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re: Why Scientists and extremely smart people are usually socialist/leftist
Posted on 8/30/14 at 8:08 pm to LSUOilman
Posted on 8/30/14 at 8:08 pm to LSUOilman
quote:
also, btw, most engineers lean right.
That's because they are expected to get design and implement project without injury or fatality, on a pre-determined budget, and if they don't they are held responsible.
Posted on 8/30/14 at 8:40 pm to LordSaintly
quote:
The quality of life in academia is very comfortable. Teach 2-3 classes a semester, no 8 hour work days, summers off, etc.
You have no clue what you are talking about.
I work in Academia (sciences). Most professors in my dept work 60+ hours a week in a pretty stressful setting of research, teaching, and service.
This post was edited on 8/30/14 at 8:42 pm
Posted on 8/31/14 at 12:12 am to LSU Piston
quote:
Most professors in my dept work 60+ hours a week
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/icons/surprised.gif)
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/icons/surprised.gif)
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/icons/surprised.gif)
If true, that is very unusual.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 12:13 am to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
Why Scientists and extremely smart people are usually socialist/leftist
Most have very little real world economic experience and most also love government money.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 12:46 am to WeeWee
quote:stop already. shite you believe isn't true just because you believe it.
Most have very little real world economic experience and most also love government money.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 1:01 am to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
This explains why SpidermanTUba things the way he does.
HailHail! How fricking DARE you! The way I thing is between my wife and I!
This post was edited on 8/31/14 at 1:02 am
Posted on 8/31/14 at 1:14 am to Sellecks Moustache
quote:There is also the fact that until relatively recently those who pursued careers in academia were poorly paid compared to those who went to work in private industry. They were upset that people they considered inferior to themselves were making more money, and they supported policies to reverse those circumstances. Some of it was plain old jealousy. Now that tenured faculty are making much better money I expect to see some changes to the politics of the academic community in the coming years.
It's because they're pretentious asses who think they know what is best for the people, even more so than the people themselves.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 8:28 am to NC_Tigah
quote:
If true, that is very unusual.
I'm telling ya...in my dept you would be hard pressed to find a full-time faculty member work less than 50 hours/6 days a week during the fall/spring semesters. Its non-stop. The research, and competition for funding is a full-time commitment alone, not to mention teaching, service, traveling for conferences, etc hampering efforts.
When I was in Grad School, I used to get emails from my major advisor at all times of day/night. 1, 2, 3 in the A.M. during the week. All he did was work.
To add to this, I know someone that recently landed a full-time position at a prestigious school on the East Coast (in the sciences, not an Ivy League school). She just received tenure, and she told me that up until tenure she literally worked from 6 AM to 7-8 PM, 6 days a week. It can be a huge grind. The 'cushy' academic position is largely a thing of the past. It may exist in some schools and/or some departments, but a blanket statement definitely can not be made. A lot of these people work their asses off. Faculty members are asked to do more and more, with budget cuts, lack of resources, etc.
This post was edited on 8/31/14 at 8:46 am
Posted on 8/31/14 at 9:26 am to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
extremely smart people
Its all relative. If you were trapped on an isolated island with nothing more than several bags of vegetable seeds, would you rather have Richard Dawkins as your island mate or Joe the farmer.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 9:46 am to Teddy Ruxpin
quote:
As a holder of a professional degree(and therefore experience with the "type"), this is pretty much it. Many truly believe they are smart enough to figure out what's best for everyone. They believe that if they read about being a mechanic, they could pass a regulation to make repair shops run better. They don't require experience, just their perfect brains. And for some, the whole time they don't realize how little they think/respect the people they wish to regulate.
Ditto.
Working in higher ed for over nearly a decade while attaining a PhD, this is my contribution to this topic.
quote:
And God forbid someone thinks differently, you must be crazy.
It is worse than that now. Think differently and you can be randomly labeled a racist, homophobe, xenophobe, etc. Doesn't matter what topic it is.
quote:
However, in the end they are still by and large generally good people who contribute economically to society, so that's alright by me
My problem is that a lot of them do not live in reality. When you are being paid with someone else's money, you think differently. I know my attitude and political views COMPLETELY changed when I got out of the public sector.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 9:52 am to redandright
quote:
also, btw, most engineers lean right. That's because they are expected to get design and implement project without injury or fatality, on a pre-determined budget, and if they don't they are held responsible.
This is true. My bro is an engineer. He says this all the time when discussing politics.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 9:58 am to EZE Tiger Fan
To all,
I once referred to David Brooks (before he went to the NYT and became a liberal) on this topic. It really made sense to me. A summary from memory:
Academics in the social sciences and serious journalists fancy themselves to be very intelligent people. They have social interactions with people who make much more money. Visualize a cocktail party in Manhattan for some cause.
They hobnob with bankers, businessmen, CEOs, etc. and come away thinking "I'm just as smart as they are...but they drive off to their mansion in a BMW while I drive to my apartment in a Honda Civic. Life is not fair!"
Now, which group is obsessed with "Life is not fair and it should be made fair" ? Liberals. So, these people are naturally drawn to socialism/leftism.
I once referred to David Brooks (before he went to the NYT and became a liberal) on this topic. It really made sense to me. A summary from memory:
Academics in the social sciences and serious journalists fancy themselves to be very intelligent people. They have social interactions with people who make much more money. Visualize a cocktail party in Manhattan for some cause.
They hobnob with bankers, businessmen, CEOs, etc. and come away thinking "I'm just as smart as they are...but they drive off to their mansion in a BMW while I drive to my apartment in a Honda Civic. Life is not fair!"
Now, which group is obsessed with "Life is not fair and it should be made fair" ? Liberals. So, these people are naturally drawn to socialism/leftism.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 10:27 am to NC_Tigah
quote:
Most professors in my dept work 60+ hours a week
quote:
If true, that is very unusual.
That's not true at all, NC. Professors, especially in the physical sciences looking for tenure, often work very hard.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 11:16 am to TK421
quote:As a an all-inclusive generic, claims of a >60hr/wk was a 'stretch' (to be kind).
That's not true at all, NC. Professors, especially in the physical sciences looking for tenure
I appreciate the attempt to downqualify the initial claim and improve it's accuracy . . . e.g., "hard pressed to find a full-time faculty member work less than 50 hours/6 days a week during the fall/spring semesters," or "in the physical sciences," or looking for tenure.
Perhaps those attempting to gain tenure in physical sciences do work >50hr weeks during the 4month-long fall and spring semesters. OTOH, would you expand such a claim to tenured, non-physical science PhDs working during the summer?
Posted on 8/31/14 at 11:30 am to HailHailtoMichigan!
I am Libertarian, so that is one extremely smart person that is not socialist. I am the biggest fan of capitalism you will ever meet.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 11:37 am to NC_Tigah
quote:
Perhaps those attempting to gain tenure in physical sciences do work >50hr weeks during the 4month-long fall and spring semesters. OTOH, would you expand such a claim to tenured, non-physical science PhDs working during the summer?
I can really only speak to my experience. I deal exclusively with Physics and Chemistry professors and many of them, even those already with tenure, work more than 50 hours a week during the semester and at least 40 during the summer.
It may look otherwise at times because they are able to make their own hours, but there have been several times I've had a professor in the lab with me at 3 A.M. on the weekend. I'm not saying there are no lazy professors, I just don't believe that is generally the case.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 11:37 am to LordSaintly
quote:
no 8 hour work days, summers off, etc.
![](https://images.tigerdroppings.com/Images/Icons/Iconrotflmao.gif)
Summers off. That's hilarious. To do what?
I know some schools have 10 month contracts - but at LSU I can't think of a single academic I work with who takes summers off.
This post was edited on 8/31/14 at 11:43 am
Posted on 8/31/14 at 11:39 am to Reubaltaich
quote:
I remember when he was posting under one of his many alters, Ottothewide, he stated he was a welfare social worker in NOL
Sorry, I was never Otto.
If you can think of an alter you think I was, ask me and I'll answer honestly. Of the top of my head - OohPooPahDoo, ArakansasDon, JJSpinella, SpidermanOboe, MrLuce.
Posted on 8/31/14 at 11:41 am to TK421
quote:
That's not true at all, NC. Professors, especially in the physical sciences looking for tenure, often work very hard.
This is undoubtedly true. This is also true for most careers as a professional. I believe that people that are smart enough to become professors, physicians, lawyers, engineers, etc., should have chosen a career that, for the most part, they enjoy working long work weeks. I had a professor that would find time to work a little bit on holidays, not because he necessarily HAD to, but because he wanted to and loved his job.
Overall there are perks to being a professor, non-tenured or tenured, that are not always present in other careers (flexible daily schedule, summer teaching is extra, only REQUIRED to work when the academic schedule). Obviously, most work much more than required, but they have the flexibility of that schedule.
Not to mention the university setting has additional benefits. My friends with a young daughter recently started at their tenure-track positions at the same university (universities try to do spousal hiring whenever possible). Now they have free daycare for their daughter which saves them a lot of money. Not to mention they have access to other campus resources that would be an additional cost elsewhere (gym, library, software).
Posted on 8/31/14 at 11:46 am to buckeye_vol
quote:
Overall there are perks to being a professor, non-tenured or tenured, that are not always present in other careers (flexible daily schedule, summer teaching is extra, only REQUIRED to work when the academic schedule). Obviously, most work much more than required, but they have the flexibility of that schedule.
Where I'm at, summer teaching isn't "extra" - though often research grants award money for a professor to buy out his summer teaching responsibilities from the school, so that the professor can more heavily concentrate on the research over the summer. The school takes the money and hires an instructor in his place. This seems to be the usual story over the summer.
The amount of work required for tenure also varies considerably between disciplines and schools. Some school only hire professors directly into tenure. In LSU physics its 7 years from when you begin as an assistant prof to obtain tenure.
This post was edited on 8/31/14 at 11:48 am
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