LAC mistake for a conservative kid?

geeps20 · February 21, 2009, 2:35pm

“Liberal bias in the media is only “well known” to conservatives. Studies of media bias do not show a consensus on this matter.”

did you type that with a straight face???

vicariousparent · February 21, 2009, 2:40pm

After reading through much of this thread I have concluded that the OP isn’t really trying to ask a question but is rather just ‘pulling our chain’. In other words, ■■■■■■■■ around.

geeps20 · February 21, 2009, 2:42pm

you concluded wrongly

morandi · February 21, 2009, 2:43pm

yes, the op now seems to be just ‘snarking’ dialogue has been thrown out the window.

Consolation · February 21, 2009, 2:44pm

Actually, I have a) suggested a number of schools to you on this and the other thread, some of which you seem to have added to your list, and b)asked you a number of very specific questions, none of which you have answered, and c) given you a detailed example of having gone to school at a NE LAC with a very diverse group of people and discussed political science issues without experiencing any “pushing” of views by the professors, which you have apparently ignored because you state that only conservatives have given you any detail.

Consolation · February 21, 2009, 2:51pm

Conventional wisdom does not necessarily equal truth.

Most “liberals” and those farther left that I know find plenty of anti-liberal bias in the media.

In fact, “the media” is commercial, and their only set of beliefs would appear to be “if it bleeds, it leads.”

morandi · February 21, 2009, 3:46pm

i’m wondering what other threads the OP is reading. ‘how has college changed your kid’ is an interesting read. well, they all are interesting reads;-)

horsfeathers · February 21, 2009, 3:48pm

Geeps20, I have to say that I find your self-restraint remarkable. From the very beginning of this long thread, many of the posts have been judgmental, sarcastic, and condescending. Yet your responses to the attacks have remained largely civil.

I can understand your concern for your son, because if attends a college with an academic and social environment similar to the one well represented on this thread, it’s very likely that if he even hints at his conservative views, he’ll be pounced on just as you have been here. Being an adult you can take it, but it may be upsetting to a young person.

astrophysicsmom · February 21, 2009, 3:54pm

I’ve been lurking around on this thread. From being a less conservative family who has lived in a very conservative area for the last 5 years, my easy answer to the original question is yes, probably it would be a mistake. Neither of my very liberal kids would consider a very “conservative” college, probably for some of the same reasons as it would be if the situation were reversed.

geeps20 · February 21, 2009, 4:05pm

“Most “liberals” and those farther left that I know find plenty of anti-liberal bias in the media”

really? from what anchor? what station?..You really have a hard time conceding a thing…don’t you. …the anti liberal media bias you say exists might be a drop in the bucket compared to the pro lib…but again, that is understandable…libs like journalism…

cadbury · February 21, 2009, 4:22pm

Hmmm. This thread, that I thought was opened to discuss liberal/conservative leanings on various campuses, has spun dizzily and sometimes emotionally through global warming and a range of other issues. I respectfully suggest that we put it to bed before there is a debate about the nature of the media. There are places for these types of discussions, but not here. Perhaps the moderators could move this to the Parents’ Cafe? In any case… Good night, Gracie!

owlice · February 21, 2009, 5:06pm

I think it should be moved to the political forum.

mam1959 · February 21, 2009, 5:31pm

Again, I don’t think the point is that of liberal bias. Fine, academe tilts to the left. The real problem is that there is a cadre of hard left elements at some of the better universities that don’t educate but indoctrinate. There are very liberal professors out there who are fantastic teachers because they leave their politics at the door and teach. This is just what Stanley Fish, as liberal as they come (and bound up in an embarrassing event as described below) is now raising as an issue:

[Yet</a> Once More: Political Correctness on Campus - Stanley Fish Blog - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/yet-once-more-political-correctness-on-campus/?hp]Yet”>http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/yet-once-more-political-correctness-on-campus/?hp)

This doesn’t make the schools all bad but it is infuriating because when indoctrination reigns happens a solid critical education doesn’t obtain.

So the real question should be how one’s chosen course of study can be pursued.

I think it silly to deny the existence of indoctrination at many schools. Fish, of course, learned this the hard way, with the Sokal “Social Text” incident. See below:

[A</a> Physicist Experiments With Cultural Studies](<a href=“http://physics.nyu.edu/faculty/sokal/lingua_franca_v4/lingua_franca_v4.html]A”>http://physics.nyu.edu/faculty/sokal/lingua_franca_v4/lingua_franca_v4.html)

Fish was then at Duke and involved with the Social Text publication. And bluntly, only an entity that existed in an myopic echo chamber could have ever published such silliness. To Fish’e everlasting credit, he is making some sense now.

This is a parent’s forum. Let’s demand real education, and not politics. There’s plenty of chance to obtain that outside of the classroom while in college.

alh · February 21, 2009, 5:56pm

okay – I think I finally get it. On the George Mason thread I see “deep thinker” is a pejorative. I am not a deep thinker; otherwise I would probably have gotten it a whole lot sooner. The issue isn’t conservatism but anti-intellectualism??

afadad · February 21, 2009, 6:05pm

Pizzagirl; you said;

If you want to believe this, then fine. If you believe that a piece of paper from a college makes a person SMARTER than another person; then that is your problem. A piece of paper from the college (PhD) or whatever; simply means that person has “LEARNED” a lot about that particular subject/major. It doesn’t mean they are smarter. I happen to believe that I can “LEARN” anything I put my mind to. I am QUITE CAPABLE of studying the data/facts that they have come up with. It is their training, education, and years of practical experience that gives them the capability to accurately collect information, data, and facts. I have to trust such a collection. And most times I do. However; the so called “Experts” don’t have a monopoly on analyzing data. I am QUITE CAPABLE of analytically studying data. I.e. If scientists tell us that ANYTHING further north than 45 degrees north latitude is cold; and fairbanks is at 64 degrees north latitude; then I don’t need a scientist to tell me that fairbanks is probably cold. It’s called deductive reasoning. And you don’t need a PhD to know how to use it. There’s other types of reasoning and analyzing of data that we are quite capable of doing. But I do agree that the PhD will help in training a person in how to properly collect the data in the first place. But once the data is collected, I am quite capable of analyzing it.

Now; that’s not to say that you can’t put your faith 100% in the so called “Experts”. Go for it. Sorry, I prefer to think for myself. I DON’T let the loan officer at the bank or a Realtor tell me how much of a house I can afford. (What a concept; I’m not being foreclosed on for being stupid and not being able to pay for a house I can’t afford). I DECIDE how much house/loan I can afford. I don’t take my car to the shop and just say “FIX IT” when it doesn’t run right. I pay him to determine the possible causes of the problem (Collect the data/facts); and I DECIDE HOW TO FIX the car. I might pay him to fix it, but that’s my EDUCATED choice. Well, sorry; but I feel the same way about your so called EXPERTS. I will take the data they present, and I WILL DECIDE what I think it means. There’s some subjects that I really don’t care about. Those, I don’t give an opinion on. But if it is a subject that I am interested in, then I will read and study the subject so I can understand the relationship of the data that the experts have provided.

I told BOTH my children from the 1st day they started elementary school; again in Junior High; again in High School; and AGAIN when they both started college. NEVER, I repeat NEVER believe what the teacher tells you, JUST BECAUSE S/HE IS THE TEACHER!!! Take what they give you, and you figure out if it’s right or not. Yes; MOST of the time what the teachers gives the children for information IS CORRECT. Especially in the finite classes that are pretty much factual. E.g. math, most hard sciences, etc… The point however is to NOT TRUST THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE SUPPOSEDLY THE EXPERT. My children would take what the teacher presents, and they LOOK IT UP THEMSELVES if they aren’t sure of it’s validity. Sometimes they question the teacher. Sometimes they realize it’s factual. It seems to have worked pretty well so far. I’ve got a daughter graduating from college this year; after 4 years. 28% of students barely graduate college in 6 years. My son; is a freshman attending a top 10 school in the country. And he’s maintaining a 4.0 gpa. I’m proud of both of them. Not just because of their grades/accomplishments. But because they THINK FOR THEMSELVES and don’t just accept the word of the SO CALLED EXPERTS. If you’re comfortable having faith in the experts; and believing that the experts will save our world, economy, culture, etc… Then that’s good. You probably sleep a lot better than those of us who tend to question the hypothesis of the experts.

Consolation · February 21, 2009, 6:34pm

ALL of them on some topics. If you want to start a thread in the political forum, I’ll discuss it there.

Pizzagirl · February 21, 2009, 6:38pm

"I will take the data they present, and I WILL DECIDE what I think it means. "

Yep, that’s why there are people who aren’t vaccinating their children these days. Because “they’ve decided” that they just don’t want to interpret the data to mean that vaccines save lives.

And besides why would I rely on an expert to tell me that the earth goes around the sun when I can see for myself that the sun comes up in the east and goes down in the west? Who am I supposed to trust, some fancy-schmancy physicist or my own eyes? Riddle me that one!

Pizzagirl · February 21, 2009, 6:41pm

“Liberal bias in the media is only “well known” to conservatives. Studies of media bias do not show a consensus on this matter.”

did you type that with a straight face???"

If the media were so “liberally biased,” how come we heard about Clinton / Lewinsky, about all the hoopla around Obama’s connection to Ayers (which turned out to be transient and of little significance)? A “liberally biased media” would have shut those controversies down.

emeraldkity4 · February 21, 2009, 6:56pm

*“Well, I didn’t “send” my kid to any school: he picked it.”

good for him…is he paying?*

I’ll take this one.
Yes, my kids are paying, by their diligence in high school, with their stellar recommendations and by their work in college as well as through maximum subsidized loans, and merit aid/grants.

I am also paying because I believe it is parental responsibility to launch their child into the world and that includes helping them to transition into adulthood, by acquiring an undergrad/vocational degree.

I do not believe that assisting them financially/physically/emotionally, includes dictating which course their life will take. Certainly I expect to give " helpful advice" from time to time as appropriate, but I have been guiding my children to make their own decisions since they were small- so that by the time they reached adulthood, they would have experience in weighing potential pitfalls and consequences of progressively larger decisions. I feel it is negligent, to dictate their “choices” to children while they are under your roof, with the expectation that they will be clones of yourself by the time they are adults.

It doesn’t work that way & while some may still be hesitant enough to pattern
themselves after a parent, I feel that leaves them insecure enough to bond with someone who has a stronger personality.

DonnaL · February 21, 2009, 7:00pm

I humbly suggest that this thread be moved to “Election and Politics,” which is where the thread about the homecoming queen at George Mason U. seems to have ended up.

Donna

LAC mistake for a conservative kid?

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