Academic Demographics: Before the Baby Boom, colleges were very selective, AND college attrition was high (not people dropping out, people failing out). Consequently, it was difficult to get into college, difficult to STAY in college, and actually graduating from college was a significant accomplishment. The Baby Boom caused colleges to expand explosively and quickly, and the end of the baby boom meant that colleges had to fill those seats. In order to do so, entrance standards were lowered, bullshit majors were implemented, and students were given many options to avoid failing out. Hence, simply having a degree - especially a B.A. - means a great deal less today than it did pre-Vietnam.
Academic Cancer: Unfortunately for Academe, during the Vietnam draft era, tens of thousands of draft dodgers were able to avoid military service by becoming perpetual students. Eventually they maxed out with PhD's and became professors and department heads. They remain there. Aside from STEM, virtually all of today's college department heads are either women or Vietnam draft dodgers...not exactly a formula for a well-rounded teaching cadre. And it shows.
Academic $ inflation. The real cost of a college education has risen at many times the rate of inflation, while the value of that education has deteriorated dramatically. Because college is SO damned expensive, it is nearly impossible for anyone to "work their way through college," as was possible before Vietnam fucked everything up. So what happens is that rather than being financed by the student's hard work and sacrifice, it is financed by parents, bullshit-scholarships, and loans, and the perverse result is that the students are largely irresponsible, immature, snowflakes, with zero real life experience.
You might notice that these snowflakes bear a strong resemblance to the Vietnam War protesters of a couple generations ago. What is not often recognized is that those protesters were mainly the privileged children of upper-middle class parents, who paid for the whole thing. They were out smoking dope at Vietnam protests while the REAL students were busy studying and working part-time jobs to help pay their tuition. In no way were they a cross section of college students at the time, nor did their attitudes and childishness represent the majority of students at the time. They simply got the most notice in newsreels.
Leftists are shocked - SHOCKED - at the disdain with which Right Wingers disparage colleges, universities, and the engraved toilet paper that they provide their graduates. They shouldn't be shocked at all. The colleges largely deserve the disdain and disrespect.
Academic Cancer: Unfortunately for Academe, during the Vietnam draft era, tens of thousands of draft dodgers were able to avoid military service by becoming perpetual students. Eventually they maxed out with PhD's and became professors and department heads. They remain there. Aside from STEM, virtually all of today's college department heads are either women or Vietnam draft dodgers...not exactly a formula for a well-rounded teaching cadre. And it shows.
Academic $ inflation. The real cost of a college education has risen at many times the rate of inflation, while the value of that education has deteriorated dramatically. Because college is SO damned expensive, it is nearly impossible for anyone to "work their way through college," as was possible before Vietnam fucked everything up. So what happens is that rather than being financed by the student's hard work and sacrifice, it is financed by parents, bullshit-scholarships, and loans, and the perverse result is that the students are largely irresponsible, immature, snowflakes, with zero real life experience.
You might notice that these snowflakes bear a strong resemblance to the Vietnam War protesters of a couple generations ago. What is not often recognized is that those protesters were mainly the privileged children of upper-middle class parents, who paid for the whole thing. They were out smoking dope at Vietnam protests while the REAL students were busy studying and working part-time jobs to help pay their tuition. In no way were they a cross section of college students at the time, nor did their attitudes and childishness represent the majority of students at the time. They simply got the most notice in newsreels.
Leftists are shocked - SHOCKED - at the disdain with which Right Wingers disparage colleges, universities, and the engraved toilet paper that they provide their graduates. They shouldn't be shocked at all. The colleges largely deserve the disdain and disrespect.
^ Does anyone else see the irony?
