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The Christakis family is quite powerful at Yale, certainly in comparison to the students trying to get them replaced. They were Co-Masters at a Harvard house, a

The Christakis family is quite powerful at Yale, certainly in comparison to the students trying to get them replaced. They were Co-Masters at a Harvard house, and one of them extended that position to Yale. In 2009, one made Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_A._Christakis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_A._Christakis) Yale students do not get to run their own university. So when they want to replace some backwards, incompetent administrators, they must turn to activism. They can't merely decide to hire better ones. > "this sort of thing worries me more than any government activity or corporatism." Thanks for sharing your priorities. Government and corporations are the dominant power structures which lead to international mass murder ("war"), subordination/obedience, surveillance, mass incarceration... But students replacing backwards administrators are most worrying of all.

Mtinie 11y ago
As an outside observer, I'm interested in your position. What have (or haven't) the Christakis's done to deserve the "backwards, incompetent administrators" moniker?
wfo 11y ago
Government and corporations are essentially the norm, we have gotten used to them though they are admittedly much worse: a student culture that is focused on faux-victimization and hate and abuse and refusing to even acknowledge the existence of much less an attempt to understand the opinions of others is something that is altogether new. The future leaders of the country thinking in lockstep with each other and joining forces to humiliate, demean, silence, and abuse anyone who dares think differently is dangerous as well, but more importantly, it is new.
rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
I think the poster may have a point. Student activity is an indicator of where society in general is going. If students are so easily swayed by their definition of intolerance, it can have serious ramifications throughout society. Those students become the next consumers, neighbors, managers, politicians, lawyers, judges, and, indeed, activists. Their power is not in angry protests, it manifests slowly, in the kinds of products people sell or buy, or laws we promote or demonize. The reason I suspect student intolerance is perceived as a big problem is that for whatever nasty things THE SYSTEM is up to today, those students represent who will run it tomorrow.
- oh_sigh 11y ago
  There were approximately 20 students that I saw in the video. Out of thousands. I think society is going to be okay.
  - andrewmcwatters 11y ago
    And yet I can't read HN without seeing this garbage.
mcphage 11y ago
> The Christakis family is quite powerful at Yale, certainly in comparison to the students trying to get them replaced. Will that still be the case, if the students succeed in getting them replaced? > Yale students do not get to run their own university. So when they want to replace some backwards, incompetent administrators, they must turn to activism. Should they be able to remove any administrators that they want to? How many students should it take? > They can't merely decide to hire better ones. If they could, would they have the ability to judge which ones are better, and which ones are worse?
morgante 11y ago
> The Christakis family is quite powerful at Yale, certainly in comparison to the students trying to get them replaced. From what I can see, it does look like he's an outstanding academic. But unfortunately that doesn't help much against an angry, offended mob. > some backwards, incompetent administrators Which part of the polite email that was sent would you describe as "incompetent" or "backwards?" It's a sad day when you see students petitioning for professors to be removed for treating them like adults.
scotty79 11y ago
All of this smelled to me like a teenage power struggle from the get go.

Mtinie 11y ago

As an outside observer, I'm interested in your position. What have (or haven't) the Christakis's done to deserve the "backwards, incompetent administrators" moniker?

wfo 11y ago

Government and corporations are essentially the norm, we have gotten used to them though they are admittedly much worse: a student culture that is focused on faux-victimization and hate and abuse and refusing to even acknowledge the existence of much less an attempt to understand the opinions of others is something that is altogether new. The future leaders of the country thinking in lockstep with each other and joining forces to humiliate, demean, silence, and abuse anyone who dares think differently is dangerous as well, but more importantly, it is new.

rm_-rf_slash 11y ago

I think the poster may have a point. Student activity is an indicator of where society in general is going. If students are so easily swayed by their definition of intolerance, it can have serious ramifications throughout society. Those students become the next consumers, neighbors, managers, politicians, lawyers, judges, and, indeed, activists. Their power is not in angry protests, it manifests slowly, in the kinds of products people sell or buy, or laws we promote or demonize. The reason I suspect student intolerance is perceived as a big problem is that for whatever nasty things THE SYSTEM is up to today, those students represent who will run it tomorrow.

oh_sigh 11y ago
There were approximately 20 students that I saw in the video. Out of thousands. I think society is going to be okay.
- andrewmcwatters 11y ago
  And yet I can't read HN without seeing this garbage.

mcphage 11y ago

> The Christakis family is quite powerful at Yale, certainly in comparison to the students trying to get them replaced. Will that still be the case, if the students succeed in getting them replaced? > Yale students do not get to run their own university. So when they want to replace some backwards, incompetent administrators, they must turn to activism. Should they be able to remove any administrators that they want to? How many students should it take? > They can't merely decide to hire better ones. If they could, would they have the ability to judge which ones are better, and which ones are worse?

morgante 11y ago

> The Christakis family is quite powerful at Yale, certainly in comparison to the students trying to get them replaced. From what I can see, it does look like he's an outstanding academic. But unfortunately that doesn't help much against an angry, offended mob. > some backwards, incompetent administrators Which part of the polite email that was sent would you describe as "incompetent" or "backwards?" It's a sad day when you see students petitioning for professors to be removed for treating them like adults.

scotty79 11y ago

All of this smelled to me like a teenage power struggle from the get go.