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Just So You Know
Sep. 27th, 2009 07:34 pmDear Old People What I Call For My Job:
1) I recognize that the current economic climate is not happy-making and many people are struggling greatly. But if you are still employed and are a) a lawyer, b) a doctor, or c) an engineer, you are not as poor as you seem to think you are. We have a lot of students in dire financial straits who depend on financial aid to get them through the next four years (for example, me!) and we could really use your $30 that you're just going to spend on Starbucks anyway. Relatedly, whatever you think you know about our endowment, Stanford doesn't have as much money as you think we do. We certainly don't all put on our complimentary top hats and tails to eat cavier and tea cakes in the dining hall.
2) The university did not get rid of ROTC because they caved to "leftist scum," because they want to foster the liberal revolution, or because they hate America. They got rid of it because the ROTC's philosophy, particularly its anti-gay philosophy, is at odds with Stanford's attempts to be as inclusive and non-discriminating as possible. Furthermore, the university got rid of ROTC in the 1970s, at least 15 years before the majority of our current students were born. Your hissy fit is not going to change this, and punishing a bunch of students who had absolutely nothing to do with this decision because they did not even exist at the time is STUPID.
3) The university does not hate conservatives. It does not ignore conservative thought. It does not silence conservative students. It tilts heavily left, but that is because it is a UNIVERSITY and you know who tends to be liberal? INTELLECTUALS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS. Additionally, that Stanford replaced Western Civ as a freshman requirement with iHum is not a good example to use to illustrate your point. Acknowledging that the products of (white, straight, male) western civilization are not the be-all and end-all of intellectual accomplishment will not make the world stop on its axis, I promise (although it just might make our students of color/female students/queer students feel less alienated and ignored, god forbid).
4) SOCIALISM DOES NOT MEAN WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS. SHUT THE FUCK UP.
This has been a public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood midget.
1) I recognize that the current economic climate is not happy-making and many people are struggling greatly. But if you are still employed and are a) a lawyer, b) a doctor, or c) an engineer, you are not as poor as you seem to think you are. We have a lot of students in dire financial straits who depend on financial aid to get them through the next four years (for example, me!) and we could really use your $30 that you're just going to spend on Starbucks anyway. Relatedly, whatever you think you know about our endowment, Stanford doesn't have as much money as you think we do. We certainly don't all put on our complimentary top hats and tails to eat cavier and tea cakes in the dining hall.
2) The university did not get rid of ROTC because they caved to "leftist scum," because they want to foster the liberal revolution, or because they hate America. They got rid of it because the ROTC's philosophy, particularly its anti-gay philosophy, is at odds with Stanford's attempts to be as inclusive and non-discriminating as possible. Furthermore, the university got rid of ROTC in the 1970s, at least 15 years before the majority of our current students were born. Your hissy fit is not going to change this, and punishing a bunch of students who had absolutely nothing to do with this decision because they did not even exist at the time is STUPID.
3) The university does not hate conservatives. It does not ignore conservative thought. It does not silence conservative students. It tilts heavily left, but that is because it is a UNIVERSITY and you know who tends to be liberal? INTELLECTUALS AND COLLEGE STUDENTS. Additionally, that Stanford replaced Western Civ as a freshman requirement with iHum is not a good example to use to illustrate your point. Acknowledging that the products of (white, straight, male) western civilization are not the be-all and end-all of intellectual accomplishment will not make the world stop on its axis, I promise (although it just might make our students of color/female students/queer students feel less alienated and ignored, god forbid).
4) SOCIALISM DOES NOT MEAN WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS. SHUT THE FUCK UP.
This has been a public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood midget.