Thanks for pointing out Makin' Bacon, by the way. Between the two of
you, it helps fill the void left by State 29. Except for the profanity and nicknames, of course.
I don't think he meant for me to start using profanity, but as luck would have it, I stumbled across a situation today that warranted it.
We hear a lot about "liberal bias" at colleges, and I don't know that the accusers are always wrong. I will say this: I had some professors at Drake like liberal activist Herb Strentz and frequent political volunteer Lee Joliffe, and, even before I had become active politically, I never sensed a bias. All I can do is speak from experience on that regard. Maybe a Republican would whine differently. We'll never know.
Anyway, here's the article that started this conversation in my head. Sarah Kent is in medical school at Iowa. And while she says her medical education at Iowa was "great," she's upset because "I don't feel like my traditional views are accepted."
Now, if she had said her professors believe in big government and she doesn't, I'd have been ok. I probably would've taken a deep breath and gotten over it if this conversation had been about abortion. But, buried in the article, here's what Sarah Kent is upset about:
Kent, who will graduate in May, said she has received a great medical education at Iowa. She has also learned to keep quiet about her conservative views, she said. One example of this lesson, Kent said, was in her second year. Professors instructed students to keep an open mind about homosexuality and premarital sex - practices Kent does not support, she said.
"The tone . . . was openness and tolerance. At the same time, if you hold traditional beliefs, you aren't acceptable," she said.
I'm hoping, somehow, Sarah will find my blog, so she can see what I'm about to say.
Where the fuck did you think you were going to practice medicine?
I'm not entirely sure how one makes the decision to practice medicine, and gets all the way through med school thinking they can turn their nose up at people who view things differently. Maybe, if she's lucky, she'll get to practice medicine somewhere where she won't have to treat a heroine addict in the first week. But if you're going to try to play the moral superiority card over a single mother or a gay man, because you don't approve of their life decisions, perhaps you should reconsider. There are a lot of jobs you can do while believing you're superior to the non-believers. Doctor isn't one of them.
KL
2 comments:
I'm a heroine addict. I've always had a weakness for Linda Carter...
The student can take it. Once she's out of med school and pulling down $150-$500k, depending on her specialty, she won't feel so oppressed.
Maybe you're reading it wrong. What if the professor was talking about it differently, not in their professional lives, but as something they should consider. That may not be offensive but it sure would make you keep your mouth shut about your views with your professor. I had a professor during the '04 election that was so open with his liberal bias that he would actually talk down about the other groups doing lit drops on campus. Like my College Republicans group for instance. It was to the point that I felt if let on how I leaned on the political spectrum that it would affect me in that class. Either through an unhappy confrontation or through my grades. At any rate, I do think there is a liberal bias at universities. Then again my opinion may be biased being that UW - Eau Claire is filled with hippies.
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