Professor pushing politics. Report or leave it alone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In an MBA program, and as you likely know, businesspeople skew conservative. Fine. I’m taking an economics class, and my professor uses every opportunity to denigrate economic controls, government regulations, etc. He’s described Bernie Sanders as sympathetic to assassins and dismissed the Green New Deal as absurd (which it may be), and of AOC he questions the “wisdom and foresight” of a “29-year-old whose previous work experience was bartending.”

I think it’s one thing to foster healthy, fair debate on issues, but he’s so anti-liberal and frankly anti-government it’s becoming difficult to focus on the lessons. Should I talk to him? Talk to administration? Or just leave it alone?

I'm sure you've seen your fair share of liberal/leftist professors. What did you do in that case?

Believe it or not, the vast majority of liberal-leaning professors don't make blatantly partisan political statements, don't denigrate individual politicians, and don't push radical views about government. It's not germane to the material.

In my experience, most conservatives get triggered by liberal-leaning professors when the class begins the economic or historical analysis of economic and political decisions made by leaders/parties. But, at that point, you're examining historical records and the record is very poor for conservative leaders. Sad.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Yeah. I'll choose NOT.

Where on Earth did you go to college? Or have you just overwritten your memories?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In an MBA program, and as you likely know, businesspeople skew conservative. Fine. I’m taking an economics class, and my professor uses every opportunity to denigrate economic controls, government regulations, etc. He’s described Bernie Sanders as sympathetic to assassins and dismissed the Green New Deal as absurd (which it may be), and of AOC he questions the “wisdom and foresight” of a “29-year-old whose previous work experience was bartending.”

I think it’s one thing to foster healthy, fair debate on issues, but he’s so anti-liberal and frankly anti-government it’s becoming difficult to focus on the lessons. Should I talk to him? Talk to administration? Or just leave it alone?

Can you, at the end of the semester, send a letter to the department chair, saying that his emphasis on politics detracted from the subject matter he was supposed to teach? You're taking an economics class, after all, not a political science class. And your comment would apply just as much to a professor who was supposed to be teaching economics but instead spent all of his time talking about how Bernie Sanders's emphasis on economic factors over everything else in 2016 was correct and how AOC should be the next speaker of the House tomorrow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are you going to report? He's arguing in favor of capitalism and against regulation, which history has proven works??? You will look like an idiot. Stop judging from a snowflake perspective and you might actually learn something

Without regulations, you'd likely already be dead. Regulations gave us the seat belt and the airbag; it's not like capitalism magically willed those innovations into existence. And yes, the auto makers fought making these standard features. But they've now saved millions of lives.

Life is not full of binary choices. Capitalism is great because people need incentives to make the optimal life choices. But capitalism without guard rails is totalitarianism under another name.

[Anonymous]

Unless he lets his views affect his grading of those who disagree, I'd let it go.

While a K-12 teacher pushing a political viewpoint on minors would be completely inappropriate, I think once students are in college they're expected to have the maturity, basic knowledge, and judgement to tolerate exposure to strong viewpoints. Some of these may be conservative, some may be liberal (in today's political climate I'd generally expect more of the latter, but that will vary by institution).

[Anonymous]

Consider it an opportunity to learn about how other people think. Exposure to multiple sides of an issue is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In an MBA program, and as you likely know, businesspeople skew conservative. Fine. I’m taking an economics class, and my professor uses every opportunity to denigrate economic controls, government regulations, etc. He’s described Bernie Sanders as sympathetic to assassins and dismissed the Green New Deal as absurd (which it may be), and of AOC he questions the “wisdom and foresight” of a “29-year-old whose previous work experience was bartending.”

I think it’s one thing to foster healthy, fair debate on issues, but he’s so anti-liberal and frankly anti-government it’s becoming difficult to focus on the lessons. Should I talk to him? Talk to administration? Or just leave it alone?

I'm sure you've seen your fair share of liberal/leftist professors. What did you do in that case?

I have never experienced partisanship on this level - openly broadcast and discussed - by a professor while in class.

[Anonymous]

I'd wait til the end of the course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless he lets his views affect his grading of those who disagree, I'd let it go.

While a K-12 teacher pushing a political viewpoint on minors would be completely inappropriate, I think once students are in college they're expected to have the maturity, basic knowledge, and judgement to tolerate exposure to strong viewpoints. Some of these may be conservative, some may be liberal (in today's political climate I'd generally expect more of the latter, but that will vary by institution).

+1 Flaming liberal here. I would probably mention in the end of year review, but life is full of ranting weirdos, and the rants are only getting wilder. Treat this as a lesson in what it's going to be like once you're out in the real world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd wait til the end of the course.

This is OP and this is what I’m planning to do. Luckily it’s a summer class - only two weeks left - and I’ll make mention of the political fervor on the evaluation. Otherwise he’s fine - effective at instruction and teaching the concepts, but the anti-left rage is almost comical. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:report to whom? for what?

he has academic freedom. or at least he should.

--raging leftist

Academic freedom does not include being a bad teacher. It sounds like his comments are irrelevant and interfering with his presentation and discussion of the subject matter. I doubt most parents are eager to pay for their kids to learn from someone with the intellectual caliber of an inflammatory radio show host, liberal or conservative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In an MBA program, and as you likely know, businesspeople skew conservative. Fine. I’m taking an economics class, and my professor uses every opportunity to denigrate economic controls, government regulations, etc. He’s described Bernie Sanders as sympathetic to assassins and dismissed the Green New Deal as absurd (which it may be), and of AOC he questions the “wisdom and foresight” of a “29-year-old whose previous work experience was bartending.”

I think it’s one thing to foster healthy, fair debate on issues, but he’s so anti-liberal and frankly anti-government it’s becoming difficult to focus on the lessons. Should I talk to him? Talk to administration? Or just leave it alone?

I'm sure you've seen your fair share of liberal/leftist professors. What did you do in that case?

Believe it or not, the vast majority of liberal-leaning professors don't make blatantly partisan political statements, don't denigrate individual politicians, and don't push radical views about government. It's not germane to the material.

In my experience, most conservatives get triggered by liberal-leaning professors when the class begins the economic or historical analysis of economic and political decisions made by leaders/parties. But, at that point, you're examining historical records and the record is very poor for conservative leaders. Sad.

[b]Or they made blatantly partisan political statements that you wholeheartedly agreed with so didn't even notice?[/b]

This. This is the most likely scenario right here.

Not only do people no longer hear bias when people they agree with are speaking, but often times they seem not to even realize when the two sides have held the same positions/policies. Lately, the liberals are "newly woke" on things and are ignorantly oblivious that these policies are not new. At all. I had a convo with someone yesterday who referenced "Trump's kids in cages" and I nodded and said something along the lines of it being a terrible situation, no matter which administration was doing it. It was bad when Obama was president...and it is bad now. He was flabbergasted that I would suggest these things happened "on Obama's watch." In total denial and disbelief. I had to pull up the 2014 photos to show him the evidence. And then he mentioned "well anyone who wants to come here and give their kids a better life should be able to." I pointed out that this is a very compassionate-sounding view, but it's also contrary to our country's immigration laws and sovereignty as a nation to suggest that we just open up the borders to whomever crosses. And he said "well that's why I'm a democrat. I support open borders. Especially for children. Trump just doesn't like minorities. That's why he wants to close the border, even to children!"

So I played the video of Obama imploring families "Do NOT send your children to the border. If they do make it, they will get sent back." Again, he was in disbelief that Obama would have said that, as he is fully convinced that Democrats have always been for open borders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In an MBA program, and as you likely know, businesspeople skew conservative. Fine. I’m taking an economics class, and my professor uses every opportunity to denigrate economic controls, government regulations, etc. He’s described Bernie Sanders as sympathetic to assassins and dismissed the Green New Deal as absurd (which it may be), and of AOC he questions the “wisdom and foresight” of a “29-year-old whose previous work experience was bartending.”

I think it’s one thing to foster healthy, fair debate on issues, but he’s so anti-liberal and frankly anti-government it’s becoming difficult to focus on the lessons. Should I talk to him? Talk to administration? Or just leave it alone?

I'm sure you've seen your fair share of liberal/leftist professors. What did you do in that case?

I have never experienced partisanship on this level - openly broadcast and discussed - by a professor while in class.

The fact of the matter is that partisan political views are NOT germane to 99% of material discussed in economics, political science, philosophy, or history classes. It simply doesn't have a place because it has zero relevance.

In an econ class, you are studying various economical models and the proof-of-work behind each model.

AOC's New Green Deal has zero relevance. And neither does Trump's stance on various issues. I'd be disappointed by a professor who injected any partisan views into a lecture, regardless of party allegiance. Anyone who does so is a small person relishing in the smidge of authority they have over their captive audience of students. Lame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He probably wants to provoke. I’d probably ignore and mention on his end of term evaluation that his irrelevant political comments were a distraction and took away from focus on the material. If he’s actively hostile to women, say, then I’d go to the admin.

This, but also document your work in case he grades you unfairly.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm an academic (working outside academia right now) and my answer would vary depending on whether the professor is an adjunct or a FT professor. If it's the former, I'd definitely approach the department head and explain that you find the political digressions unhelpful. They may speak to him, they may reconsider his contract, they may do nothing - but this kind of stuff can impact the reputation of a program and hurt admissions.

If it's a tenured or tenure-track professor, you're unlikely to get much if any action based on a complaint like this. Include it in the course evaluation but unless his partisanship is interfering with your learning, there's almost no chance of any consequences for these kinds of childish snipes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In an MBA program, and as you likely know, businesspeople skew conservative. Fine. I’m taking an economics class, and my professor uses every opportunity to denigrate economic controls, government regulations, etc. He’s described Bernie Sanders as sympathetic to assassins and dismissed the Green New Deal as absurd (which it may be), and of AOC he questions the “wisdom and foresight” of a “29-year-old whose previous work experience was bartending.”

I think it’s one thing to foster healthy, fair debate on issues, but he’s so anti-liberal and frankly anti-government it’s becoming difficult to focus on the lessons. Should I talk to him? Talk to administration? Or just leave it alone?

I'm sure you've seen your fair share of liberal/leftist professors. What did you do in that case?

I have never experienced partisanship on this level - openly broadcast and discussed - by a professor while in class.

The fact of the matter is that partisan political views are NOT germane to 99% of material discussed in economics, political science, philosophy, or history classes. It simply doesn't have a place because it has zero relevance.

In an econ class, you are studying various economical models and the proof-of-work behind each model.

AOC's New Green Deal has zero relevance. And neither does Trump's stance on various issues. I'd be disappointed by a professor who injected any partisan views into a lecture, regardless of party allegiance. Anyone who does so is a small person relishing in the smidge of authority they have over their captive audience of students. Lame.

Zero relevance? Or maybe he's using them as examples.