'Fat Studies' Go to College

[ZEE]

Elok is a nerd.

[Elok]

Lori: I could agree with that if I believed such programs were actually about expression. But they're not; they're about conformity to a fairly narrow political ideology based on one particular aspect of a person's identity, which is then made into the basis for grievances and militancy, ignoring all the other aspects of said person and anything transcending their individual limits. Pretty much the opposite of what a classical liberal arts education is supposed to do; you can be a one-armed transgendered Buddhist Samoan and still appreciate Thelonious Monk or Monet or Anna Akhmatova. The hard sciences are still more universal. Other subjects, ideally, broaden the student's perspective; "studies" limit or focus it onto an agenda. I don't think political agendas should be outlawed or anything, but there's a reason we don't offer majors in libertarianism or socialism or theological dominionism.

[Lorizael]

I tend to believe that morons will end up doing moronic things with whatever happens to be their interest, and they're also going to do it loudly. We've all seen the far end of the spectrum. I suspect there are plenty of people who focus on this stuff but don't do so vitriolically or to the exclusion of all else, and I suspect they're largely quiet about it.

I accidentally ended up reading a feminist blog awhile back... it's not about feminism, but the author looks at a particular subject through a feminist lens... and I've found a lot to value in what she says. She's not loud or angry about it. In fact, she's articulate and funny, but still passionate and serious. Articulate, funny, passionate, serious people are probably the exception, but I try to follow a principle of charity with regards to worldviews I instinctively roll my eyes at.

[ZEE]

can you guise please type moar words per poast? AAHZ wants to see at least 5 paragraphs, 4 sentences each, per poast from this point forward.

[The Mad Monk]

Fat undergraduates often experience subtle forms of prejudice that most people tend not to notice, from tiny wooden desks that won't fit their bodies

"It's definitely harder to be a fat student on campus, when you don't yet know that you deserve respect in the same way that any other student would," Ms. Kristjansson says.

Twice as much "respect" in some cases...

[Elok]

Eh, it's still divisive IMO. But we're not likely to find much common ground on this, since as it happens, I do think most of the liberal arts curriculum at most colleges could stand to be gutted. I'm all for a drastic overhaul of the whole way we do education in this country.

[rah]

And to think people put themselves into deep deep debt and those are the types of classes they take. They'd be better off going to trade school.

[Jon Miller]

This is an interesting blog post about the value of college.

http://noahpinionblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/case-deaton-and-human-capital-debate.html

JM