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JosephKnecht

Cornel West resigns from Harvard due to spiritual rot!

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Some of his complaints seem related to salary, category his courses were put under, tenure, etc. Maybe other forum members know more about these.

Complaining about not receiving condolences on his mother's death... that's not something colleagues are obliged to do and that's not something related to the profession. I don't think that's something to complain about. It is something people give on their own free accord... one doesn't expect it from people. I thought it was weird of him to say that. On the other hand, congratulating someone on career advancement is way more normal in a work setting.

I thought it was revealing and kind of petty that he focuses so much on this and compares it to career advancement, and counts the number of replies. 


“Many talk like philosophers yet live like fools.” — Proverb

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1 hour ago, Derek White said:

Complaining about not receiving condolences on his mother's death... that's not something colleagues are obliged to do and that's not something related to the profession.

It a human thing to do ain't it. I mean for a human who is in a community of any sort with a shared goal and aim that goes through the same thing.

I mean we shouldn't be so alienated and atomised in our work environments under the veneer of professionalism that we forget that we are part of the same community that goes through the same things in their environment and are also part of other communities. 

It's the sweeping away of the humanity of a colleague and viewing him only through that lense as competitor for advancement at work or a fellow machine performing his given function pulling in the hours. 

This exactly what he categorised under the spiritual rot that is caused by narcisstic academic professionalism moved forward by exclusively market incentives and self-serving promises and interests of career advancement and being stuck in that bubble fostered by the institution itself and repressing human co-operative and communitarian impulses with other colleagues. 

Edited by Milos Uzelac

"Keep your eye on the ball. " - Michael Brooks 

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42 minutes ago, Milos Uzelac said:

It a human thing to do ain't it. I mean for a human who is in a community of any sort with a shared goal and aim that goes through the same thing.

I mean we shouldn't be so alienated and atomised in our work environments under the veneer of professionalism that we forget that we are part of the same community that goes through the same things in their environment and are also part of other communities. 

It's the sweeping away of the humanity of a colleague and viewing him only through that lense as competitor for advancement at work or a fellow machine performing his given function pulling in the hours. 

This exactly what he categorised under the spiritual rot that is caused by narcisstic academic professionalism moved forward by exclusively market incentives and self-serving promises and interests of career advancement and being stuck in that bubble fostered by the institution itself and repressing human co-operative and communitarian impulses with other colleagues. 

In my opinion, there are much more serious difficulties people face in work, like unfair job treatment, delayed salaries, no benefits, no unions, working in sweatshops, lack of safety regulations, corruption, abuse, racism, etc. All this is peanuts compared to colleagues not sending condolences. I don’t expect colleagues to do that, or wish me happy birthday or bring me presents on Christmas. That’s a very high expectation for any work environment.  That’s something I expect close friends to do.

I mean, in which work environment do they do that? Unless you’re a part of a tight-nit small business with family and friends, it’s doesn’t happen anywhere around the world. In my opinion, his expectations are too high, judging from a more global perspective. 

Edited by Derek White

“Many talk like philosophers yet live like fools.” — Proverb

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39 minutes ago, Derek White said:

there are much more serious difficulties people face in work, like unfair job treatment, delayed salaries, no benefits, no unions, working in sweatshops, lack of safety regulations, corruption, abuse, racism, etc. All this is peanuts compared to colleagues not sending condolences.

Yes this all true. But, never mind that most academic settings, positions and jobs don't suffer through these problems and that they should supposedly foster higher consciousness and conscientiousness towards other humans and the world through the nature and aim of their work and yet the atmosphere is like Cornel described people wallowing exclusively in their own self-interest by using this veneer and institutional norms of this construct of academic professionalism to justify not reflecting more on the latter.

Even in those hard and tough work environments, far from the privileges that come with the academic ones, people should also have the consciousness of their shared solidarity and struggle of going through the same things together exactly as people and fellow workers and to foster close friendships and alliances that would reflect their shared struggles and tribulations in the same work environment as form collective response to their same position at work and not wallow only in their own self-interest with shallow hope a miniscule possibility of even a slight advancement. Solidarity at work with colleagues should ideally resemble a friendship,not necessarily a close one, between humans in the work environments that you mentioned since they are all in the end part of the same workers community that are tied to other communities in that end. And the slight material advancements and things they might lose might be nothing in compared to the dignity and humanity they gain if they act and treat one another as a part of the same extended community together with their families and co-workers.

This might all sound like idealistic and naive on first glance from lived experience view of working in such environments but what would the people lose and gain from fostering and creating such a work culture in such work environments, historically, powerful workers unions and their strong leadership would take upon the task to create and maintain such a work culture based on the shared interests and solidarity of all the workers. 

The bar set for a privileged academic setting than should be even higher given the nature of work they perform in society and Cornel is right should be even more impenetrable to other interests anc selfish exclusive self-interest given their role in the wider system. 

That's my two cents on it on reducing work environments to such an inescapable and alienating place with no place for improvement of human to human interactions and humanising work relationships. 

Edited by Milos Uzelac

"Keep your eye on the ball. " - Michael Brooks 

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A fine example of integrity.

Although I agree, his mother's death is irrelevant here.

Just goes to show how academia isn't a place for serious intellectuals, philosophers, or spiritual practitioners.

Cornel West should just lecture on YT. Why the fuck does he need Harvard? That's some elitist nonsense he got tied up with.


You are God. You are Truth. You are Love. You are Infinity.

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Harvard is the worst elitist institution.

It's just a badge.

Good on this guy to be able to stand against a rotting institution like that 

Academics is dying without sentiment and spirituality.

These people are simply stage Orange ego driven and very dogmatic.

 

Okie, what do we have here?......that's Harvard for ya.

 

5gertt.jpg

 

 


INFJ-T,ptsd,BPD, autism, anger issues

Cleared out ignore list today. 

..

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