Shock and Disgust in the Faculty Lounge

[NJCher]

This took place in "blue" northern New Jersey.

I teach a Friday night class and on the break last night, I went to the lounge to use a copy machine. When I walked in, there was only one other professor there and he appeared to be a law professor, judging by the books around him and the newspaper he was reading, which had to do with constitutional law. I'm not familiar with that part of the school nor had I ever seen this professor around. The school where I teach has some sort of pre-law program but I don't know much about it.

While he read his newspaper, this person, who appeared to be in his mid- to late-30s, was listening to an internet broadcast. At first I didn't listen to what the broadcast was saying but as I made my copies, the speaker sounded more and more like a raving fanatic. I decided to listen a little, as the idea of a law professor listening to a Rush Limbaugh-type was not fitting too well into my preconceived notions of what higher-ed colleagues are often like.

I heard the raving lunatic say, "Barack Obama is a liar! He is a liar!!" This was expressed like a fundamentalist preacher might tell his congregation they are going to hell. I listened for some "support" for the "liar" statement, like an example. Nothing.

The speaker raved on and I found these words coming out of my mouth: "Who IS that? And on what is he basing his statement about lies? Such hatred!"

The other professor said, "I am sorry you are offended. I will turn it down." Then he turned the volume down and said, "He's a constitutional law scholar and I happen to agree with him."

I said, "Everyone has the right to their own opinion but it takes one hell of a lot of nerve to accuse Barack Obama of lying when he can't even cite one example. And furthermore, no one president has told more lies than bush, who put us into an unjustified, unwinnable war which has killed so many and which has buried us financially!"

This incident sure opened my eyes about the opposition. Even when they're "educated" people, they are somehow moved by this movement emotionally.



Cher

[firedupdem]

1. I wonder what constitutional law scholar that could have been?

It was probably rush...he was just too embarrassed to tell you.

[ZombieHorde]

2. What happened next? nt

[AllentownJake]

3. Alot of educated people wrote the memos that said torture was ok

Just saying.

[Ikonoklast]

4. Many educated people are still scared little racists.

They just don't come right out and say it.

[Honeycombe8]

9. They don't need race as a reason to hate Obama. Just ask Clinton. nt

[bperci108]

5. At the risk of running afoul of Godwin's Law....

Look at how many professors, professionals and intelligentsia were "good Germans" and went along with the Reich.


I've never understood it. :shrug:

[rug]

12. Judges too.

Roland Freisler's court.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKOCmBXrVY8&feature=related

[defendandprotect]

6. Am I wrong that besides corporatizing the universities/colleges and

in some cases militarizing them, that they have recruited right wingers

and sidelined liberal/progressives?

[KakistocracyHater]

7. feelings not facts matter most to them

it doesn't help when the truth is unconnected to emotions, the Left needs to learn to value the truth enough to fight against lies & distortion.



Emotional manipulation

Learn to spot it & destroy it, it's the fuel of the Right.

[Clio the Leo]

8. Here's our new meme.....

.... Obama haters do not like the President because he threatens their masculity.

Discuss. :)

[lady raven]

10. So- called "educated" people can be as bad as the uneducated

In my American history class, about a week ago, actually, my teacher told a story about another educator from the college making some comments at a sporting event. He pulled a folding knife out of his pocket, claimed it was a KKK knife, and told my teacher it had "n blood" on it. My teacher was appalled and couldn't believe that this man, a respected educator of many years with multiple post- graduate degrees, would say such a thing.

Not all "educated" people are smart and they certainly aren't all good.

[Enthusiast]

11. Their ideology will not allow them to

see other points of view. Without half the relevant information a great education amounts to little.

[KittyWampus]

13. It's not about intellectual achievements it's about emotional and psychological maturity.

[treestar]

14. There is the Federalist Society

Writing scholarly journals and the whole bit about why the Constitution allows all sorts of things it is not supposed to like religion in schools or whatever their pet project is. Scalia is on the court, dissenting that terrorism means things should be allowed (as though there is a terrorism exception clause in the Constitution). Apparently it is possible to graduate from law school and think it is a ticket to twist things to mean other than what they say.