# I knew it was too good to be true: my history teacher and hypocrisy. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 3, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-was-too-good-to-be-true-my-history-teacher-and-hypocrisy/288185 "2005-02-03T16:34:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-was-too-good-to-be-true-my-history-teacher-and-hypocrisy/288185/41 "2005-02-04T02:05:39Z")
It seems simple to me. The Prof said there were these cards. Ask him to produce one. BUSTED! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-was-too-good-to-be-true-my-history-teacher-and-hypocrisy/288185/42 "2005-02-04T03:21:03Z")
You and the Lt. Col should have told invited him over for dinner to discuss this like gentlemen while eating the Professor’s barbequed children. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-was-too-good-to-be-true-my-history-teacher-and-hypocrisy/288185/43 "2005-02-04T03:39:52Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Acadamia fosters such ignorance because there is little competitive advantage in correcting it. You’re an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![rorty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@rorty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rorty)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-was-too-good-to-be-true-my-history-teacher-and-hypocrisy/288185/44 "2005-02-04T04:18:12Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > You’re right that being a professor is real work and, even in college, which was a thoroughly miserable experience, I had some good ones. And non-coincidentally, I noticed a dramatic correlation: all the good professors had become prominent figures in their fields working in industry or government before ever becoming a teacher. By far, the most ignorant and incompotent teachers were those who had gone to college at 18 and simply never left. They were the ones who felt confident in standing in front of a class and spewing half-truths, misconceptions, urban legends and outright lies that even I, a mere Cecil-reading undergrad knew were bullshit. My experience is dramatically different from yours. I have found the best professors are those that have “gone to college at 18 and simply never left.” Those professors, in general, have been the most eye-opening, articulate, and engaging in my four years at university. Most importantly, they’ve been the most open-minded. If students felt the need to challenge a statement, the professors more than welcomed it. They enjoyed the student participation. To me, that is the mark of a great teacher. Perhaps you had bad experiences because you were studying computer science – a field that demands a great deal of “hands on” personal knowlege of the subject matter. Perhaps you simply had bad professors. Whatever the case may be, I suggest you not paint the entire academic world with such a wide and dismissive brush. There are very good professors out there that have never had a “real job.” I’m sorry you didn’t have any. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-was-too-good-to-be-true-my-history-teacher-and-hypocrisy/288185/45 "2005-02-04T04:31:36Z")
> [@Mentor and Liar](#): > > There may be more truth to it than you think. Thank you, I knew I hadn’t gone completely crazy! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![thursday\_next](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@thursday\_next](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thursday_next)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-was-too-good-to-be-true-my-history-teacher-and-hypocrisy/288185/46 "2005-02-04T16:34:59Z")
When I read **Airman’s** OP, I immediately thought of this [Lt. General](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4234751.stm) who is being discussed in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=300530) thread. He seems to have left his card at home for the panel discussion. :dubious: I’ve been very fortunate that the one good thing about U of H is that their history profs are pretty middle of the road (except this one guy who would probably drive most people here crazy). One day, when I’m 80 years old and finally a history prof, I promise to be a middle of the road one. I have a healthy respect for the military and stuff that is considered more liberal is interesting too. Best of luck in your class. I hope that this doesn’t reflect on your grade and that you can avoid him like the plague in the future. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![633squadron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/ee59a6/32.png) [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-was-too-good-to-be-true-my-history-teacher-and-hypocrisy/288185/47 "2005-02-05T06:20:57Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > And that’s fair enough. Note that I did say “in my experience”. I objected to the implication that we aren’t intelligent enough to give the “right” answers. If they’re issued to some people, well, that’s a point in his favor, I’m not ashamed to say. But it’s not universal by any means (especially since I had never heard of it), despite what he claims. And his patronizing “You haven’t been in the military recently” made me wish more than anything else in the world that I had been wearing my uniform. Random reactions: [ol] [li]Some academics love to spout off about everything. Hey, you don’t go into college teaching unless you have some strain of “know-it-all” in you. But many teachers manage to restrain it.[/li][li]Academics can be snooty. That makes their mis-statements even less easy to accept.[/li][li]The public doesn’t know a lot about the military.[/li][li]That’s true of lots of fields of endeavor. The public doesn’t know much about nuclear physics, either.[/li][li]This results in what I like to call the “Nicholson” phenomenon: “You can’t handle the truth!” The experts refuse to tell us everything because they fear we’ll blow it out of proportion.[/li][li]Which leads to the idea of factoid cards as well as confrontation.[/li][li]We all hate to be thought of as morons.[/li][li]Which means that it’s unfair for a professor to diss an important part of our life.[/li][li]And also means that it’s unfair for us to diss them back.[/li][/ol] As a high-school chum once advised me: “When in doubt, f\*\*k 'em with the facts.” Take a deep breath and tell what you know. Then sit down. Better than anything else. Leave 'em speechless. If I were another student in that class, I’d be listening to _you_ and not to the prof. Also get used to the idea that in college you’ll hear stuff that is just plain _wrong_, and stuff that you absolutely disagree with. If you are _not_ experiencing this, transfer. I, for one, hardly remember any of the specific facts I learned in college. I do remember that a history teacher taught me to look for the little clues that indicate a historian’s prejudices. A chemistry professor taught me the importance of elegance and craftsmanship. A math professor taught me (unintentionally) that a really smart professor who doesn’t give a damn about the subject is not a good teacher. I also learned that the ultimate pizza is mushrooms, ripe olives, and garlic. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-was-too-good-to-be-true-my-history-teacher-and-hypocrisy/288185/48 "2005-02-16T16:59:30Z")
I was wondering why he hadn’t shown up for class for a few days. The mystery has been solved. He was picked up for kiddy-diddling last week. :eek: Did he do it? I dunno. I’m just reporting the facts here. No matter what, though, my problem has been solved. Not in the manner that I would have preferred, but whattayagonnado? ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-was-too-good-to-be-true-my-history-teacher-and-hypocrisy/288185/49 "2005-02-16T18:41:59Z")
Well, that just goes to show you. Show what, I’ve no idea. Wow. I had a grad school classmate hauled out of class by the cops, but a prof arrested… now that’s something else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-knew-it-was-too-good-to-be-true-my-history-teacher-and-hypocrisy/288185.md?page=2)