Babysitters Are Wildly Pricier Than They Used To Be
The quote below is from professor and free speech advocate Laura Kipnes via a piece at theFIRE.org.
The piece reports on Wellesley profs who deem engaging with speakers' controversial ideas an imposition on the liberty!! of students, staff, and faculty.
Yes, a committee of professors, at a college -- a very pricey Ivy League college -- made that pronouncement.
Kipnes is right on in her "babysitting" remark:
"Protecting students from the 'distress' of someone's ideas isn't education, it's a $67,000 babysitting bill" https://t.co/vpPAMGOLIP
— Amy Alkon (@amyalkon) March 23, 2017
,” the committee members lament the fact that such speakers negatively impact students by forcing them to “invest time and energy in rebutting the speakers’ arguments.”
Used to be it was almost fun looking for the "ha ha! got'cha" statement in the conversation. Required thinking and listening by both parties.
This past election really brought home to me that people just do not do that anymore. "I don't believe that!" is a common statement. How can you debate when the facts are not even known and agreed upon?
Anyway, it's nice to see that knowledge is no longer necessary for educated peoples. Makes us hicks their equals.
Bob in Texas at March 23, 2017 6:41 AM
Makes us hicks their equals.
Come now, they bathe and stuff.
I R A Darth Aggie at March 23, 2017 7:54 AM
You know what they say: It takes a higher level of education in order to commit a newer act of stupidity.
Sixclaws at March 23, 2017 8:08 AM
Reminds me of this 1999 editorial cartoon by Horsey, in Seattle:
(Senator yelling at a teacher): You teachers should quit WHINING about your PAY! Heck, you're only in class for seven hours a day for a mere 180 days a year!
Teacher: OK, Senator, just pay me what you'd pay a babysitter.
Senator: HEY! I'll take THAT deal! Let's see, that's $4 an hour times 7 hours times 30 kids times 180 days....EGAD! That's $151,200!
Teacher: Yeah, but you don't have to buy me pizza.
(Trust my pedantic father to ruin that joke, however - I told it to him and he said: "No, that's $5,040. Babysitters don't get paid by the kid." How he could be so sure things hadn't changed in 30 years was beyond me. If I'd only been more quick witted, I would have said: "They certainly DO get paid per kid if the kids come from different FAMILIES!")
lenona at March 23, 2017 9:58 AM
Wellesley is not an Ivy League university. It's one of the seven sisters colleges. When all of the Ivy League universities (except Cornell) were all male, it was where good, little rich girls went. Now it's where rich girls go, who don't go to one of the Ivies, MIT, or Brandeis. Since it produces properly prepared little liberal ladies, they can't be contaminated by controversial ideas.
Wfjag at March 23, 2017 10:34 AM
You know what they say: It takes a higher level of education in order to commit a newer act of stupidity.
I can think of few things stupider than a parent paying $67,000 for this, unless it's a young adult going into hock for the same amount.
Kevin at March 23, 2017 10:43 AM
"I would have said: "They certainly DO get paid per kid if the kids come from different FAMILIES!""
That is called a daycare and is heavily regulated by the state. Then it ends up being ~$10k/kid/year. At least here in Houston. The profit is much less. The babysitter probably has a better deal.
Ben at March 23, 2017 11:54 AM
That's Hillary's alma mater - what did we expect?
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at March 23, 2017 12:14 PM
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