My complaint about being tenured is that it puts one in a position to be so exploited by the university. The new people, the instructors and the adjuncts must be protected, mentored, developed and maintained; the full professors and administrators have rights; the plain old tenured faculty has to serve them all. I think part … More Still More Tenure
Whitemen, as we know, are being discriminated against and “silenced.” They need to be saved by Martin Luther King and perhaps Gloria Steinem, who have explained to the masses what discrimination and silencing are. They also do not understand leadership. They confuse it with authority, which they understand only in its most vulgar form. I … More Da Whiteman Whitens Whitely
It is the weekend, so we are singing. Today we rather incongruously practiced danzón behind the stage while waiting for the Hot 8. Resignation is not one the Hot 8′s strong points. I, however, have discovered that resignation, that machine to reproduce ideology and the social order, is all the rage. People call it “acceptance” … More The Hot Eight
Now the drums and charangos begin playing and someone shouts ¡adentro! just before the flutes come in with the melody. I am dreaming of summer on the altiplano and beginning to sing the huayno, “Mujer andina, te vengo a contar / mis penas y mis dolores.” I wrote some time ago: “In this novel the … More ¡Adentro!
One of the things I now do to protect my sanity is spend time at a ceramics studio. I cannot really afford this, but it is essential to mental health and I think cheaper than some more traditional but less interesting alternatives. This ceramics studio is run by a couple who are not really experts, … More What Rough Beast
Professor Zero’s hearing has ended. Barring any untoward or unforeseen events, she should be released from the Castle tomorrow. She is really, really tired of discussing Reeducation, and bored. She is not even angry any more. She is channelling Michel de Montaigne to remind us that the savage world may be more civilized than ours, … More Standing By
When I was in Reeducation I made a new friend who could not understand why I was depressed. “Why?” he would ask. “You have a lovely job, a lovely house in a nice city, interesting activities, insight, and a positive attitude. Why are you depressed?” “Because I have self hatred,” I would answer. That was … More On Getting the Right Answer
PARTIAL TRIAL TRANSCRIPT These are the main two things I disliked about Reeducation (I know I have identified other sets of “main two things” before, but I keep boiling it further down). 1. One was always a suspect, always under suspicion, always on trial. One had to second guess oneself and watch what one said … More Suspected of Not “Feeling”
After returning from a well heeled conference at a well heeled university attended by mostly well heeled professors I returned home refreshed, without a care in the world but the knowledge that I had spent $70 in restaurants that I do not have room for in my budget this month or next, and that this … More Aesthetics of Hunger
I Now I have had a fascinating telephone conversation with a friend from college with whom I had lost touch. He is in a different field, so I had not run across him in the “Profession,” but he is also a professor. He has always been very intelligent. What he says about his school: “I … More On Intellect and Arrogance
coldhearted scientist وداد 