No longer just a "potential" experiment

[den_mother]

A while back I mentioned how I wanted to do a little experiment to see if conservative postings at such places as on the wall beside the elevator buttons in Haley would be allowed to stay up the same as more liberal event announcements and postings. I didn’t do it back then, partly out of the reason that if I did it that way, it would be being

Comments

Re: interesting theory

[den_mother]

The people who told me about it did not tell me who it was, but most of the people relaying these stories to me are liberals themselves (cause, you know, odds are they will be). I don't think that the tendency to feel entitled to take other people's advertisements down is a common one. Most people will look at it, maybe be a little aggrevated, but not touch it. I could probably generate a list of 5-10 names of people likely to feel entitled to take them down, and out of such a large department, that's really not so many.

Still, I'm amused. Three more were missing today, including the one I posted next to the feminist film festival flier (which is still in exactly the same place).

And don't think for a second that I think that either of you would ever have done this. Both of you have mucho respect for other people & their viewpoints, as do a lot of people in the department. But the people who do feel they have a right to remove the things they find offensive do exist, and there are quite a few of them around. For instance, the guy who had a hissy fit the other day in the copy room when the copier ran out of paper, blaming it on the "f-ing Republicans" who are always stuffing too much paper into the copier and making it jam up, etc.

Re: interesting theory

[getmeout]

Yeah, I didn't figure you would take us for tearer-downers :-) The dude at the copy machine just sounds like a nut-job. I think what you might be experiencing, in part, is not really liberal versus conservative, Dem versus Rep, but more the odd-ball nature of English Departments :-) There are always some crazy folks in the ranks, and goodness knows your workplace has had its share. From Mr. Fanny-pack who was rumored to be living in his office (he's overseas teaching now, I think) to other instructors who are rumored to smoke all manner of illegal substances with their students. And that's just on the 8th floor!

I know that when I was on board there I actually felt like the faculty were largely apathetic to real issues--if it wasn't CV generating, it wasn't worth worrying about. Well, unless you are from a different country and want to complain about the one you're in, as well as try to say that your colleagues suck as teachers (yeah, I know she went around saying I never did jack).

I'm so glad I'm off that hamster wheel. The hamster ball is much better--I can roll all over the room now, and I'm well protected :-)

Re: interesting theory

[eal]

okay, I don't know about getmeout but I'd love to see your list (and know who was blaming the Republicans for paper jams).

Based on who I remember from the department, I can make my own little list -- happy to share via email if you want. :)

M