Oh. I am SO sorry.

Perhaps you could also extend your invitation to all the PhD students here who complain about their supervisors? Or to all posters who moan about inadequate funding? Or in effect anyone that uses this place to vent frustration. However, clearly in this brave new world of yours posts that single out individuals for personal attacks are enitrely acceptable.

Perhaps you can simply not read my posts if they offend you so much. Although I may add that if they genuinely were offensive they would be moderated or I would be banned. List of things I also suggest you should also avoid if you don't enjoy negativity or criticism of the academic system:

-The Times Higher Education Supplement
-The Guardian
-The internet
-University staff common rooms


Also I really don't think I have to justify my decision to pursue my careeer to you.

XJR your post does seem rather out of context. Every person I know perceives flaws with their work or industry and this is all the more acute in the public sector such as healthcare and education. The attitude of "if you don't like it leave" is pretty immature, how would anything reform or improve if that were the case. Sexually harrassed in the workplace? Institutional racism? If you don't like it leave. Yes BHC is negative but hurrah for that - optimistic people are bloody annoying!

And on a final note BHC's points about the marketisation of education, particularly HE are massively expanding areas of academic research - particularly in political theory and political sociology - especially using Lefebvre

Badhaircut – obviously part of this forum is for people to discuss things, and complaining about a specific problem/issue and asking for advice and help here is what this forum is for. Everyone (myself included) needs to have a moan and complain about things once in a while. Useful, considered constructive criticism is a good thing as it brings about change, constantly spouting negativity at any opportunity about any and every aspect academia does not help anyone at all.

I do read the Times Higher Education every week, and the Guardian and yes these papers do make justified criticisms of many aspects of academia (the markerisation of HE being one of them). However, they also celebrate achievements of academics (Times Higher Education Awards) and provide interesting/positive/humorous stories along with the criticism. This is because it is a true reflection of academia – like any career it has its good and bad points, the one-sided negative version you constantly present is not representative and is very unhelpful. Your posts do not offend me but they annoy me enough to want to put an alternative view forward and challenge some of your claims.

I was not asking you to justify your career choice, just making the logical observation that if you dislike a career in academia you are free to leave a start another career in a different field.

Also, I was commenting on the views you put forward on an open public forum – not making a personal attack on you.

Sleepyhead – Sorry if this seems out of context but I just felt I had to make these points.

Sleepyhead made a very sensible comment - happy clappers can be annoying in large doses. I don't think BHC is whatever XJR says he/she is. On the contrary, I think BHC is rather pragmatic and realistic. From my observation, its usually the contentious issues which attracts posters and viewings. The "happy" ones get a one-liner response usually "Horray" or "Well done" but the "troubled" ones get loads of advices etc.
Soldier on BHC, your posts are thought provoking and sometimes illuminating.

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that is exactly the point of this forum - to get a balanced view! this does not mean that everyone who makes a contribution has to give both sides - it means they give their opinion, and others are free to agree/disagree as they choose. therefore BHC can be completely negative or completely positive if they so wish - it is up to the people who disagree to put forward the other side.









yes, this is an open public forum, but your comments were aimed specifically at BHC, and therefore they were a 'personal' attack. it is the same as having an open discussion face to face, and if you aim your comments at one person and one person only, then they are within their rights to take it personally!



if that isn't a personal attack, then i don't know what is.....


can i just add i am neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the points made by BHC, just defending their right to have an opinion!

Well said Smoobles! Hear, hear.
Darn right, sounds like a personal attack on BHC - couldn't have put it better myself.

I thought BHC's points were spot on actually, not melodramatic, so I was rather surprised his post attracted the comments it did. You can't separate higher education from its economic context, hence the 'outrageously shameful advertising' (!) from spammers like this one trying to fill a niche in the market. Whether or not it's a morally dubious service is a different issue, though obviously related.

Thanks for the support folks. It makes me feel quite uncharacteristically positive ;)