This reminds me of several professors I had in college, one in particular. As a USAian from red country, they were the farthest left people I ever met, and I enjoyed having my beliefs challenged by them, but as quickly as I was helped past some ideological blinders by them, I came to see that they weren’t interested in actual leftism in any way. I’m still not sure if it was because the topics were verboten, or if their actual opinions are just locked to the leftmost edge of the Overton window.
Overton window isn’t real. The purpose of higher education is to reproduce the superstructure and replace the upper percentage. To give it all an air of legitimacy and postulate the endorsed truths as facts - intellectuals are allowed to „think wider“ but still needs to arrive the forgone endorsed truths.
Professors are also usually from bourgeoise backgrounds. So Marxism is more an abstract idea, intellectual challenge or an niche coffee shop one frequents to feel more cultured - than actual restructuring of their relationship to capitalism.
Not disagreeing with anything you’ve said, but the “one professor in particular” was from a working class background. Among other things we bonded over was being the first in our families to pursue higher education, and how he didn’t talk to his family anymore and I looked forward to cutting contact myself.
I remember being a bright eyed youth excited for the change Bernie was sure to bring, and he told me to not get my hopes up and that Bernie’d never win. Hillary was the “safe bet”, which was strange to me as he’d also talked about how Obama/the Dems let us down by not making a public option. I know he knows the system doesn’t work for people, he just can’t imagine anything better, and I think actively thinks pursuing radical change can only backfire.
It still makes me sad. I remember breathlessly coming into a club meeting having watched the CGP Grey video about how much the crown properties make England, and telling him about it and how it “was a bargain to pay the royals what the UK does” and he told me how it wasn’t because they had attained the land by being warlords and were lucky they’d kept their heads much less their lands. I was so embarrassed. By the next week I’d processed what he said and found myself agreeing. I told him at the next meeting that I had come to agree, and further no land could be owned because it had all been bought with blood at one time or another, from the Natives especially. I was so shocked/crushed when he didn’t agree…even more when it became a running joke how you might find me in your kitchen calling it “our kitchen”.
This reminds me of several professors I had in college, one in particular. As a USAian from red country, they were the farthest left people I ever met, and I enjoyed having my beliefs challenged by them, but as quickly as I was helped past some ideological blinders by them, I came to see that they weren’t interested in actual leftism in any way. I’m still not sure if it was because the topics were verboten, or if their actual opinions are just locked to the leftmost edge of the Overton window.
Overton window isn’t real. The purpose of higher education is to reproduce the superstructure and replace the upper percentage. To give it all an air of legitimacy and postulate the endorsed truths as facts - intellectuals are allowed to „think wider“ but still needs to arrive the forgone endorsed truths.
Professors are also usually from bourgeoise backgrounds. So Marxism is more an abstract idea, intellectual challenge or an niche coffee shop one frequents to feel more cultured - than actual restructuring of their relationship to capitalism.
Not disagreeing with anything you’ve said, but the “one professor in particular” was from a working class background. Among other things we bonded over was being the first in our families to pursue higher education, and how he didn’t talk to his family anymore and I looked forward to cutting contact myself.
I remember being a bright eyed youth excited for the change Bernie was sure to bring, and he told me to not get my hopes up and that Bernie’d never win. Hillary was the “safe bet”, which was strange to me as he’d also talked about how Obama/the Dems let us down by not making a public option. I know he knows the system doesn’t work for people, he just can’t imagine anything better, and I think actively thinks pursuing radical change can only backfire.
It still makes me sad. I remember breathlessly coming into a club meeting having watched the CGP Grey video about how much the crown properties make England, and telling him about it and how it “was a bargain to pay the royals what the UK does” and he told me how it wasn’t because they had attained the land by being warlords and were lucky they’d kept their heads much less their lands. I was so embarrassed. By the next week I’d processed what he said and found myself agreeing. I told him at the next meeting that I had come to agree, and further no land could be owned because it had all been bought with blood at one time or another, from the Natives especially. I was so shocked/crushed when he didn’t agree…even more when it became a running joke how you might find me in your kitchen calling it “our kitchen”.