Comments on: The University in Chains http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/the-university-in-chains/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:18:27 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Anon E. Muss http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/the-university-in-chains/#comment-10509 Anon E. Muss Mon, 10 Dec 2007 04:11:35 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/the-university-in-chains/#comment-10509 thanks for the article. i didn't read this book, but i was supposed to for one of my courses. this summed up the main arguments quite nicely! thanks for the article.
i didn’t read this book, but i was supposed to for one of my courses.
this summed up the main arguments quite nicely!

]]> By: hp http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/the-university-in-chains/#comment-3892 hp Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:14:01 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/the-university-in-chains/#comment-3892 "They' who control (own) the Fed, the banks, the news, the movies and the publishing houses obviously control what is taught and learned in our so-called institutions of learning, whether they be kindergarten or Harvard. It ain't rocket science. P.S. Every country in this world is free, if you have money. “They’ who control (own) the Fed, the banks, the news, the movies and the publishing houses obviously control what is taught and learned in our so-called institutions of learning, whether they be kindergarten or Harvard.
It ain’t rocket science.

P.S. Every country in this world is free, if you have money.

]]> By: David Kennedy http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/the-university-in-chains/#comment-3855 David Kennedy Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:09:54 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/the-university-in-chains/#comment-3855 There is an old saying "The man who pays the piper calls the tune". I think that sums it up very succinctly. Education is vital to society, especially in this industrial age. Control of education is of primary importance. In Britain, industrial bosses have played a major role in lobbying government about 'what they want'. Because compulsory education is largely paid for by the taxpayer, directing education to the needs of industry represents a massive subsidy that is largely unrecognised. The situation gets worse in higher education, which, in many ways, acts as a sump of unemployment by which hundreds of thousands of young people are taken out of the labour market for 3 or 4 years at their own expense and 'trained' to be of eventual use to industry. In recent years the government has bowed lower and lower to the demands of employers. Courses are unashamedly designed to meet the needs of the economy rather than the intellectual development of the learners. Research has become largely dependent on cash from industry and the set-up is that researchers are paid ridiculous low stipends to carry out work for industry. Once again, this represents a massive subsidy to industry from the labour of the researchers. One hears little nowadays about the subject of 'academic freedom', the matter having seemingly been settled when the funding arrangement of higher education changed some twenty years ago. A purely capitalist system has been introduced that makes no pretence other than that industry and the economy are in control. Because of this, there is at least the risk that research findings are influenced by the wishes of the sponsor. In any case it becomes difficult to be sure that commercial considerations have not played some part in the final presentation of research findings. Honest and disinterested research may still be the norm, but can it still be seen to be the norm? This is a fault of the system and NOT that of the researchers. The pressures the latter are under can be very subtle indeed. The situation is paralleled in the Health Service where doubt may be cast on the integrity of medical practitioners when financial considerations dominate decisions. Taxpayers deserve a better deal than can ever be provided by the 'profit motive'. This applies to health, education and many other public services through which consumers can be held to ransom because they have no 'real' choice. The time is surely ripe to re-consider the direction in which we are now moving at an ever-increasing rate. There is an old saying “The man who pays the piper calls the tune”.
I think that sums it up very succinctly.

Education is vital to society, especially in this industrial age. Control of education is of primary importance. In Britain, industrial bosses have played a major role in lobbying government about ‘what they want’. Because compulsory education is largely paid for by the taxpayer, directing education to the needs of industry represents a massive subsidy that is largely unrecognised.

The situation gets worse in higher education, which, in many ways, acts as a sump of unemployment by which hundreds of thousands of young people are taken out of the labour market for 3 or 4 years at their own expense and ‘trained’ to be of eventual use to industry.

In recent years the government has bowed lower and lower to the demands of employers. Courses are unashamedly designed to meet the needs of the economy rather than the intellectual development of the learners. Research has become largely dependent on cash from industry and the set-up is that researchers are paid ridiculous low stipends to carry out work for industry. Once again, this represents a massive subsidy to industry from the labour of the researchers.

One hears little nowadays about the subject of ‘academic freedom’, the matter having seemingly been settled when the funding arrangement of higher education changed some twenty years ago. A purely capitalist system has been introduced that makes no pretence other than that industry and the economy are in control. Because of this, there is at least the risk that research findings are influenced by the wishes of the sponsor. In any case it becomes difficult to be sure that commercial considerations have not played some part in the final presentation of research findings. Honest and disinterested research may still be the norm, but can it still be seen to be the norm? This is a fault of the system and NOT that of the researchers. The pressures the latter are under can be very subtle indeed.

The situation is paralleled in the Health Service where doubt may be cast on the integrity of medical practitioners when financial considerations dominate decisions.

Taxpayers deserve a better deal than can ever be provided by the ‘profit motive’. This applies to health, education and many other public services through which consumers can be held to ransom because they have no ‘real’ choice. The time is surely ripe to re-consider the direction in which we are now moving at an ever-increasing rate.

]]> By: Antonio Bernal http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/the-university-in-chains/#comment-3850 Antonio Bernal Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:17:19 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/08/the-university-in-chains/#comment-3850 Some one in academe should make a study of the military-industrial takeover of Hollywood. Everything Americans know, all history, all science, all politics, all knowledge of the world comes from "action-adventure, sci-fi and fantasy." This is why Americans think they are supreme and invincible, the thinnest and the wisest. They live in 3 and 4 story houses with 4 and 5 car garages, or alternately on the entire 25th floor of an apartment overlooking the river. They never work and they never eat (watch any scene in a restaurant). There is always "number one" and the people around him/her, all united against "the losers," who are in addition dangerous. This "our way of life" fantasy is what is being protected. There is no humanity on the street-they are all drug-dealing thugs, and they will shoot you and knife you and never think twice. The great accomplishment of the 60s (sarcasm) is that it's not about race any more. There is always a sprinkling of coloreds, gays and women, but NOTHING has changed. The enemy is out there. There is a consumerist class to protect, by gum. Every single movie, one way or another, tells you so. Some one in academe should make a study of the military-industrial takeover of Hollywood. Everything Americans know, all history, all science, all politics, all knowledge of the world comes from “action-adventure, sci-fi and fantasy.” This is why Americans think they are supreme and invincible, the thinnest and the wisest. They live in 3 and 4 story houses with 4 and 5 car garages, or alternately on the entire 25th floor of an apartment overlooking the river. They never work and they never eat (watch any scene in a restaurant). There is always “number one” and the people around him/her, all united against “the losers,” who are in addition dangerous. This “our way of life” fantasy is what is being protected. There is no humanity on the street-they are all drug-dealing thugs, and they will shoot you and knife you and never think twice. The great accomplishment of the 60s (sarcasm) is that it’s not about race any more. There is always a sprinkling of coloreds, gays and women, but NOTHING has changed. The enemy is out there. There is a consumerist class to protect, by gum. Every single movie, one way or another, tells you so.

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