Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
UPDATE: Request denied! (No need for an exclamation point really – we all knew it was coming. See the rest of the update below)
(original piece):
My niece who attends New Jersey’s State University at Rutgers texted me that one of her public employee professors offered extra credit to the class if they go occupy Wall Street. The purpose: “To practice your first amendment rights.”
Talk about form over substance.
Lets put aside for a moment the trouble this hippie professor would be in with me if my niece went and something awful happened to her (it’s not like there haven’t been constant news reports about rapes, killing and disease at these things).
Right now I’m interested in whether he will allow extra credit if she attends a Tea Party rally, so I asked her to inquire.
I will post his response when I hear back from her.
Note: Names will not be disclosed until the end of the semester to protect my niece’s grade.
Update (3:34 pm)
My niece argued that she does not agree with the few and varied opinions offered by the occupiers for occupying (loitering) Wall Street. For instance, their anti-Semitism. She also cited her repulsion to their behavior in the streets and their criminal actions that are well documented as a reason for a young lady not to attend.
She requested that she be given extra credit for attending a Tea Party rally.
Her professor denied her request and told her in front of the class while mocking her that she does not know of what she speaks. He said OWS is “liberating” and “an important movement in human history.” She reminded him that the only movement she’s heard of so far is the defecating in the streets, which he denied.
So in this professor’s class a student will get extra credit for going to a progressive, leftist rally but not so if she attends a more thoughtful libertarian/conservative rally. Liberal bias in American Universities? What liberal bias in American Universities?
If this professor would like to accept my challenge and debate me on my assertion that the European-styled progressivism the OWS people seek will hurt them and Capitalism will help them (if they’d participate in it), I will be happy to do it in front of his class.
Or, since he at least feigns an appreciation for the Bill of Rights, maybe we should exercise our 2nd Amendment rights and just have a duel (hat tip to David Williamson in the comments section below).
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Comments :
Mar '11
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Did the good professor, by any chance, also recommend they exercise their 2nd amendment rights?
Dec '10
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
The way the cops are behaving the 4th amendment might come in handy as well.
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Ha! I love that!
Jun '10
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
I thought they didn't have those 2nd thingies in New Jersey.
Oct '11
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
In fact, by going to a Tea Party protest, you could also get a taste of the should-be limits of the 1st Amendment, hearing first hand all those awful racial slurs that will no doubt be hurled like vomit at minorities, violating their inherent human right to not be offended. On second thought, probably best not to go, and just assume they exist.
Dec '10
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
I guess fat chance on getting some kind of administrative action against this professor for denying equal work equal credit.
May '11
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
You ought to bring this to the attention of FIRE. I suspect they might have something to say on the subject.
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Fire?
Aug '10
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Tommy De Seno:
He said OWS is “liberating” and “an important movement in human history.”
As an academic, my reaction to this is that this is irrelevant to assigning participation as coursework. What students can learn from a movement has nothing to do with whether it's either subjectively favored or objectively good. I have grad students who are studying movements they are not sympathetic to because they find them interesting. It would be fine to say that students should observe OWS but its bull to say they should participate.
Also, I'm afraid I also have to say that while primary responsibility for this problem lies with the professor, your niece could have behaved better as well. The issue is not whether OWS is right or wrong, tasteful or distasteful, but whether it is appropriate to have an explicit asymmetry to coursework. Ideally, she should have bracketed the issue of OWS on the merits and questioned the propriety of requiring students to take a particular contentious stance.
Again though, the primary responsibility lies with the professor and I can't entirely blame your niece for engaging on the merits rather than redirecting to the principle.
Jul '10
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Tommy De Seno
Fire? · Nov 16 at 12:53pm
FIRE.
Aug '10
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Tommy De Seno
Fire? · Nov 16 at 12:53pm
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
http://thefire.org/
May '11
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
FIRE= Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Link here.
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
anon_academic
Tommy De Seno
Fire? · Nov 16 at 12:53pm
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
http://thefire.org/ · Nov 16 at 12:58pm
Thanks I'll look into it. My niece and I are rolling this thing around wondering if we shouldn't make a fuss until after the semester to protect her grade from this Professor Free-Speech-So-Long -As-It's-My-Speech.
Edited on Nov 16, 2011 at 1:11pmAug '10
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Well, if you land the debate - be sure to video it - and post it here. Should be entertaining.
Aug '11
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Most every OWS person has been coached at a university. That's exactly what our educational system teaches, at least that's what I see at Georgia State University.
May '10
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Actually, she should take the Prof up on his offer, go to the OWS location, and exercise her 1st Amendment rights by espousing Tea Party talking points (if she is so inclined).
Or perhaps holding a sign like this...
I wonder if she would get the extra credit then?
Apr '11
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Tommy De Seno
anon_academic
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
http://thefire.org/ ·
Thanks I'll look into it. My niece and I are rolling this thing around wondering if we shouldn't make a fuss until after the semester to protect her grade from this Professor Free-Speech-So-Long -As-It's-My-Speech. ·
My guess is that that ship has already sailed, when it comes to goodwill. On the other hand, there may be a self-preservation argument from the professor for giving good grades if he knows that the issue is likely to become quite public, and doesn't want to look biased.
It's her future grades that matter. Also, extra-curricular influence he can wield. The only prof I felt gave me lower grades for political reasons (for a comparative law paper we were essentially writing supporting documents for his ACLU day job claim that torture was never legal before Bush, and my paper on medieval Islamic and English law was filled with counter-examples), was later unhelpful as associate dean, too.
Edited on Nov 16, 2011 at 3:16pmMay '11
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Tommy De Seno
anon_academic
Tommy De Seno
Thanks I'll look into it. My niece and I are rolling this thing around wondering if we shouldn't make a fuss until after the semester to protect her grade from this Professor Free-Speech-So-Long -As-It's-My-Speech. ·
It is apparent that your niece has no freedom of speech right now. She, and you by association, are afraid that the professor (a person in power) will harm her if she speaks out against his policy. She has reason to believe that this has a likelihood of happening since she has already been publicly mocked by him.
Please look into theFIRE.org and get some help from them. Or use your bully pulpit in your local paper to shine a bright light on this teacher.
Aug '10
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
James Of England
The only prof I felt gave me lower grades for political reasons (for a comparative law paper we were essentially writing supporting documents for his ACLU day job claim that torture was never legal before Bush, and my paper on medieval Islamic and English law was filled with counter-examples), was later unhelpful as associate dean, too. · Nov 16 at 3:15pm
Edited on Nov 16 at 03:16 pm
That's unfortunate and I'm not doubting your story but fwiw ACLU is sometimes on the right side of these issues. For instance, here's a case where ACLU cooperated with FIRE to protect the free speech of students. (If it matters to you, which it shouldn't, the censored students were conservatives).
May '11
Re: Astroturfing the Occupy Movement for Extra Credit
Occupy his classroom. Get some dirty friends to bang drums and hold a general assembly while he tries to lecture. For extra extra credit, defecate on his lectern and refuse to leave until he donates his pension to pay off his students' loans.