is, for instance, not attempting to become a king and his family will not consider him a failure if so. The army is not composed of generals and those who must become generals or resign (well... except in the USAF). We do not think less of MAJ Winters for never rising above regimental level. In contrast, there are only tenured positions, and transitional positions to tenure where the pressure is on you. Nobody is going to be happy just being an associate lecturer all their career, and, well, they can't; if they don't reach tenure within a certain time they're out of a job altogether.

I disagree -- there is still a hierarchy, it is just unspoken now; It is the same thing as how people tried to make corporations speak more casually internally but that just turned into a new socially enforced 'faux casual' environment where if you were too genuine or not being casual enough you could get into easy trouble.

I think it's less about over socialization and more of a woke feedback loop. You've got a lot of people vying for a few positions where most everyone is liberal. Being woke scores you social credibility. so if you're not seen as woke you have a smaller chance of making friends who can help you land a job so you get woke. But someone else is more woke than you so you get more woke than them to make yourself look better. Now they have to one up you so on and so on. Eventually you get to the point where its bigoted to tell a forty year old man in a dress he cant help little girls change their tampons or host a nude child swimming event where parents aren't allowed. Over socialization is less of a cause and more of a symptom of the problem.

Yes, it is a Spiral of Silence shot forwards several decades.

 

[Bad Gateway]

Well, Kaczynski writes

Read a second manifesto, nigger

 

[Bussyking7]

I think it's less about over socialization and more of a woke feedback loop. You've got a lot of people vying for a few positions where most everyone is liberal. Being woke scores you social credibility. so if you're not seen as woke you have a smaller chance of making friends who can help you land a job so you get woke. But someone else is more woke than you so you get more woke than them to make yourself look better. Now they have to one up you so on and so on. Eventually you get to the point where its bigoted to tell a forty year old man in a dress he cant help little girls change their tampons or host a nude child swimming event where parents aren't allowed. Over socialization is less of a cause and more of a symptom of the problem.

I don't think it's some vicious cycle, but more the fact that these academics are already crazy.
For whatever reason, academia tends to attract people with insane political opinions. Math, for example, has had incredible mathematicians ranging from Nazis to Anarcho communists to Royalists to literal revolutionaries to Uncle Ted. I just think the mean academic tends to be on the left, so we get more crazy leftoids than rightoids and they take over the discussion.

 

[Fliddaroonie]

Then tenure troonure pipeline...

...why exactly would the structure induce leftism? You describe a highly competitive field that has a strong hierarchy as result of limited top level positions. I think one could argue as easily that it induces a right wing worldview.

Because being a fag or a cripple is diversity point which mean you're far more likely to be considered for jobs or Grant's so it gives people an incentive to come out, brag about their disabilities and stuff like that.


If you want to get ahead, forget the quality of your work. Be gay,be a fake pseudo gender, have a disability and most of all,dont be white or Male. That's where the money is.

 

[Lemmingwise]

Because being a fag or a cripple is diversity point which mean you're far more likely to be considered for jobs or Grant's so it gives people an incentive to come out, brag about their disabilities and stuff like that.


If you want to get ahead, forget the quality of your work. Be gay,be a fake pseudo gender, have a disability and most of all,dont be white or Male. That's where the money is.

There is nothing about the structure that inherently requires those traits.

The military is kinda getting like that too. It has more to do with political goals of people in charge than the way it is structured.

 

[murgatroid]

I don't really think you're making a compelling argument that there is much of a connection between higher academia and social progressivism or leftist political orientation.

The things Uncle Ted is describing are not exclusive to academia.

I think there may be a connection between CONFORMITY and higher education though.

 

[Sage In All Fields]

I think it has more to do with smart people having the wrong foundations. These ideas are the logical consequence of holding as values things like 'liberty', 'equality' and 'if it doesn't immediately hurt anyone it's ok', academics spend a lot of time deliberating over these ideas and realise there's a lot of contradictions that need solving and in solving those contradictions they make things worse and worse. Those contradictions that they're solving only exist because they're living in a society that for a while was passively behaving like it has religion while at the same time disbelieving.

What Uncle Ted says is also correct however.

 

[Kosher Dill]

Because being a fag or a cripple is diversity point which mean you're far more likely to be considered for jobs or Grant's so it gives people an incentive to come out, brag about their disabilities and stuff like that.

Then why was academia left-wing 100 years ago, back when even the most dyed-in-the-wool leftists weren't handing out diversity points for being an alphabet cripple?

 

[Fliddaroonie]

Then why was academia left-wing 100 years ago, back when even the most dyed-in-the-wool leftists weren't handing out diversity points for being an alphabet cripple?

I don't know, I wasn't alive 100 years ago. If you were perhaps you could offer some insight?
I would imagine the rise in such behaviour could be linked to the rise in oppression, or perceived oppression, as social currency though. That along with the spike in useless and meaningless qualifications in soft subjects and the cohorts graduating with degrees with no practical application in real life means competition is high for graduate roles, and people will use whatever they can to their advantage if it means they get to put off getting a proper job and standing on their own two feet.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

Academia is overly leftist primarily due to Social Studies, or more correctly, women undergoing Social Studies. Since both the women and the subjects themselves are overly left, if you want to bang anyone then it's a huge plus to buy into the cult. Spend enough time in the cult and you'd discover you can't get out without social (and sometimes educational) ramifications. Basically banning Social Studies will get academia far less left wing overnight. It helps that there is no shortage of incoming students who were raised on a myth of fighting for social rights against the evil right wingers.
The other factor is professors using their platform as a way to brainwash the masses rather than work at something that will give them more cash, which is more of a leftist thing.

 

[Drag-on Knight 91873]

Unfortunately I didn't learn this in college until it was to late. Had an English professor who hated my guts because I dared to question the Kony 2012 video. We had to write a paper either for or against something and the class would argue to opposite. I argued the Kony 2012 video was misleading and oversimplified the problem. You'd have thought I came to class in a full Nazi officers uniform.

I wasn't explicitly Right-wing in college, but my experience did require me to watch WHICH teachers were hard Leftists. If their lecture suddenly turns into a political soapbox, that was a person where I had to couch my essay.

They are exceptions, of course. My favorite English teacher was generally focused on the classics (except Chaucer) and not much focus on politics. I even managed to say that Amiri Baraka and Black Art of the 1960s was really just Nietzschean Slave morality in action and still managed to get an A in that class. Oddly enough, I don't think my Critical Literary teacher was a hard Leftist either. She just seemed like she was teaching a subject she didn't have that much interest in. Nor was my Grammar course even woke at all. Linguistics is probably the least woke part of the English department because of how niche and dry the subject matter tends to be. The more artsy the subject was, the more likely it was to be woke.

In general though, it's safe to assume that anyone in the Humanities and the Social Science is woke enough unless you suspect otherwise. If a student were to write an essay the instructor was likely to disagree with, the citations have to be rock solid. At any rate, I had no interest in pursuing an Academic career after graduating. It looked overly stressful to me.

 

[murgatroid]

Perhaps the rise of woke leftism is connected to the flood of people of lower intelligence in academia?

Though I wasn't around in decades past I have the impression that higher education wasn't commonplace and it really was a place for intellectuals. In my own experience I was astounded at how stupid most of my classmates in college seemed to be.