I love reading this. I think the applicant pool has more to do with the cost value of these schools than anything else. I also think there is massive pushback against the IVY’s, for MANY reasons, and UF may be the benefactor of that. I don’t think Sasse’s stance on the Palestinian protest fiasco (and as I posted frequently, I thought and think he handled the matter by far the best on the Country—with heavy disagreement from Gator-lawyer), had much to do with enrollment, though. I say that because UF is already one of, of not THE largest Jewish populated universities in the Country. Still, we have a huge migration of professorial talent leaving, or seeking to leave, the State, including at UF. And that migration from the tax haven, climate friendly state of Florida has everything to do with DeSantis’ meddling in the schools. Brain drain has NEVER worked well for the place where they left. I hope the new administration, when they come in, stops the silliness and harmful meddling.
I don’t have time to read your links right now, but I certainly agree that some things have been overdone. That often happens in any movement, tho I don’t know if that’s the right word for it. Diversity, equality and inclusion are all good concepts. But, as they say, the devil is in the details.
It has been overdone, and hen something has been abused, the reaction is extreme. We don’t live in a tome where we get a happy middle ground.
'Woke' is believing that certain segments of society are helpless victims and need/deserve special treatment.
My son and a few others from his HS graduated from there. They went there because of what it was. Now they are all tax paying working stiffs, commercial artists and one is a musicians - of the ones i’ve kept up with. No practicing marxists that i know of.
Yes, one of the defining beliefs of conservatives here is that libs control culture/academia and conservative viewpoints are discriminated against or underrepresented on TV or in school or whatever. Conservatives like to think of themselves as the opposite of liberals, when in fact they basically copy all the things they say they do only in service of their own wretched ideology. What was the New College thing other than conservative affirmative action?
In my many decades of varying experiences, I've seen that many families don't teach it by words or example. They themselves are bitter and disillusioned and looking for someone to blame. I've seen poor and wealthy families with this attitude towards life and those around them. Though I deplore their negativity and its larger effect of the rest of us, I feel sorry for their lack of true enjoyment of their one and only life.
Spot on summary of conservative attitude about "wokeness"! I do agree, however, that any "movement", regardless of ideology, is less than perfect and contains individuals within it who take things to an extreme. Too many people - perhaps most of us - can't cope with sudden change that they perceive as upsetting their treasured values and beliefs, one being that you are the sex you were born with and entitled to only be addressed by the corresponding pronoun.
You have a valid point. Though I might add that, one on one, most of us show those traits. I must confess that while I will not be unkind to a MAGA radical, I have no respect for their ideology. I
That's certainly not true IMHO. Why do you not see it as universal guidance as to how we should treat our fellows?
You seem to portray 'woke' as a patronizing or pity-driven ideology. That pejorative framing assumes that social inequities don’t exist and, therefore, there’s no need to address them. However, social inequities for marginalized groups are documented. The focus isn’t about viewing groups as 'helpless' or needing 'special attention' but about recognizing that these groups often face systemic disadvantages that perpetuate inequities and we need to be aware and change it.
That's as big a stretch as when they had to come with something for THRUSH to stand for in the Man from U.N.C.L.E. TV series...."Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity" or James Bond's SPECTRE..."Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion."
