The Closing of the University Commons

[nosmokes]

original-MRzine

The Closing of the University Commons
by Michael Perelman

The closing of the university commons should come as no surprise. Instead, we might do better to consider the brief opening in the 1960s as a dramatic break with a less pleasant but long-standing tradition -- one in which higher education in the United States was a site of intolerance rather than openness. Historically, the controlling forces of colleges and education were first the church and then wealthy individuals. Under their watch, dissent was effectively snuffed out. Universities were largely the domain of well-to-do students, often even in the land grant colleges, which were initially supposed to train people for the agrarian sector.

A series of fortuitous events disturbed this equilibrium. First, the Great Depression undermined faith in the market, while planning during World War II suggested an alternative to laissez-faire. Then the G.I. Bill opened up the universities to ordinary people to an unprecedented extent. Soon afterwards, universities were growing rapidly to accommodate a huge influx of baby boomers. Finally, the discrediting of McCarthyism briefly subdued the frequent witch hunts that traditionally maintained ideological purity on campus. A relative shortage of candidates for teaching positions made universities less careful about the political leanings of those whom they hired.

The early decades of the postwar period enjoyed one of the most prosperous periods in U.S. history -- so much so that economists typically refer to this time as the Golden Age. Profits were very high even though unemployment was low and union power was at its peak. Finally, vigorous economic activity meant that governments could afford to be relatively generous to higher education -- often in the name of national security.

These happy circumstances were not destined to last. By the late 1960s, the usually high profit rate was beginning to sag, marking the end of the Golden age. Activism seemed to be reaching epidemic proportions.
~snip~
.
.
.
complete article here

[Selatius]

1. George Carlin nailed it.

He said the owners of this country, the people who own the important land, the news corporations, and the resources of this country want workers who are smart enough to operate the machines and the office equipment but just dumb enough to accept their degraded station in life. They want obedient workers, not citizens who think critically. When people think critically, they start causing problems for the owners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9yvEMLXWjo

[bbgrunt]

2. amen. G Carlin is da man.

[Swamp Rat]

4. George Carlin is 100% correct.

I have watched that clip over and over. :)

[amandabeech]

3. The really bright working class kids mostly get co-opted with cash

and are tolerated at middling ranks of the system unless they are just too bright to ignore and somehow prove their loyalty unquestionably. Google "Joaquin Avila." They also have to be good actors. Passing isn't just for light-skinned blacks.

Others cannot get in because they don't have the right summer jobs and internships, which really count for a lot now. Working because you need to doesn't count for much.

Others simply do not know what is going on and think that they do.

The east coast is worse than the midwest, I think.

Speaking from experience.