# Question for college professors: What should a conservative do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 23, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099 "2019-08-23T13:36:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/101 "2019-08-26T22:16:22Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > How is this hypothetical liberal professor “targeting” their conservative students? Several people have asked that. I don’t think we’ve seen an answer yet, though maybe I’ve missed it. > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Most colleges tilt to the left. That’s the truth. My conservative brother in law once said to me that he was puzzled that most of the intelligent people he knew were liberals. I said to him that that was an opening so wide I wasn’t even going to bother to walk into it. (Intelligence certainly doesn’t correlate anywhere near perfectly with going to college; but I think in this case the principle’s the same.) – I have no idea whether most colleges tilt left or not, and it probably depends both on where one draws the line between left and right, and whether one’s talking about the faculty or the student body or the trustees, who might or might not agree with each other. But if people in the business of knowing things do tend to that political bent: consider the possibility that the cause and effect relationship may be that truth might, indeed, have a liberal bias. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/102 "2019-08-26T22:20:48Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > And you know this [bolded sentence] how? Why else would public universities knowingly violate the law? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/103 "2019-08-26T22:24:40Z")
**Question for college professors: What should a conservative do?** ’ That question is hypothetical. Mine is real. What should colleges do when the state legislature cuts funding to the state colleges because the idiots in the legislature, _many of whom got their degrees from those same schools_, want to teach those damn liberals a lesson? And to top it off, [they pass a law authorizing the state schools to charge students higher tuition](https://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20180709/law-will-allow-higher-education-to-recover-cuts-through-tuition)? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/104 "2019-08-26T23:13:03Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > … What should colleges do when the state legislature cuts funding to the state colleges … My vote? Fire a bunch of the faculty. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/105 "2019-08-26T23:43:17Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > **Question for college professors: What should a conservative do?** ’ > > That question is hypothetical. Mine is real. > > What should colleges do when the state legislature cuts funding to the state colleges because the idiots in the legislature, _many of whom got their degrees from those same schools_, want to teach those damn liberals a lesson? And to top it off, [they pass a law authorizing the state schools to charge students higher tuition](https://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20180709/law-will-allow-higher-education-to-recover-cuts-through-tuition)? As Hurricane Ditka and Urbanredneck are so aptly demonstrating, the Republican party has become the anti-higher education party. When one side begins with the premise that education is bad, it’s difficult to counter with reason. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/106 "2019-08-27T00:19:27Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > As Hurricane Ditka and Urbanredneck are so aptly demonstrating, the Republican party has become the anti-higher education party. It’s not about what’s best for the students: it’s about punishing liberals for being liberal. College faculty tend to be Democrats? Then cut funding to public colleges and universities and fire a bunch of the faculty. That’ll show 'em. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/107 "2019-08-27T00:40:20Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > Most faculty tilt left because educated people tend to tilt left. Apart from the occasional ideological diatribes, left or right, in the classroom, it doesn’t much affect the work we do. > [@Emiliana](#): > > As Hurricane Ditka and Urbanredneck are so aptly demonstrating, the Republican party has become the anti-higher education party. When one side begins with the premise that education is bad, it’s difficult to counter with reason. You can tell yourself whatever you want to comfort yourself. It’s not that education is bad. Liberals are bad. “Education” / academia (at least the modern-day American version), is infested with liberals. It’d be alright if we could get rid of them. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/108 "2019-08-27T01:18:04Z")
University professors tend to lean left for the same reason reporters do. **They’re professional finders of fact.** ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/109 "2019-08-27T01:18:25Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > It’s not that education is bad. Liberals are bad. “Education” / academia (at least the modern-day American version), is infested with liberals. It’d be alright if we could get rid of them. And since you know you **can’t** get rid of liberals in education—because a very large number of smart, well-informed, intellectually gifted people have a liberal worldview, and modern conservatism in many respects is actively repelling smart, well-informed, intellectually gifted people—you figure that the next best thing is to destroy and undermine education itself as much as you can. Liberals aren’t the ones who look bad in that scenario. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/110 "2019-08-27T01:23:11Z")
Seems like a perfect opportunity to get rich for the enterprising conservative. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/111 "2019-08-27T01:27:52Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > Seems like a perfect opportunity to get rich for the enterprising conservative. That’s a good point. There’s nothing stopping a conservative from starting an institution of higher education that caters to conservatives. You could do it mostly online for not a huge investment. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/112 "2019-08-27T01:30:10Z")
I mean Bob Jones and Liberty are doing well. Seems like if the parents just worked a little harder they could have sent their kids there. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/113 "2019-08-27T01:35:46Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > You can tell yourself whatever you want to comfort yourself. It’s not that education is bad. Liberals are bad. “Education” / academia (at least the modern-day American version), is infested with liberals. It’d be alright if we could get rid of them. And replace them with who, exactly? I’ve heard multiple conservatives complain that going into education (at any level) is stupid, because if one is going to spend all that money to get an advanced degree, one is an idiot not to go into the private sector, where the pay is much better. My wife had multiple degrees and taught in public schools for 35 years, and she endured people telling her that for. . . 35 years. Of course, there are some conservatives who go into education just for the opportunity to spread their world view to a generation of young minds. But that just flips **Urbandreck’s** hypothetical shoe on to the other foot, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/114 "2019-08-27T03:09:20Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > University professors tend to lean left for the same reason reporters do. **They’re professional finders of fact.** LOL at that “definition” for both university professors & reporters. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/115 "2019-08-27T03:09:41Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > I mean Bob Jones and Liberty are doing well. Seems like if the parents just worked a little harder they could have sent their kids there. As the University of Phoenix and others have shown, there is money to be made in tertiary education. And Bob Jones, Liberty, and some other conservative universities are full, so there is presumably unmet demand. It would seem someone could gather up the conservative academics feeling stifled in liberal institutions and have a nice little business educating the masses of conservative students who aren’t being well served by current options. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/116 "2019-08-27T03:11:01Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > LOL at that “definition” for both university professors & reporters. :rolleyes: Your answer is as asinine as it is predictable. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/117 "2019-08-27T03:18:30Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > Your answer is as asinine as it is predictable. It’s no less asinine than your belief about what professors and reporters are. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/118 "2019-08-27T03:29:49Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > It’s no less asinine than your belief about what professors and reporters are. Clearly, reporters and academics can’t be fact finders, because they’re liberals. And we know they’re liberals because they don’t find facts that agree with conservatives. Does that pretty much sum up your reasoning, such as it is? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/119 "2019-08-27T04:35:30Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > As Hurricane Ditka and Urbanredneck are so aptly demonstrating, the Republican party has become the anti-higher education party. When one side begins with the premise that education is bad, it’s difficult to counter with reason. A recent poll showed a majority of Republicans believe that colleges and universities are bad for society. [https://thehill.com/homenews/news/341305-poll-most-republicans-say-colleges-have-negative-impact-on-us](https://thehill.com/homenews/news/341305-poll-most-republicans-say-colleges-have-negative-impact-on-us) ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2019, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099/120 "2019-08-27T05:09:29Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > Clearly, reporters and academics can’t be fact finders, because they’re liberals. And we know they’re liberals because they don’t find facts that agree with conservatives. > > Does that pretty much sum up your reasoning, such as it is? No. It’s not that they “can’t be”. They _could_ be. They just aren’t, more often than not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-college-professors-what-should-a-conservative-do/839099.md?page=7)