| UCLAri, it's been a long time since I was graded at anything, but once upon a time I was graded down for agreeing too much with a professor's line. It was emphasized to me that I needed to think for myself, and to be MUCH more familiar with competing theories before I rejected them out of hand. Some of my teachers were professional polemicists, but as teachers they insisted on sympathetic attention to a wide variety of theoretical positions that they attacked in print every chance they got. They didn't like short-cuts, and they weren't evangelists.
Academic politics and conventional politics don't always jibe. Two professors whom I described above were radically "left" in the politics of their field at the time, and fairly right-wing in their standard political views. One, although I believe he is a lifelong Democratic voter, is something of a darling of conservatives now. And a fellow student I had at least half of my classes with is now a right-wing pundit.
Duerre: Your posts taken together make me really sad. Jeepers, take a risk! That's a big part of what college is for! Just make certain to think through your arguments before you make them, and to make clear that you are not trying to insult people with whom you disagree. (Something like gay marriage is a big danger zone for something like that. You have to remember that some of the people to whom you are talking are gay, and what you are talking about affects their lives. If you have thought through your views, that shouldn't change what you think, but it sure as heck ought to affect how you express them.)
People love to argue, as long as its in a context in which they feel safe and respected. YOU don't feel safe and respected, now, I know. But I think you'll find that if you are not threatening other people they will welcome the chance to hear you out and try to convince you that you are wrong. And you should hear them out and respond to their arguments. There's no better way to make friends! |