Noted porn star Ron Jeremy is coming to Eastern Washington University in Cheney tommorow evening (7 p.m., in PUB MPR). He will receive $6,500 of student government money to talk about the downside of pornography (STDs, mistreatment of performers, etc.) and the glories of free speech, as exemplified by pornography. Jeremy will be followed by Women's Studies acolytes, who presumably aren't too enthralled with pornography.
Some people are worried what sort of message it sends that a state-funded university is having a porn star speak (see here, and here). Face it, though. Pornography is easy enough to avoid if it offends you. It is a permitted and private sick habit, as opposed to a permitted and public sick habit, such as cigarette smoking.
I'm for letting Jeremy speak, and I was for EWU letting Ward Churchill speak, but due to Churchill's vitriolic anti-Americanism and the ongoing controversy surrounding him, EWU cancelled his appearance - something we reported on first here at Sound Politics.
What really bothers me about EWU is not its speakers, but the same stuff that's so wrong with almost all public universities and many private ones as well: the prevalence of overtly politicized mush-minded courses, and almost entirely bogus majors such as (sadly) humanities, and especially ethnic and gender studies. "Communications" is an ever more dubious field of study, as well.
Consider a few choice examples from the EWU 04-05 course catalog which highlight the institution's lamentable "values" problem far more deeply than Ron "Hedgehog" Jeremy ever could.
"Survey of African American Education." (p. 37) "An overview of the development and nature of education for African Americans. Particular attention is given to the role of the private and public agencies in the evolution of African American education. Emphasizes instructional strategies and curriculum designs suitable for teaching the African experience."
There's more. A few additional examples.
"African-American Political Awareness." (p. 37). "Issues of African American political power and awareness as they relate to several studies of macro and micro institutional racism with alternatives for racial change."
"Chicano-Latino Politics in America." (p. 85). "...The focus taken in this class is to look at the Latino population in terms of its orientation to the political system, its institutions and actors and their participation in the electoral process. The course will examine the political orientation of the Latino community towards power, authority, role of government, and actions taken by governmental bodies and linkages to political participation."
"Nonverbal Communication." (p. 98). "Studies the other-than-words side of human interaction within different cultures, genders, relationships, and situations. Factors include body movement, physical appearance, the environment; and the use of voice, touch, and physical distances inregards to their communication potential."
"Language and Social Interaction." (p. 99). "A study of language and communication from two aspects: form and strategy. The formal study entails the examination of patterns, rules and structures of language, conversation, and discourse. The strategy study focuses on the use of language and communication for accomplishing identity goals, relational goals, and instrumental goals."
"Communication and Personal Relationships." "An advanced examination of the verbal and nonverbal communication processes in the development, maintenance, breakdown, and repair of personal relationships, including romantic, friendship, and family relationships."
"Gender and Communication." "[Satisfies cultural and gender diversity UNIVERSITY graduation requirement]. This course examines current research on the interactions among language, gender, and communication in contemporary social and cultural contexts."
"Sex, Sexuality, and Communication." "This seminar examines the construction of sexualityand sexual identity through communication, with a focus on the relationship between public policy and private sexuality. "
"Communication and Cultural Studies." (p. 100). "This course examines the post-structuralist and interdisciplinary roots of cultural studies and...the theoretical and methodological problems and issues central to cultural studies scholarship, including the construct of subcultures...the relationship of power to..cultural formations of identity and difference, institutions, ideologies, artifacts, consumption and production. Skills and methods: social change advocacy, critical analysis, writing, presentation, and the synthesis, conceptualization, and evaluation of how we theorize about, interpret, and critique cultural artifacts and practices."
"Human Values and Societal Expressions in Dress." (p. 197). "A survey of cultural and societal attitudes and their interrelationships with dress, manners, customs, morals, religion, sex, ego, and position."'
"American Literature of Ethnic Minorities." "[Satisfies cultural and gender diversity university graduation requirement]. Course may be taken more than once with different subject matter. Any one of several major areas of ethnicity may be focused on: Native American, Asian American, Latin American/Chicano, and Black American."
"Feminist Theory." "Feminist theories developed to explain women's subordinate position in society and current trends in feminist thought. Includes psychoanalytic feminism, feminist literary criticism, and cross-cultural views of
feminism."
"Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies." "This course consists of a theoretical examination of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender identities. The course material will include texts from queer theory and a wide variety of academic disciplines."
Funny word, discipline. That's what's entirely lacking in courses like this. The minute we all collectively shrug this off is the minute we wash our hands of what a wreck urban and many suburban public schools have become. College courses suffused with dubious subject matter designed to enhance the self-esteem and identity of the student are the logical nexus to public elementary and high schools which elevate "diversity" and "alternative tests" above common focus and those dreaded "pen and paper" assignments and tests in core academic areas such as reading, writing, science and math.
An interesting sidelight to the recent Ward Churchill controversy was the question that went beyond the obvious free speech issues raised by his Hate-America bile. How did he get to be a department chair at the University of Colorado? Well first, he was chair of Ethnic Studies. That such fields are exalted and permeated with political agendas has much to do with the state of public universities in America.
Here in Washington state, university officials, legislators and editorialists bemoan the "higher-ed funding crisis," when a good one-third of all courses can and should be eliminated, with attendant cost savings in faculty, benefits and facilities. Identity politics, gender and ethnic studies have permeated the liberal arts and social sciences so thoroughly as to render them void. Courses such as those I've identified from the EWU catalog are a refuge for less capable students who have been failed by their parents and high schools. There's utterly nothing unusual about EWU's many flaccid offerings. I'm only picking on them because they're in the news thanks to their uplifitng choices in public speakers. Solid courses of study exist at EWU and other public universities in Washington, as is clear from a full perusal of the catalogs. But why should standards have eroded so badly in the social sciences and humanities?
Institutionalized white guilt; deconstructionism; moral relativism; a fatuous, self-referential and wholly politicized absorbtion with attitudinal process (why, praytell, do we think and feel what we do?); and a clientized state that makes excuses for disintegrating families. That's why. And your taxes pay for this glorious reality.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at February 15, 2005 12:48 PM | Email ThisThe one question I'd ask the school officials is, "As long as you are spending tax dollars on speakers, why not hire some that know something that would be worthwhile knowing?"
Ever the radical thinker...
Posted by: scott158 on February 15, 2005 12:47 PMI'm currently doing a review of the UW Women Studies department that I will post on my blog soon.
Cut out these nonsense departments and, if there is still a funding crisis at UW, I will be the first to stand up and call for more money.
In the meantime, they suffer under their own grandiose vision of "social change" and "social justice." As a result, I stopped contributing money, and I used to be a pretty substantial contributor. Every dollar I give allows another dollar from the state go into supporter one of these idiotic departments.
I'm not giving again until I know it supports hard science.
Posted by: DeadManVoting (aka Iguana) on February 15, 2005 01:09 PMExcept for the transgender/gay class listed here, I am pretty sure most/all the other courses were offered through WSU just a few years ago (I finally got my degree in 03).
The bile that these teachers teach is pathetic. My favorite class was the one where I could not tell what 'side' my professor was on. He presented facts on very controversial issues and I never could figure out what he actually thought. It was a great Political Science course with actual fact and core concepts.
Posted by: megs on February 15, 2005 01:24 PMWell, Bruce Kaye, you can go through whatever course of "study" meets your fancy. Here, we are concerned about the fact that OUR MONEY goes to pay for it.
Posted by: DeadManVoting (aka Iguana) on February 15, 2005 01:32 PM..You mean there's an UPSIDE to pornography???
...I wish EWU could have a speaker who is inspiring and uplifting. How great would THAT be for the students? But this other stuff is just depraved and depressing. This is very illuminating as to what kind of person is making the decisions to invite these warped minds to EWU
In many libraries (public and higher ed)around the state, porn is a publicly funded habit that is permitted. Seattle Public Libraries offer it to kids. Many public library systems offer it to those 17 and older, in libraries full of kids. Sex offenders and others can pig out at the public porn trough. This has led to a lot of uncomfortable and unsafe situations where porn users display their materials (on screens and printouts left around the building) and behaviors(at terminals and in bathrooms), too often in the presence of kids, who may or may not have adult supervision. Some users have even pulled up illegal porn on library computers.
A few library systems such as Tacoma, Puyallup, and Wenatchee don't provide porn or prohibit access. But the majority in our state do provide and permit porn surfing, even violent porn. I'd like to see an end to this public subsidy, and support porn free public institutions.
Posted by: Margaret on February 15, 2005 01:49 PMPornography is insidious, addictive, and pervasive in American society. I disagree that "Pornography is easy enough to avoid if it offends you." Perhaps if one doesn't read any recent American fiction, views no recent American movies, does not own a television set, never searches for anything with Google, or Yahoo (just the results can sometimes be pornographic in nature), and never looks at the Abercrombie and Fitch catalog (I haven't, but have read it borders on child pornography).
I suppose it depends on your definition of pornography (Seattle public access TV?).
What was considered pornography a few years ago is considered "artistic" today. What is deemed legally obscene (very little, I think) does not include everything that could be regarded as pornographic in nature. I have even read about at least one college offering a class in viewing and critiquing pornography films. That truly is obscene.
The names of companies that are involved in this multi-billion dollar "industry" might surprise the average person.
Posted by: JG on February 15, 2005 02:07 PMYour advice to Matt is "Just don't go." Did you not read his post? You missed his point entirely. He said he didn't have a problem with Ron Jeremy speaking. The concern is with the curriculum at a state funded university. Being tax payers that support these universities we all have a stake in what is being taught. And as we all know or are finding out there is a whole lot of crappola being taught. Critics love to talk about the unemployment rate but look at some of the majors these days, these people are practically unemployable. What real skills or knowledge do they gain and in what fields is it applicable?
Posted by: Daryl on February 15, 2005 02:30 PMYour complaints about "entirely bogus majors" and "mush minded courses" might carry a bit more weight if you weren't in the same breath defending bringing entirely bogus and mush-minded speakers like Jeremy and Churchill on campus. Oh, and not just bringing but PAYING them as well! Apparently you not only endorse them but feel they bring something of educational VALUE as well? What, pray tell???
Posted by: Chuck Miller on February 15, 2005 02:59 PMGovernmental Plunder
While establishing the inherent harmony of voluntary trade, Bastiat also explained how governmental resource allocation is necessarily antagonistic and destructive of the free market s natural harmony. Since government produces no wealth of its own, it must necessarily take from some to give to others robbing Peter to pay Paul is the essence of government, as Bastiat described it. Moreover, as special-interest groups seek more and more of other peoples money through the aegis of the state, they undermine the productive capacities of the free market by engaging in politics rather than in productive behavior. "The state," wrote Bastiat, "is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else."[12]
Bastiat is perhaps best known for his work in the field of political economy the study of the interaction between the economy and the state as opposed to pure economic theory. He sought to understand how the state operated what incentives drive it and he did so as well as anyone ever has. There is no space here for a in-depth discussion of Bastiat's ideas on political economy, but a few examples will suffice. Government was necessary, according to Bastiat, but only if restricted to its "essential" functions. He believed that "no society can exist unless the laws are respected to a certain degree," but at the same time that could only occur if the laws themselves were respectable.[13]
The moral justification for a law, moreover, can never be based on a majority vote, because "since no individual has the right to enslave another individual, then no group of individuals can possibly have such a right."[14] All income redistribution through majoritarian democracy is therefore "legal plunder" and is, by definition, immoral.
The slogan, "if goods don t cross borders, armies will," is often attributed to Bastiat because he so forcefully made the case that free trade was perhaps the surest route to peace as well as prosperity. He understood that throughout history, tariffs had been a major cause of war. Protectionism, after all, is an attempt by governments to inflict on their own citizens in peacetime the same kinds of harm their enemies attempt (with naval blockades) during wars.
Competitive Discovery
Bastiat understood that free-market competition was a "dynamic discovery procedure," to use a Hayekian phrase, in which individuals strove to coordinate their plans to achieve their economic goals. All forms of government intervention interrupt and distort that process because once a law or regulation is issued, "the people no longer need to discuss, to compare, to plan ahead; the law does all this for them. Intelligence becomes a useless prop for the people; they cease to be men; they lose their personality, their liberty, their property."[15]
Regards,
Graham
Try: women and children.
----------------------------
As an alum ('81 - CS degree)of EWU, I always get their appeals for funding, and as an alum I always write back to tell them that until they clean up their act and quit with all the PC and multiculturalism trash, they won't get a dime. Falls on deaf ears. I'm embarrassed by these twits masquerading as "professors"...
Posted by: Steve Egan on February 15, 2005 08:36 PMPoint taken. I expected to be smacked for that. ;^O
The liberal lie: If you only are hurting yourself, and it feels good, do it.
The awful truth: When you hurt yourself, you hurt your family, which in turn hurts your community and damages society.
Posted by: Splatter on February 15, 2005 09:14 PM[What's really sad is that schools today teach that debt is good (for your "future") and degrees are needed to get good jobs. Not that they will guarantee a job, let alone that such a job will quickly pay off the loans.]
Toffler was right on, when he wrote in 1980: "mass education ... taught ... three courses: one in punctuality, one in obedience, and one in rote, repetitive work." (The Third Wave) We are being raised as generations of humanoid robots, bidding the master's commands (at school and at work). "I owe, I owe, I owe, so off to work I go..."
Orwell's 1984 became true -- it's just that we don't know any better....
Posted by: DannyHSDad on February 16, 2005 05:41 AM