Comments on: A Modest Proposal

By: andrea

andrea — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:08:39 +0000

Somehow, I doubt that allowing the profs to be armed would neither be as picturesque nor as entertaining as my steampunk-soaked brain is imagining …

(Although, my leather bomber jacket and fedora is helpful for getting the hallway studentmobs to part before me.)

By: Historiann

Historiann — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 00:17:32 +0000

Canuck–that TV report is so funny. That’s exactly what happened to a colleague of mine a few years ago. Someone saw him walking into our building with a reproduction of a Civil War-era rifle, and we all got the e-mail and text message alert that the building was in lockdown.

I’m glad that people were alert and watching and weren’t assuming that it was normal to see a guy walk in with a rifle, but because of that, he no longer brings the gun to class.

By: Canuck Down South

Canuck Down South — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 21:26:19 +0000

On what happens when a middle-aged white man is spotted with a gun on campus:

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=226006

A friend of mine teaches at UMSL, and she commented that when the alert first went out that the apparent gunman was a middle-aged white man wearing glasses, most of her colleagues started frantically removing their specs….

By: Perpetua

Perpetua — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:36:27 +0000

Hee! I have nothing witty to add, but wanted to thank you for giving me a laugh this afternoon. Indyana’s comment provoked a mental image of some white haired d00dz in my department that won’t go away soon. Well played, Indyana. Imagine how lively departmental meetings could become! Semi-automatics + academic giants + poor eyesight. . .

I work on the pre-modern period, so I’m always baffled/horrified/appalled/incredulous that anyone could argue that the solution to violence is violence. Especially extrastate violence! I mean, the whole history of the development of the modern state has been about the state wresting and maintaining control of violence. Do these guys *really* want to go back to a time of private armies and chaos? Just, wow. There were some pretty neat things about the Middle Ages, but the roads, they were not so safe.

By: Indyanna

Indyanna — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:40:45 +0000

Anyone who can figure out how to make a “well-regulated militia” out of any faculty that I’ve ever seen (any level) could just skip the MacArthur “genius” level and move straight into the pantheon. Although I do think some grizzled old longhairs walking around in “Che” bandoliers would add a certain comedic touch to our hallways.

On the comments and such: the “YOU the Viewer” emo approach to journalism really began in the local news divisions in the 1970s and has continued to bore its way into other media. Even when I’m viewing, I’m more in and of the “SCREW the viewer” demographic; it’s not about the viewer. It’s about what just happened on West Main Street, and we have antenna trucks on the way…

By: Historiann

Historiann — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:30:08 +0000

The illiteracy (or anger, or hatred) isn’t surprising, sadly. What’s surprising is that any legitimate news organizations permit or even encourage feedback from fools. It doesn’t make them look “relevant” or in the swim–it just drags them down into the gutter.

By: Comrade PhysioProf

Comrade PhysioProf — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:24:23 +0000

What blows my mind is the sheer illiteracy of the reader commentary at mainstream news outlets.

By: GayProf

GayProf — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:02:34 +0000

I am carrying a gun right now.

By: Notorious Ph.D.

Notorious Ph.D. — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:39:21 +0000

I’m now imagining the OWMs in my college decked out in gunslinger-style belts over their rumpled suits. In fact, that’s the image I’m going to keep in my head throughout today’s core curriculum meeting.

By: Janice

Janice — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:24:24 +0000

Impressions of ads equals revenue so every dumb-ass that clicks and refreshes to see the latest comments, dispute with the article and add their own random BS is revenue. Not a lot but getting a “loyal” flock of visitors is something when the rest of the revenue stream they relied on over the last eighty years is drying up!

Swiftian humour will go right over the legislators’ heads, I’m afraid. But it doesn’t go far enough, does it? I don’t see anywhere that he’s remembering to keep the hands out of the old, white liberal men and goodness knows that’s the real important worry, here, isn’t it? *facepalms*