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Originally posted by Daveb

We should then not buy from China until they improve their human rights and stop killing us all with their CO2 emmissions.

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Originally posted by Daveb

We should then not buy from China until they improve their human rights and stop killing us all with their CO2 emmissions.

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Originally posted by Daveb

I was simply drawing a parralel.
If the stop communications with Israel then they should extend it to China for internal human rights and Tebet.
I am sure they could find some other countries if they tried.

Closing down communication is not usually productive.

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Originally posted by Daveb

So really these wonderfully clever academics are being rather silly, sensationalist or simply biased.
One could even say racist, lock em up now!

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Originally posted by Miriam Binder

Not having a PhD means nothing Moon but he certainly is going for the wrong group here.

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Originally posted by Miriam Binder

Some of the best care I've had in hospital has been from the nursing staff and some of the best lecturers I've had have been mere MA's and MPhils ...

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Originally posted by moon23

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Originally posted by Daveb

I was simply drawing a parralel.
If the stop communications with Israel then they should extend it to China for internal human rights and Tebet.
I am sure they could find some other countries if they tried.

Closing down communication is not usually productive.

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Yes i'm sure they could boycott many nations if the same logic was extended. For instance Iran could be boycotted for Human rights abuses.

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Originally posted by nightbird

Can somebody tell me what academics produce thats useful to the community at large?

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Originally posted by nightbird

Can somebody tell me what academics produce thats useful to the community at large?
My idea of somebody doing something usefull....

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RAbrunel.htm

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Originally posted by nightbird

CONCEPTUALISATION OF UNCONSCIOUS

What the hell is that, students becoming comatose through alcohol

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Tom Hickey is Course Leader for the MA in Cultural and Critical Theory, (Critical Theory? Critical theory is social theory oriented toward critiquing and changing society as a whole - so how do you tell your students to "change society", Tom?)and Deputy Course Leader of the BA (Hons.) Humanities. He teaches on the 'Aesthetics' (Aesthetics? As in "Academic boycotts are aethetically vile")unit, the 'Philosophical Origins' unit and the 'Critical Traditions' unit of the MA. On the Humanities degree, he teaches aspects of the introductory courses on Philosophical Analysis and on the Conceptual History of Democracy (As in "there is a 'concept' that a democracy should encourage freedom of expression" - not boycott it.), on the Critical Traditions in Western Thought core course (Thought? Did much go into this boycott, I wonder?), on politics and international relations in the Modern World Studies course, and the 'Marx and Marxisms' (Oh THERE'S a surprise!) unit of the Politics of Human Nature course('Politics of Human Nature'?).

Tom's research is on aspects of political and artistic representation, and their interaction, on historiographical theory and the scientific method, on the theorisation of the contemporary world order, and on new developments in critical theory. They do love their jargon, these academics, don't they. Basically, he seems to be into rewriting history to suit his own prejudices, but why state that in plain English when academicese will ensure that only other academics can understand the plan. He has recently jointly edited a collection of historical essays on the struggle for democracy in England (Continuum, 2007), and was joint curator of the international festival on the work of the South African artist William Kentridge hosted by the University of Brighton in 2007 - 'Fragile Identities: Politics, Remembrance and Representation. He is joint organiser of the biennial international conference 'Globalisation and Resistance' (Yeah! Right on! That's something a Humanities student can REALLY get behind!! Let's resist!) that is hosted by the University, and recently organised a one-day conference on holocausts and their denials (Why the plural? Oh, yeah, I get it ... Moral equivilance time.). for Holocaust Memorial Day - 'Never Again - the Hows and Whys of Fighting Fascism' (Well, I would say an enforced academic boycott is a fairly fascistic action - are you going to have a big bonfire outside the University library and burn any journals or books with writings by Israeli academics in them, Tom? I am sure you could persuade your "Globalisation Resistors" to join in.).

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... there is nothing positive to be said about this decision. It will not ease the suffering of Palestinians and it will not soften Israeli policy. In fact, by snubbing even liberal Israeli academics, a boycott strengthens the case of hard-line politicians who prefer isolation since it justifies unilateralism and disengagement from the peace process.

This is not the first such vote by a British trade union. University lecturers debated a similar move last year. Last month, the National Union of Journalists voted for a boycott of everything Israeli, an absurd gesture since, if implemented, it would make reporting from Jerusalem impossible. All that motion achieved was to send a signal worldwide that, collectively, British journalists take a partisan view of Middle East news. Likewise, British universities have shown that they cannot distinguish between the policies of a state and the opinions of individuals within that state. They believe in the collective punishment of academics simply for being Israeli.

That would be sad enough, were it not that Israeli universities and media are among the freest in the Middle East. If British unions are in the business of solidarity, they might consider flinging gestures at Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria or Egypt where journalists and academics are imprisoned and tortured for expressing dissent. But they target only Israel.

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It is good to see that most respected British journalists, scholars and students — including the preponderance of British editorial writers and the heads of Oxford, Cambridge and 20 other top universities — as well as representatives of all major political parties condemned these malicious gestures.

Critical thinking and well-thought-out criticism are intrinsic to good scholarship and good journalism. These boycotts represent neither. Posturing like this only alienates the very forces in Israeli society that should be encouraged and offends the calling and honor of journalism and academia.

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Originally posted by Borninhove


Meanwhile, even that great bastion of American liberalism and Bush-basher supreme the New York Times has come out against the boycott in an editorial

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Not every criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic. But the inverse, that criticism of the Jewish state is never anti-Semitic, can't be true either. To judge Israel by standards different than those applied to any other nation is racist in effect if not intent. That racism has become the British left's not so new defining ideology.

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