Of course not. But the reason that tenure ostensibly exists is to allow people who are considered in the top of their field academically to say and do things t

Of course not. But the reason that tenure ostensibly exists is to allow people who are considered in the top of their field academically to say and do things that might be unpopular (with administrators, politicians or the public at large) in the form of teaching their classes, research and publication.[1] The idea is that society wants them to push the envelope without fear of repercussions. Take away the protection that tenure provides, and more often than not (even more) professors will take the path of least resistance and become politicians and bureaucrats rather than educators and researchers. [1] Yes, tenure has been horribly abused by some professors over the years that had nothing to do with this. There are also those who, while not blatantly abusing it in ways that made headlines, never contributed much back to society in return for the privilege. All systems can be gamed.