Rory Litwin responds to LISNews criticism

mdoneil says:

Anonymity
I both agree with and disagree with Rory’s editorial in his newsletter, Library Juice.

I don’t understand why Rory won’t use his account to add authority to his postings. As librarians we all understand the need for authority, and we can see from the exchange about which Rory writes that anonymous users can impersonate one another.

I post under my name. My last name is O’Neil and the first two letters are my initals. I have posted several times that I live in Clearwater, Florida so if someone were interested enough they could look me up in the phonebook and give me a ring. I don’t find a need to hide my comments behind some cloak of anonymity. I don’t have a position where what I say could be used against me. I do have some ideas that are not quite mainstream, but those are my ideas and I stand behind them.

If we are to maintain civility it is imperative that there be consequences for incivility. Simply being known as a putz is consequence enough I would think. If we all know mdoneil is a putz and we should not read his posts or reply to them then the ‘silent treatment’ should be punishment enough. Anonymity -even if you sign your posts- really does not lead to accountability.
I am not suggesting that Blake require registration, but if you are going to engage in thoughtful debate then you should register.

I personally think Rory is a bleeding heart liberal, he probably thinks I am a right wing kook. I am comfortable with that. Howevere that does not mean we can’t debate all things librarian thoughtfully and civilly.

N.B. I also think we should stop being excited about the Web.

mdoneil says:

Re:Politics ain’t beanbag
My disappointment with Shush has nothing to do with what you right about, but how you write

Paging Dr. Freud, Dr. Sigmund Freud, to the ER for a slip. 🙂

Humor not Flamebait (but mod it how you will ladies and gents).

mdoneil says:

Re:WHACK A PROGRESSIVE
While I do think Whack-A-Progressive would be a fun game if played like Whack-A-Mole with liberals popping up everywhere and hitting them with a foam covered mallet. (Is progressive the new PC speak for liberal? I still have a problem with PC speak ‘issue’ meaning ‘problem’; they are not synonyms.)

Why would a discussion about the “rush to war” be germane to a university discussion list? USF is so far to the left it is scary. The USF branch of the UFF (a faculty union) condemned the arrest of an alleged terrorist fundraiser. The Vice President of the group (who was arrested for offering money for oral sex in Tampa – and is a staff therapist at the USF Counseling Center and the University Police Liaison) made an impassioned plea for Al-Arian. USF has speech codes, student group registration, and other devices to stifle the speech of students. The police spent more than two hundred and seventy man hours investigating a 4 inch noose found in a tree during what the university calls “Black emphasis month” No crime was committed but university resources were wasted investigating this possible ‘hate crime’.

If this is progressive please don’t count me in. Progressives seem to want to take us back in time and negate the progress this nation has made. When I was in elementary school we were taught that the United States is a melting pot, and that people from many places came here to better themselves and live a better life. USF has GBLT Students groups, Women’s Studies Programs, Africana Studies, Cuban Studies (what kind of job does one get with these degrees), and an office of diversity and equal opportunity (which has a really bad web pages with visible metatags and SQL failures). Why do we need all these separate departments at USF? Can’t we go back to the old melting pot where everyone is in the same boat and we achieve through our own hard work?

Far too much money is wasted at universities trying to make people feel good about themselves, taking money away from the main role of the university – educating students and preparing them for the working world. Now graduates from FSU are ill prepared, at least those I have interviewed. The only less prepared grads are from Florida Metropolitan University. When I worked at IBM in Tampa, I found the graduates of two-year colleges such as SPJC and HCC better prepared than their 4 year USF counterparts. I don’t know if it is because they concentrate on their core courses, or because they don’t have the choice of Women’s studies, Africana Studies or any of the other feel good degrees. Perhaps it is because the junior colleges don’t have them long enough to indoctrinate them in the “if it feels good do it�, “embrace diversity� and ‘consensus building� progressive nonsense.

Students, and frankly everyone, needs to realize that life is not fair, not everyone likes them and many people dislike them for reasons beyond their control. Life is hard and often you will face setbacks. Employers are not going to cater to your whims, and they do not accept B and C quality work. On the other hand students need to know that there is dignity in all work, and doing a good job at whatever you do will allow you to realize your personal goals.

Your comment that “One risks becoming the target of attacks by anonymous attackers. Of course this has always been the tactic of the right. is simply untrue. I am most assuredly a member of the right (perhaps even a member of the vast right wing conspiracy) and I do not post anonymously. Rory, who can’t be considered a member of the right, does so. He does indeed sign his posts, but using an account would provide authority and as librarians we all know how important that is.
Those who hide behind anonymity are cowards. Look at the murderers that took Mark Berg’s life they hid behind scarves. Look at the Palestinians demonstrating in the streets, they are often hiding behind scarves. These are not freedom fighters they are cowards – afraid to stand up for their beliefs. Perhaps Rory’s use of an account has a different explanation, perhaps it is some sort of civil e-disobedience, but why lump yourself in with cowards hiding their identity while voicing their beliefs.

I am convinced in my beliefs. I know what is best for me, and what is best for my country. While being from the right may not get me hired as a librarian, it does allow me to keep my self-respect in that I am true to my convictions. I voted for Bush last time and I will do it again this time, but I am willing to listen to cogent argument from the other side. The election is not today, perhaps the ‘progressives’ can persuade me. Open debate is healthy and fosters growth however our government has outlasted almost all others. We are far older than any of the ‘progressive countries’ that oppose us. If France and Germany are doing such a great job being progressive why do they change their governments so frequently? Perhaps you should look at the destruction these feel good policies cause. Human rights are inviolable, needs and wants are not.

mdoneil says:

Re:Womens & ethnic studies
I think they are useless feel good degrees. I am sure some of the course work could be useful, however I have never seen a help wanted ad for graduates of those programs.

I’m not debating it, or saying you are wrong, but just letting you know my opinion of these programs.

mdoneil says:

Re:Womens & ethnic studies
Lots of people disagree with me. You should all get together and have a luncheon or something.

To respond a bit to Blake’s post as well. I don’t think there is anything wrong with a good liberal arts degree, and Womens and ethnic studies are probably good liberal arts degrees, but they really don’t prepare one for anything other than graduate study, or things that don’t require a degree.

One of the links Blake posted had a list of professions for women’s studies majors:
self employed artist
author
small-business owner
sheet metal apprentice
Things like this require no degree, not that a degree couldn’t help but perhaps a degree in art, or creative writing, accounting or engineering would have better served these women’s studies grads.

Certified Nurse Midwife, Chiroprator, family practice medicine, Social worker, are othe professions listed. A degree in womens studies most certainly does not qualify anyone for any of those professions, graduate study does.

I think students would be better served by an English degree, or Chemistry, Biology, or Spanish- things for which I see ads.

If someone found that their degree in what I call ‘feel good’ majors worthwhile for them then that is fantastic. Really I mean that, I hope everyone finds the career they want, and I certainly would not discourage a student from studying what they wished (unless asked my opinion or if it were one of my relatives -they get my opinions w/o asking).

So tangognat, if Womens studies worked for you, thats great. I think they are simply feel good majors, but I have been wrong before- Next week’s Chronicle may be full of openings for Womens studies grads.

mdoneil says:

Re:FSU is a OK university.
Dr McCook,

I don’t think I made comments about FSU or said that you went there (if I did it was a typo FSU vs. USF error). My post related to USF. I know you teach there, and I received my first undergrad degree from there. I did go to FSU for another undergrad degree and my MLIS is from FSU.

I don’t think my reply was an attack on anyone personally, either yourself or anyone at the university. I would love to attend a university where there were not accused terrorists and sex offenders on staff, I’m not sure that academic Utopia exists. However the lack of a unified front against the acts with which these people were charged, not necessarily the people themselves, was not forthcoming from the university. In fact the divisiveness of the university and faculty regarding the Al-Arian case troubles me.

I do think the liberal climate on colleges (an by extension in academic libraries) is leading to a decline in the quality of graduates produced. I don’t care if students graduates as liberals or conservatives politically, but they need to be able to find jobs, and be productive members of society.

I don’t hate civil liberties, in fact I am quite the fan of them but civil liberties are trumped by human rights. Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of freedom, but to not be murdered, starved, or beaten are so much more important. Only when our human rights have been guaranteed can our civil rights be exercised.

Prim sense of rectitude, now that part of your response has made me think more than any other. You’re probably correct about that, my moral compass offers little margin for error. I always looked at that as a good thing, perhaps it could use a little flexibility. Irish Catholicism does tend to make me see things in black and white.