The witch hunt for liberals at UCLA

  • Context: News 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Ivan Seeking
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the actions of a group targeting liberal professors at UCLA, including the implications for free speech and bias in education. Participants express varied experiences and opinions regarding perceived political biases in academic settings, touching on both liberal and conservative perspectives.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants criticize the organization for "tattling" on professors, suggesting it threatens free speech in the classroom.
  • Others acknowledge that they have experienced bias from professors, noting that some instructors promote liberal agendas in their teaching.
  • One participant argues for the need for a similar task force to address right-wing bias in education, emphasizing the importance of presenting multiple viewpoints.
  • Concerns are raised about the lack of formal mechanisms to address bias in publicly supported educational institutions.
  • Some participants report not experiencing significant bias during their time at UCLA, suggesting that the focus on bias may be overstated.
  • There are claims of hypocrisy among student organizations regarding the acceptance of criticism of conservative ideologies while opposing similar critiques of liberal views.
  • Several participants express skepticism about the necessity or effectiveness of efforts to control bias in the classroom, arguing that students should be encouraged to think independently.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of agreement and disagreement regarding the existence and impact of bias in the classroom. There is no consensus on the effectiveness of the organization targeting professors or the need for measures to address bias.

Contextual Notes

Participants' claims about bias are based on personal experiences and perceptions, which may not reflect a comprehensive view of the educational environment at UCLA. The discussion includes anecdotal evidence and subjective interpretations of classroom dynamics.

Ivan Seeking
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
8,213
Reaction score
2,660
Or is it? This organization http://www.bruinalumni.com/ is tattling on liberal professors at UCLA. They even pay students to secretly record or report on professors with a liberal bias, then this group posts the evil deeds on their website. They argue that this is simple disclosure, however the person interviewed stated that he "wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine"

I see this in two ways. First of all, what they are doing is cheesy and probably a threat to free speech in the classroom. On the other hand, I too had a couple of professors who were inappropriate in that they were pushing liberal agendas in their lectures. So I do see what motivates this group, but I still think they're low lifes [lacking honor] because of the way that they choose to handle the problem- if there is one. It seems to me that proper channels to address the issue of bias in the classroom must exist; or do they?
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
I have only taken a few classes at UCLA, but I do know that at my community college (a major conduit for incoming UCLA students where many UCLA doctoral candidates teach) I have had to lie like a dog on a rug to make the grade with my liberal professors. My cultural anthropology final, for instance, required me to write an essay on how capitalism has eroded world cultures and has destroyed the living conditions of people in third world nations.

I am an older student, so I am already pretty set in my ways and opinions, but it concerns me that the 18-year-olds in the classes are getting so thoroughly saturated with one political side of looking at things. I think that an equal task force should be put in place for teachers who are pushing a right-wing agenda. Students should get the information and the historical facts on a subject, but they should be be able to form their own opinions.
 
People in CA have a problem with "liberal" professors?
That's just weird. You practically HAVE to be a democrat to join the teachers union from what I have been told.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
(snip)It seems to me that proper channels to address the issue of bias in the classroom must exist; or do they?

Kinda doubt there's any formal definition, let alone standards, and certainly no mechanism for controlling "bias in the classroom" in publicly supported institutions. It's something that's always been part of the educational process. Up to the late sixties it was commonly understood among student bodies; since in loco parentis was replaced with "student defined educational goals," and catalogues have exploded with zero content courses, instructor bias has become more obvious (zero content leaves lots of room for personal exposition), and students have lost the ability to distinguish bias from content.
 
Having graduated from UCLA in 2003 in physics and math, I didn't see a lot "liberal" bias, nor "conservative" bias for that matter from my teachers. All were pretty much interested in teaching about math and physics. I too went to Santa Monica Community, but I didn't get much exposure to bias one way or another from any of the teachers for the general ed classes (except for philosophy, which pretty much just taught rational thinking as opposed to any bias). The only class I started to take was a class in social justice issues. When we were handed the syllabus, the majority of topics seemed designed to admonish "the white man" for slavery, Jim Crow, attempted genocide of the Native American population, etc. Nowhere did it bring up the fact that it wasn't so much race as class that was a major cause of social opporession throughout American history.
 
One other thing about UCLA. I did find it rather hypocritical that some liberal student organizations felt it was OK to trash some conservative ideology and peoples, but when some conservative organizations did the same about some liberals, these same liberal organizations raised a huge stink.
 
What's so suspect about alumni providing information to potential UCLA donors?
 
Educated professors aren't aloud to be biased towards logical philosophy? That's just stupid.
 
  • #10
Code: 
Educated professors aren't aloud to be biased 
towards logical philosophy? That's just stupid.

QFE.
 
  • #11
Educated professors aren't aloud to be biased towards logical philosophy? That's just stupid.

Alumni are required to support them?
 
  • #12
People who try to stop bias in the classroom are full of ****. People should be smart enough to think for themselves, and we're only making people more 'mentally lazy' by 'protecting' them in this way.

(no i havn't read the article)
 
  • #13
I have had to lie like a dog on a rug to make the grade with my liberal professors.

That's not too surprising but when my US History teacher (who makes Karl Marx look like the posterboy of the GOP) found out that I tend to be liberal on most cases, he was actually tougher on me...

I KNEW I shouldn't have worn that Che Guevara shirt that day...
 

Similar threads

News Should the US intervene in world problems?
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
10K
News Downing Street - New memos released
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
News Ahmadinejad's speech at Durban II
  • · Replies 38 ·
2
Replies
38
Views
7K
News The Roots of Terrorism and US Foreign Policy
  • · Replies 31 ·
2
Replies
31
Views
6K
Physics Non-academic career options for the theroetical physicist
  • · Replies 80 ·
3
Replies
80
Views
69K
Do Movies Teach Us Realistic Life Skills?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
10K