6.0281 Politics and the NEH (5/97)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Wed, 7 Oct 1992 15:41:12 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 6, No. 0281. Wednesday, 7 Oct 1992.


(1) Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 15:51 EDT (30 lines)
From: "Mary Dee Harris, Language Technology"
<MDHARRIS@guvax.acc.georgetown.edu>
Subject: Politicizing

(2) Date: Wed, 07 Oct 92 01:27:52 EDT (11 lines)
From: "John M. Unsworth" <JMUEG@NCSUVM>
Subject: Re: 6.0273 Qs: Paradox on PC nets; trustee interventions

(3) Date: Wed, 7 Oct 92 08:58 EDT (20 lines)
From: "Tom Benson 814-865-4201" <T3B@PSUVM>
Subject: NEH

(4) Date: 07 Oct 92 12:38:06 EST (16 lines)
From: Alan Filreis <AFILREIS@PENNSAS.UPENN.EDU>
Subject: 6.0273 Qs: Paradox on PC nets; trustee interventions

(5) Date: 07 Oct 1992 12:21:56 -0600 (CST) (20 lines)
From: FRAE141@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Re: 6.0273 Qs: Paradox on PC nets; trustee interventions

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 15:51 EDT
From: "Mary Dee Harris, Language Technology" <MDHARRIS@guvax.acc.georgetown.edu>
Subject: Politicizing

At the risk of politicizing the Humanist list (and with the indulgence
of those Humanists not residing in the US), I would like to point out
that Lynn Cheney is a political appointee of the Reagan/Bush
administrations and if you don't like what she espouses, you should
vote for Clinton for President. (You should vote in any case, of
course.) Lynn Cheney's husband is Dick Cheney, whose current
interests lie in a somewhat different direction, but he is also a
political appointee.

I find it extremely difficult to understand why people from
all walks of life in this country say that they don't plan to vote
because their vote won't make any difference. In fact, each one of us
has not only the right, but the responsibility to see to it that the
best (or at least the most appropriate) candidates are elected because
who is elected *does* affect our lives. African Americans in Los
Angeles were convinced to vote when they answered in the affirmative,
after they were asked whether they would have wanted to serve on
the jury for the 'Rodney King trial' and were told that only
registered voters were called for jury duty.

In my humble opinion, good humanists vote because they understand
better than most that the idea of democracy is maintained by the
people.

Mary Dee Harris

(2) --------------------------------------------------------------17----
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 92 01:27:52 EDT
From: "John M. Unsworth" <JMUEG@NCSUVM>
Subject: Re: 6.0273 Qs: Paradox on PC nets; trustee interventions (2/79)

In response to Daniel Tompkins' interesting observations and questions:

The true fallacy of Cheney's remarks is the assumption that there is
such a thing as a pedagogy without a politics. Or to put it another
way, it's only one's own politics that are invisible.

John Unsworth
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------26----
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 92 08:58 EDT
From: "Tom Benson 814-865-4201" <T3B@PSUVM>
Subject: NEH

Dan Tompkins raises some interesting questions about the
Cheney report from NEH. I, for one, would welcome a discussion
on HUMANIST about the question of politics in the classroom,
volatile as it may be. It is a question that is going to keep
popping up, and if we could share observations in this general
forum in a spirit of mutual good will, there might be real
benefits.

It would also be *most* helpful if an electronic full text of
the NEH report could be posted to HUMANIST for discussion.
Anyone out there have a helpful congress-person and a
scanner?

Tom Benson
Rhetoric
Penn State
(4) --------------------------------------------------------------26----
Date: 07 Oct 92 12:38:06 EST
From: Alan Filreis <AFILREIS@PENNSAS.UPENN.EDU>
Subject: 6.0273 Qs: Paradox on PC nets; trustee interventions (2/79)

Don't forget about the Homer P. Rainey controversy at the University
of Texas, 1939-1946.
*****************************************
* Alan Filreis *
* Associate Professor of English *
* Department of English / Bennett Hall *
* University of Pennsylvania *
* Philadelphia, PA 19104-6273 *
* Home phone: (717) 743-6948 *
* FAX: (717) 743-0204 *
* Internet: afilreis@pennsas.upenn.edu *
*****************************************:
(5) --------------------------------------------------------------34----
Date: 07 Oct 1992 12:21:56 -0600 (CST)
From: FRAE141@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu
Subject: Re: 6.0273 Qs: Paradox on PC nets; trustee interventions (2/79)


One cannot ignore the present. Teaching the past can make the present more
relevent. What does one mean by "politicise" anyway? I suspect it means
discussing things in class which others may not approve of. I hope that
Cheney doesn't have tenure.

Also, the present helps to make the past relevent. E.g. what policies over
the past 12 or so years help make "physiocracy" come alive? Etc.

I think that the NEH should avoid politicising itself and also stay out of
the classroom.

Humbly,

--Bob Dawson
UnivTx-Austin