image from
From a more than slightly edited Facebook entry responding to
The resistance report March 3, 2017
John Brown Professor -- I have one comment [again, edited, enlarged from the earlier commucitton to which I never received a response from no one your (many?) assistants in one of my earlier communication:
Hey, My Man (as a Millenarian might put it?) , WHAT'S YOUR PROF's SALARY? In the 100K level, or it is above that? Who's paying for your salary?
Pardon the vulgar (to some) but honest question.
Pardon the vulgar (to some) but honest question.
[FYI, am an off-and-on "exploited" hard-working (I hope) university adjunct; I much enjoy the opportunity to teach (no, not masochism intended at slave wages) -- but only up to a point].
Thank Heaven am retired from a former job and have something of a pension.
So teaching for me has been something of a divertimento; but it does help, up to now, in my increasing old age, to pay constantly rising bills (e.g., for long-term care).
The pain for this enjoyment (ok, I meant to keep up with my bills): Quite frankly, growing student illiteracy that universities choose to overlook (to get young people/their parents to shell out for tuition under student loans, which will take them years to repay).
So teaching for me has been something of a divertimento; but it does help, up to now, in my increasing old age, to pay constantly rising bills (e.g., for long-term care).
The pain for this enjoyment (ok, I meant to keep up with my bills): Quite frankly, growing student illiteracy that universities choose to overlook (to get young people/their parents to shell out for tuition under student loans, which will take them years to repay).
If I, still going through puberty and not "tenured," had to survive on my teaching "salary,'" I'd be in the poor house.
But what about the younger, idealistic-to-spread knowledge Ph.Ds, trying to raise a family, going to survive on slave wages, with no hope of "tenure" -- as if tenure (an antiquated concept) nowadays had anything to do with academic "freedom" as opposed to getting a life-long, "safe" gig after you publish in obscure journals papers/books nobody reads except their authors (for the most part)? (Correct me if I'm overly cynical).
It's not just Michigan steel workers losing jobs on the production line, Mr. Tenured Professor (I assume you're tenured, Bob).
It's also about your co-workers, Professor Reich, at a major American university, including your now home-base California, challenging you,Tenured Professor Reich, when one enough (in more ways than one) from your university "teaching" duties?
Again I stand to be corrected. How many hours a week to you actually "teach" in a clasroom, Professor Reich?
I of course am being provocative, in the hope of getting an answer (I hope insolent and dismissive from you, caro professore, to even get a response, not matter who short. But am a doubtful about this, give your totally non-detiolicationmocratic non-response to my communciations to your office).
So -- all kidding aside -- why don't you. Mr Reich address, in all your brilliance, problems of your current home turf -- American universities -- about the academic exploitation (if you agree that's the right word) of adjuncts in your perceptive commentaries on injustice in the Land of the Free and Opportunity?
One suggestion: Such a commentary would put more subtlety/nuance in your straight-shooting commentaries. With respect ...