I was a reporter/flack for Columbia 2011-2022. It was already a stilted and closed-minded an environment and got worse throughout Obama's presidency, but the bottom really fell out once Trump had his shock victory in 2016.
Columbia University? Were you a student reporter? And I agree about 2016, that’s when everyone truly lost their minds. I was in college from 2005-2009, and I don’t remember experiencing much of this then, even though I was at a small liberal arts college in a very liberal suburb of St. Louis.
I too am from St. Louis, and am typing this from St. Louis. Which college? I did undergrad at Brown and a few years later started working for Columbia Journalism School and subsequently also wrote for the schools of law, engineering, and public health.
I live in New York, but have been back in St. Louis to supervise my mother's end of life care. She is in hospice so I've been spending all day every day with her, but when that is no longer the case I'd be happy to meet up. I've spent a lot of time in Webster Groves, I'm in Clayton but also grew up in Richmond Heights and University City.
You and @IvyExile should compare notes and commiserate about working at a university and trying to do an honest job.
Politics might be downstream from culture, but with academia thoroughly politicized and polarized, so is education. The slow march thru the institutions by Marxists and gushers of US Government money have turned education into indoctrination and no deviation from “approved thinking” is tolerated.
I posit that far too many people on all sides of the populace, but mostly on what is called the Left, are certain they are right, even when their ideas are nonsense, unworkable and have been tried before and failed miserably. Shouting people down when they point out that Socialism has failed every single time it has been tried, and with catastrophic results BTW, and insisting that “Real Socialism has never been tried!” is not helpful or useful.
And calling people Fascists, especially when you have no idea what the term really means, and that everything they say is “Hate Speech” simply to silence them and stop a conversation you do not like does not promote civil conversations.
It's pretty crazy how far we've come. Things have gotten even worse since my stint at that publication, and I don't know that we can go back. There are a few institutions that are still places I would consider sending my children, but for the most part, I'm afraid we have to build new ones.
Thanks for starting the conversation. Do you mind elaborating on your point? You believe the lack of willingness to engage across differences began with Fox News and, as you say, right-wing propaganda? How so?
Fox News allowed a safe space for spreading Trump's lies about the 2020 elections. This is one of the few times they ended up being held accountable, settling with Dominion and firing Tucker Carlson.
Discovery in the suite found that Fox News host didn't believe Trump's lies but spread them anyway because they are right wing propaganda. They are paid to lie to the American public and knew it. Their behavior proves that. This was after decades of Fox News lying and spreading misinformation to Americans.
We can also see guys like Dave Rubin was paid by Russia to do podcast because they believed it would harm America. Russia thinks Rubin a right wing influencer would hurt America jdit by sharing his beliefs.
I was a reporter/flack for Columbia 2011-2022. It was already a stilted and closed-minded an environment and got worse throughout Obama's presidency, but the bottom really fell out once Trump had his shock victory in 2016.
Columbia University? Were you a student reporter? And I agree about 2016, that’s when everyone truly lost their minds. I was in college from 2005-2009, and I don’t remember experiencing much of this then, even though I was at a small liberal arts college in a very liberal suburb of St. Louis.
I too am from St. Louis, and am typing this from St. Louis. Which college? I did undergrad at Brown and a few years later started working for Columbia Journalism School and subsequently also wrote for the schools of law, engineering, and public health.
Wow, what a small world. I live in the St. Louis area and went to Webster University. We should grab a coffee sometime!
I live in New York, but have been back in St. Louis to supervise my mother's end of life care. She is in hospice so I've been spending all day every day with her, but when that is no longer the case I'd be happy to meet up. I've spent a lot of time in Webster Groves, I'm in Clayton but also grew up in Richmond Heights and University City.
I'm so sorry to hear that. I'll message you privately.
You and @IvyExile should compare notes and commiserate about working at a university and trying to do an honest job.
Politics might be downstream from culture, but with academia thoroughly politicized and polarized, so is education. The slow march thru the institutions by Marxists and gushers of US Government money have turned education into indoctrination and no deviation from “approved thinking” is tolerated.
I posit that far too many people on all sides of the populace, but mostly on what is called the Left, are certain they are right, even when their ideas are nonsense, unworkable and have been tried before and failed miserably. Shouting people down when they point out that Socialism has failed every single time it has been tried, and with catastrophic results BTW, and insisting that “Real Socialism has never been tried!” is not helpful or useful.
And calling people Fascists, especially when you have no idea what the term really means, and that everything they say is “Hate Speech” simply to silence them and stop a conversation you do not like does not promote civil conversations.
It's pretty crazy how far we've come. Things have gotten even worse since my stint at that publication, and I don't know that we can go back. There are a few institutions that are still places I would consider sending my children, but for the most part, I'm afraid we have to build new ones.
I must unfortunately agree, but if they will not reform, then Academia Delenda Est.
Originated on college campuses? This originated with Fox News and right wing propoganda.
Thanks for starting the conversation. Do you mind elaborating on your point? You believe the lack of willingness to engage across differences began with Fox News and, as you say, right-wing propaganda? How so?
Fox News allowed a safe space for spreading Trump's lies about the 2020 elections. This is one of the few times they ended up being held accountable, settling with Dominion and firing Tucker Carlson.
Discovery in the suite found that Fox News host didn't believe Trump's lies but spread them anyway because they are right wing propaganda. They are paid to lie to the American public and knew it. Their behavior proves that. This was after decades of Fox News lying and spreading misinformation to Americans.
We can also see guys like Dave Rubin was paid by Russia to do podcast because they believed it would harm America. Russia thinks Rubin a right wing influencer would hurt America jdit by sharing his beliefs.