On Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:03:14 -0700, Michael Smith wrote: >Are we seeing a generalized breakdown in respect for authority >in the US and Canada in particular? And if so is this a good or >bad thing?
I'm not sure I understand your point. "Generalzied breakdown" relative to what? The Reagan years? The 1950s? The 1960s? I thought that the late 1960s, earlye 1970s saw a generalized breakdown in respect to authority because of the Vietnam war, Richard Nixon and other politicians, and other authority figures had systematically lied and abused their authority. >One example would be the "entitlement" attitude of students today >and the concomitant lack of respect for the professor and classroom >regulations that students don't agree with. Here's another perspective: within the business model of education, the professor is a service provider and most middle-class students expect to be served. They or someone is paying for the courses and the degree and they expect good "service" in return. Of course, they realize that there are "rules" that one has to follow (heck, there are rules at Disney World and other theme parks -- isn't college just a variation on a theme park?) but the fun game is figuring out how to break the rules and get away with it (remember the old adage: it's not wrong if you're not caught). I guess we should learn to start saying "Want fries with that?" >Another may be the public vowed lack of support for Obama by some >politicians. Not that politics shouldn't have arguments, but there seems to >be a lack of decorum as well. Oh, how soon we forget. See Donald Segretti, the "spiritual leader" for Karl Rove: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Segretti >It seems to me, there is a lack of respect in general for authority figures >and or rules/regulations that one happens not to agree with. Hmmm, sound like an item from Bob Altemeyer's Right Wing Authoritarianism scale. Then again, this type of attitude is not new. In fact, the 1950s, though often thought of as "square" and conservative, saw its share of anti-authority figures, events, and media. Consider the film "The Wild One" which starred Marlon Brando. When Brando's character is asked "What are you rebelling against?" He answers: "What've you got?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_One >If so, is there a general social/psychological movement to perhaps an >extreme form of the 'me' generation. I'm not sure what a "'me' generation" is given that such tendencies have been seen in the past. Is it narcissitic self-absorption or "enlightened self-interest"? On the latter point, see the following for a once and current popular tendency: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/10/ayn-rand-atlas-shrugged >As educators, should we be resisting and re-training the "millenial" >attitude of students rather than saying this is how it is so we better get >on board? That all depends: Are you tenured? -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
