I hate to dampen your spirits on the university front, Joe, and I'm not singling out indigenous students, but undergraduate studies these days are more and more becoming another arm of subsidised welfare. Because the universities all privatised and competitive, students are now 'clients' and the standards have plummeted. I do a bit of contract teaching and mark undergraduate essays galore, and the standard's nothing less than appalling. I also know people who work in prep-study courses and they're conscious too of the unspoken pressure to get 'customers' into the system. I think it's great if people can derive self-esteem and empowerment from tertiary studies, but these days it's all about making money rather than learning. Acadame itself does actually maintain some rigour because the vast majority of undergraduates are destined for the "professions", and only a tiny percentage become worthy "academics"--but they of course get to enjoy all the perks and prestige, and commonly fall prey to their own egos.
Higher learning is little different to processing bacon, I'm afraid (I hope vanna's reading this).

Thanks Whistler, I couldn't put it much better myself.

Squeers, that's all a bit non sequitur, don't you think ? Give people a chance, admire their efforts and aspirations, before you p!ss on them from a great height. What's your alternative suggestion for Indigenous people: stay/go on welfare ? I hope you never come within cooee of any Indigenous students.

Joe

Whistler, Squeers,

Your last posts re. ( Aboriginal ? ) academics,

All this stuff has been covered,

at

www.whitc.info

Arthur Bell, aka. bully.

Ooh you are sensitive, Joe. Again I'm only criticising the system and as I said not singling out any group. All are patronised equally!
I'm not being cynical and I'm certainly not pissing on anybody from a great height--I worked in factories from age 14 to 42, remember, and my life's been less than perfect too! I'm just telling it how it is and without exaggeration.
We're all being conned; you seem to be cool with that but I'm not.

"All are patronised equally"!

Squeers, what of "Abstudy" ?

What of "Indigenous Units ?

Arhtur Bell. aka. bully.

bully,

I have no direct experience of abstudy or indigenous units so can't comment, and I have no wish to belittle anyone. When I look at the work of some of the academics I admire, I feel very inadequate. I only say I don't think the modern western sense of "accomplishment" is worth a cracker. There are other reasons besides political and cultural decadence for this.