Decline, Decant, Trip The Steel Grab Bars

For America's giant, dinosaurlike economy — with its small, wealthy head; its big, fat middle; and its long low-income tail — there is a tried-and-tested response to a change in the weather. -- Niall Ferguson

Of all the universities with which I’ve been affiliated, I have no direct connection to Drexel, other than my relatives, who have administrative contracts with the campus, and brief gunrunner visits, dashing my long deceased P-200 to their computer service outlet, and of all the city’s big campuses, Drexel’s is the most utilitarian, but not in the aspirational sense, in its combination of sienna brick-face masonry and steel cordoned pathways, its architecture is unpleasant, and that it seems to have induced, if not sanctioned, George Ciccariello-Maher's behavior is only further evidence of institutional authority erosion. Outstanding teacher my ass. The man is an obnoxious twit who should have thought about his responsibility as a faculty member before he tanked himself in social media’s septic refuse. Jerry was dismissed from Widener for similar reasons, but that was in house, and didn’t become a Reaganite pet peeve as Maher did with Fox.

Professors shouldn’t receive threats for insolence, but one can comprehend backlash provoked by such irresponsible sarcasm. I rode in on the tail end of the initial incident, and after Twitter allowed me to sample his account, I wondered about doctorate degree valuation. Trump may have polarized the country, but he has been an urban celebrity for more than 20 years, elected by those, like myself, never given air by media outlets. Snark by academics in political science, underappreciated, without the lucre of a television deal, aren’t rectifying the wounds the president has caused through scalding barbs of insensitivity.