I find it almost mystifying that so many students are protesting business when the real target of their angst should be Academia – particuarly academic scientific research. Where else is there such blatant exploitation of the young by the old? Universities constantly raise tuition so that campuses can look more and more like 4 star resorts (see prior blogpost. Universities are all about creating your ‘experience’ (read future alumni donor) while the primary mission of providing a challenging education creating nuanced minds and deep thinkers becomes a sideline (or maybe a sideshow?). But even I have to admire the real cleverness with which they hoodwink students into believeing the real villain is the institution that loans you the funds to pay for the extravagant costs. The real outrage should be why listening to re-cycled lectures should cost $50 K per year – lectures delivered by professors very used to living in posh houses, dining at nice restuarants, and collecting wine. WHere is the outrage?? For the rest of us non-students — we should be equally outraged that our tax dollars are pouring into more and more buildings housing more and more research in a self-driven expansion of knowledge only a fraction of which is applicable to the very real and important problems facing humankind. Time to stop believing universities are “cool” – they are now pure business and no kinder and gentler than any other.
No agendas, only honest talk at the intersection of science and society.