Oh, Angela, I offer you an olive branch! Humor heals everything. As for my own posts, I plead terminal grouchiness.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Angela Mailander <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I agree that it is odd and I apologize, pleading terminal senility. > > feste37 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Angela Mailander > <mailander111@> wrote: > > > > I did not say that the experience I was recounting was cult-like. I > characterized is as "another experience." > > Yes, you did. You said exactly that. I quote you: "There's another > experience I have with the campus that seems cult-like to me." > > Odd that you try to deny your own words when they are right there in > front of you. > > > > > More than one historian has pointed out the "cult-like" > characteristics of German fascism. Here, for example, is a brief > passage from Das Schwarze Reich (The Black Empire, 1997) by E. R. > Carmin: "The whole thing really no longer had anything to do with > political conventions: they were cult-fests, magical rituals, in which > the real character of the religion behind National Socialism revealed > itself" (translation mine). > > > > feste37 <feste37@> wrote: I would > call that callous and unfeeling rather than cult-like. But I > > do want to comment that "cult-like" is a more accurate description of > > some aspects of campus life and thought than fascist or Nazi, two > > terms you have frequently used up to now, which seem wildly > > inappropriate to me. > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Angela Mailander > > <mailander111@> wrote: > > > > > > Thanks, Rick. There's another experience I have with the campus > > that seems cult-like to me. When I returned from China, I lived on > > campus for a time, renting a room in Utopia Park. My friend (and > > landlady) and I learned that a woman in her late fifties who had > > worked for decades as a secretary to a high movement official had lost > > her job (no fault of her own) and was homeless, literally sleeping in > > the woods. My friend and I looked at each other and we both said, > > "That is really wrong." And although we were already crowded (three > > in that 2-bedroom trailer), we invited this woman to stay with us. > > > > > > When the administration somehow learned of this, they told us that > > we could not do this, and if we continued, my friend would be evicted > > from her home. There were many empty trailers at the time, and it > > seems that, rather than allow them to remain empty, one of them could > > have been used temporarily to house this former secretary who had > > worked long hours for almost no pay for many years. a > > > > > > Rick Archer <rick@> wrote: > > > From: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Angela Mailander > > > Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2007 9:28 AM > > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: David Lynch Lecture in Berlin > > Turns Into Chaos > > > > > > > > > > > > I agree completely with your assessment of Fairfield life. > > It is a vibrant, creative, and spiritual community. My comments were > > about the TMO, not life in Fairfield. I have worked on campus twice > > in two different capacities. I taught tenth grade boys for two years. > > The boys were great. Most of them are still good friends ten years > > later. But the administration and some (though by no means all) > > colleagues were---well, cult members. Later, as I said in another > > post, I was called as a consultant when the ESL department couldn't > > get Chinese grad students in computer science competent in English. > > Again, my experience was that the atmosphere was repressive---not on > > the part of the people who'd called me in, but the administrators > > involved acted like cult members. I want to emphasize again that this > > is not true of many faculty members I have met. But I have also met > > many good teachers who left the university b ecause of the kind of > > cult-like repression I've > > > observed. > > > > > > > > > > > > Having been on MIU faculty for a few years (teaching Desktop > > Publishing) I agree with you, and would add that Bevan, who ultimately > > runs the university, is a major contributor to the cult-like > > atmosphere. He intimidates and fires faculty who get too independent > > in their thinking, and either appoints repressive people to > > administrative positions or makes otherwise nice people play by his > > rules. There's also the universal principle that control freaks tend > > to gravitate to administrative positions and experience ego-bloating > > once they get there. > > > > > > > > > No virus found in this outgoing message. > > > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > > > Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.0/1136 - Release Date: > > 11/17/2007 2:55 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Send instant messages to your online friends > > http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Send instant messages to your online friends > http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com > > > > > > > > Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com >
