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The Forum > Article Comments > Universities strongholds of minority sectarian views > Comments

Universities strongholds of minority sectarian views : Comments

By Gregory Melleuish, published 16/1/2006

Greg Melleuish argues universities' opposition is making them irrelevant as national institutions.

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Student unions reflect democracy in parvo. That being said, why is voluntary union membership such a challenge? Surely the activist students who denounce the West so eloquently can use the same eloquence to sell union membership.
Posted by Sage, Monday, 16 January 2006 8:44:37 PM
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Realist, it is obvious you never actually met any student activists during your time at university, because if you did you would know that a lot of them aren't 'arts types' who spend years getting their degrees. I am involved in student politics at Sydney Uni and from my experience, all of the top players on the left and the right are law students (including the radical left), so its still true that uni politics is a debating club for those wanting to pursue public positions later in life- a lot of them are the hardworking, best and brightest people in their cohort. I also find your sterotypical denigration of arts students offensive as i am one and i am sick of people bashing my degree- it is a legitimate choice at university and one i am proud of making.

Isn't it also worth considering that rather than universitites going in the wrong direction, our general public debate has shifted too far away from the academic one? I think in principle it makes sense if the people who are paid to think should do just that and not alter or censor their work to make sure it will go down easy for the general population. Need anyone be reminded that what is popular is not always right?
Posted by la1985, Tuesday, 17 January 2006 8:33:29 AM
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BD apart from your usual rewriting of history where would I start, I agree whole heartily and we must make our first order of business to enforce the ten commandments and the first one should be...is that one about goats milk.
Posted by Kenny, Tuesday, 17 January 2006 8:33:50 AM
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la1985. I agree with the thrust of your post- what is popular is not always right and minority views should be expressed without fear or penalty. However it was my experience at university that it was popular/ majority views that were penalised and it was the majority of the student body that feared expressing their 'popular' views because the extreme left was waiting just around the corner to launch a tirade of abuse.

Let's face it, there is not the same problem with the extreme right because nowhere in any university is extreme right wing behaviour tolerated-yet it is not uncommon to see a vice chancellor's office occupied violently by anti Howard/ War/ VSU protestors. For the record I deplore both forms of extremism.

Having done Arts/ Law at uni I sympathise with your assertions regarding your arts degree-it was quite amazing to see the changes in people's faces as first I said Arts...and then Law :) However it is my contention that student politics defeats the purpose of being at uni to begin with whether you are a potential philosopher or a lawyer. Universities should not be political battle grounds- this is the prime reason why healthy debate is stifled. Finally there aren't alot of employers who fancy the idea of employing a student activist either.
Posted by wre, Tuesday, 17 January 2006 8:48:58 AM
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Regarding this "debate": so many opinions, so many assertions, so many allegations, so many standpoints; so few facts, so little evidence, so little analysis, so little reality.
Posted by FrankGol, Tuesday, 17 January 2006 10:18:22 AM
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La 1895,

FYI, i could not have been any more in the thick of activists. I lived at Geegal for 2 years(UTS student accom in chippendale) with the majority of the labour students and activists. They painted protest banners etc almost every week at my house.

I have lived with Alison, Ryan and the like. those in the know know who they are, as they have moved in that political direction in their uni afterlife.

You are right, law students were a great proportion. But fundamentally, the law students who embarked on politicla life in my experience were an eclectice mix of minorities including feminists, Queers etc, that see university as the beginning of their social life. For many of them, in high school they had no strong social networks.

As for the Brilliant mind who said universities churn out capatalists who are destined for an ordinary life, i disagree totally.

Uni does steer people in certain directions, but how does an increase in ones exposure and knowledge detriment an individual?

Brilliant people find university inadequate in some instances. But i dont think you realy know what a universtiy is, or does, so from the outside looking in it is an incorrect assumption. We are talking about a group of people here completely different from your philosophy, therefore disproving your theory.

I am 24, and my life is anything but ordinary, and i went to uni? work that one out. Uni is a tool, a string to your boe, that is all.
Posted by Realist, Tuesday, 17 January 2006 10:36:52 AM
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