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    Originally Posted by Dude
    From a certain perspective, it's far better for the workplace to be "trained" than "educated," because an educated populace is a threat to the social order. Social mobility is not to be promoted.

    That assumes that 'education' in this country actually encourages intelligent criticism instead of blind toadying to the current 'All heterosexual Christian white men that work hard and expect others to the same are Evil personified.' orthodoxy that currently prevails.

    A false assumption indeed from what I have seen, the 'average white guy' today is treated on par with the way that kulaks were treated in the 1920's Soviet Union.

    It truly tickles my funny bone that the exact people who in the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties encouraged the Young to challenge dogma and the Establishment now that they ARE the Establishment have completely shut down any challenges to the current 'Road to Political Correctness' that we are all enjoying a bob sleigh ride down - emphasis on that last word.



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    Originally Posted by madeinuk
    It truly tickles my funny bone that the exact people who in the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties encouraged the Young to challenge dogma and the Establishment now that they ARE the Establishment have completely shut down any challenges to the current 'Road to Political Correctness' that we are all enjoying a bob sleigh ride down - emphasis on that last word.

    Political Correctness feels good, though.

    It's like wearing warm fuzzy bunny slippers.

    And the Young are happy now that things have been fixed.

    I mean, can you imagine what life was like BEFORE political correctness?

    Life was all spiky and rough, and very mean. It made people sad.

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    Originally Posted by madeinuk
    Originally Posted by Dude
    From a certain perspective, it's far better for the workplace to be "trained" than "educated," because an educated populace is a threat to the social order. Social mobility is not to be promoted.

    That assumes that 'education' in this country actually encourages intelligent criticism instead of blind toadying to the current 'All heterosexual Christian white men that work hard and expect others to the same are Evil personified.' orthodoxy that currently prevails.

    A false assumption indeed from what I have seen, the 'average white guy' today is treated on par with the way that kulaks were treated in the 1920's Soviet Union.
    That is an overstatement, but hostility to men in academia may be one reason more women are getting BA's.

    http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2013/05/why_men_are_avoiding_college.html
    Minding the Campus
    MAY 30, 2013
    Why Men Are Avoiding College
    By Helen Smith

    Quote
    In an interview, Christina Hoff Sommers told me: "The moment a young man arrives on the college campus, he is treated as a member of the suspect class. One popular freshman orientation program is called "She Fears You." Next there are "Take Back the Night" marches, performances of the Vagina Monologues--accusatory posters plastered all around the school--and lots of classroom readings--all driving home the point that women are from Venus and men are from Hell. Few classes are mandatory except freshman writing seminars. Unless the student is well-organized (and what boy is?) he will be too late for the reasonable course offerings and end up in a class where he has to read chick victim lit like the Joy Luck Club or Girl Interrupted. A nightmare for many boys."

    I originally thought that once educators, legislators, and parents realized that boys were in trouble academically, our schools would try to make classrooms more accommodating to them. That has not happened. Because historically women have been the second sex, and did suffer discrimination, there is now an elaborate and powerful network of private and federal agencies that protect and promote women's interests. Boys do not have a lobby to defend them. Worse, the women's lobby (especially hardline members like the American Association of University Women--AAUW) fights efforts to help boys. Women's groups follow a double standard: When women lag behind men, that is an injustice that must be aggressively targeted. But when men are lagging behind women, that is a triumph of equity to be celebrated. Many men have just decided that they don't belong in college and, consciously or unconsciously, they are going on strike.

    Sommers wrote "The War Against Boys: How Misguided Policies are Harming Our Young Men" (first published in 2000, with a new edition coming this year -- a good book IMO), and Helen Smith has a new book "Men on Strike".


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    From Bostonian:

    "Many men have just decided that they don't belong in college and, consciously or unconsciously, they are going on strike."

    This is a true statement.

    Many men don't belong in college.

    So more women are going to be larded up with debt, while more men escape being debt serfs.

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    Originally Posted by madeinuk
    A false assumption indeed from what I have seen, the 'average white guy' today is treated on par with the way that kulaks were treated in the 1920's Soviet Union.

    You're joking, right?

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    Originally Posted by Dude
    Originally Posted by madeinuk
    A false assumption indeed from what I have seen, the 'average white guy' today is treated on par with the way that kulaks were treated in the 1920's Soviet Union.

    You're joking, right?

    I certainly lost out professionally, in part, because I was not a young attractive woman.

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    Originally Posted by Dude
    Originally Posted by madeinuk
    A false assumption indeed from what I have seen, the 'average white guy' today is treated on par with the way that kulaks were treated in the 1920's Soviet Union.

    You're joking, right?

    I usually have a pretty ribald and robust sense of humour but I am certainly not joking this time.

    I am glad that my only child is a girl quite frankly grin


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    Originally Posted by madeinuk
    Originally Posted by Dude
    Originally Posted by madeinuk
    A false assumption indeed from what I have seen, the 'average white guy' today is treated on par with the way that kulaks were treated in the 1920's Soviet Union.

    You're joking, right?

    I usually have a pretty ribald and robust sense of humour but I am certainly not joking this time.

    I am glad that my only child is a girl quite frankly grin

    There's still a significant anti-female bias (explicit and/or implicit) in large areas of BigLaw.


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    Originally Posted by JonLaw
    Originally Posted by Dude
    Originally Posted by madeinuk
    A false assumption indeed from what I have seen, the 'average white guy' today is treated on par with the way that kulaks were treated in the 1920's Soviet Union.

    You're joking, right?

    I certainly lost out professionally, in part, because I was not a young attractive woman.

    It all varies by experience, naturally, and it's hard to beat being a young attractive woman (although that comes with its own unique set of drawbacks, too), but I can say that "average white guy" has been quite a door-opener for me, professionally as well as personally.

    Honestly, I find it difficult to participate in the pity party, but maybe that's because I'm actually aware of Soviet history, and what daily reality is like for other people:

    - Much larger people rarely leer at me or stalk me.
    - Store employees don't follow me around.
    - Police officers don't look for reasons to stop and talk to me. They are usually polite and relaxed when I encounter them.
    - Strangers don't start hurrying away from me if I try to stop them and ask a question.
    - Parents don't pull their children away from mine at the park.

    etc.

    Okay, that last one isn't entirely true, because it does happen when my wife, who is neither male nor white, takes our DD to the park alone. It certainly does not happen when I'm there.

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