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My interactions with British professors are not in any way comparable to what I know about the US police! It's a really weird comparison to me. Perhaps US prof

My interactions with British professors are not in any way comparable to what I know about the US police! It's a really weird comparison to me. Perhaps US profs are way more uptight in general? I'm not really sure how to respond to that, to be honest.

lonelappde 7y ago
Discretion works great for the privileged portion of the population.
- esotericn 7y ago
  You'll have to explain again how bad behaviour by US police generalises to professors. As far as I can tell this is simply a strawman. And even if it's not - the solution is to replace dickhead staff with reasonable human beings, not chain them with process so that everyone suffers.
  - crankylinuxuser 7y ago
    Professors, like cops, have significant power within their sphere. And tenured profs can even go to the point of calling women, gay, and black people less than human. (Indiana University Prof Rasmussen) The key here is, surveillance shouldn't be used against the students who are of low power, but instead against those who decide if the students succeed or not - the professors. Trusting power is how one gets to significant asymmetry and gross abuses. Surveillance against those types is how you start to counterbalance "discretion". https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2019/11/24/eric-rasmusen-says-iu-cant-fire-him-hes-right-heres-why/4272679002/ https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2019/11/24/eri...
    - esotericn 7y ago
      I don't think surveillance should be used here at all. Like I said, attendance at my University was not mandatory. We weren't treated like children. For many lectures I felt reading the book would be a better use of my time and so did others.
- xvector 7y ago
  I’m with you here. I think a decay-based system or an “emergency-token” system doesn’t discriminate between students, but still manages to provide humane leeway to get things done.

lonelappde 7y ago

Discretion works great for the privileged portion of the population.

esotericn 7y ago
You'll have to explain again how bad behaviour by US police generalises to professors. As far as I can tell this is simply a strawman. And even if it's not - the solution is to replace dickhead staff with reasonable human beings, not chain them with process so that everyone suffers.
- crankylinuxuser 7y ago
  Professors, like cops, have significant power within their sphere. And tenured profs can even go to the point of calling women, gay, and black people less than human. (Indiana University Prof Rasmussen) The key here is, surveillance shouldn't be used against the students who are of low power, but instead against those who decide if the students succeed or not - the professors. Trusting power is how one gets to significant asymmetry and gross abuses. Surveillance against those types is how you start to counterbalance "discretion". https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2019/11/24/eric-rasmusen-says-iu-cant-fire-him-hes-right-heres-why/4272679002/ https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2019/11/24/eri...
  - esotericn 7y ago
    I don't think surveillance should be used here at all. Like I said, attendance at my University was not mandatory. We weren't treated like children. For many lectures I felt reading the book would be a better use of my time and so did others.
xvector 7y ago
I’m with you here. I think a decay-based system or an “emergency-token” system doesn’t discriminate between students, but still manages to provide humane leeway to get things done.