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Why university are always avoiding responsibility? And can’t be held accountable?

(53 Posts)
s1helly Sat 03-Oct-26 11:47:28

Just by looking at all different incidents happened and had me thinking. University kind of becoming the breeding grounds for racism or harassment… the institution whether ignored the issue or just turns blind eyes on this, and there has no penalty for the ones who caused this, instead the person who filed the report are getting punished.

Doodledog Sun 04-Oct-26 06:53:40

All of that chimes with my experience, nanna8. And you’re right - it’s a shame. The job I left was very different from the one I started.

Galaxy Sun 04-Oct-26 07:58:11

I would say nearly everyone lost their mind over the trans stuffgrin, I think it was a question of courage rather than specifically left and right. Certainly many of those who spoke out were on the left - julie bindel, jkrowling etc. However in terms of parties I think the right regained their sanity before the left - Badenoch for example. Although there were brave women in the labour party they were outliers. Those who still support it - greens, lib dems etc are on the 'left'.
This is all further confused by the fact that those who said no men can not be women were immediately told they were far right, doing the rights bidding etc. I think this is further complicated by the fact that many people re evaluated how they felt about the left following all this, I certainly will never feel the same about those who supported it.
Those are my thoughts for what it is worth, I have lost track a bit about how this relates to the thread!

Oreo Sun 04-Oct-26 09:16:12

Thanks Galaxy knew you would explain it well.😁

Oreo Sun 04-Oct-26 09:17:53

Without knowing why the OP started this thread there are many different strands as to why we should share our thoughts on what’s wrong with universities.

Fallingstar Sun 04-Oct-26 09:24:55

With a very vague OP and no reappearance to make things clear I think is fine to just make this an open discussion.

Doodledog Sun 04-Oct-26 09:46:25

Oreo

Thanks Galaxy knew you would explain it well.😁

But Galaxy is not conflating gender criticism with being left wing, which is what you were saying.

As I say, I understand Galaxy's point of view on this, but not yours, which is why I was asking for you to explain your own view.

I agree, Oreo and Fallingstar - we can discuss any aspects of universities, but please let's not have unsubstantiated accusations about 'wokery' and 'left-wing lecturers'. On the subject of trans issues, remember the Stonewall's Diversity Champion nonsense, and the Workplace Equality Index that followed it? Management at universities, like those in councils and other large institutions, were scared of losing their accreditation, and it was that, rather than 'left-wing' staff which drove a lot of the censorship and insistence on putting pronouns on email signatures etc.

Oreo Sun 04-Oct-26 09:55:02

I strongly suspect you know exactly what I am saying Doodledog but choose not to.
The accusations of left wing lecturers and wokery are well substantiated 😄 in universities for absolutely years and years.
I can’t take you seriously if you think that right wing lecturers or any other right wing voting people have any time for the trans movement of course they are left wing!
That doesn’t mean that every single left wing voter in the country has any time for them either but that the vast swathe of those espousing the trans movement are leftist.

Oreo Sun 04-Oct-26 09:57:35

Just as the vast swathe of those in universities supporting the pro Palestine movement are too btw.

Doodledog Sun 04-Oct-26 10:29:07

I disagree, Oreo. I think Galaxy is right that the right (well, the right wing press) shifted tack before the left, but that was about pragmatism, rather than conviction, I think.

I also think that because of the misogyny of much of the trans movement there are those on the far right who are very happy to deny women access to anything or the right to go anywhere that men can't enter - much of it was about denying women autonomy, rather than a genuine belief in biology-defying possibility. I agree with Galaxy that it was more about courage than belief.

I am not in the habit of faux-misunderstanding, incidentally. Why would I pretend not to understand you? I can understand and also disagree, you know?

You say that lecturers are left-wing and pushing so-called 'wokery', and I don't agree. Having spent decades working amongst them, I am in a reasonable position to comment, I think. You then passed the buck to Galaxy who has not backed up what you said, and now want to shift what you said to align with her point of view.

I don't understand your sentence that begins with you not taking me seriously. If I think the right wing have time for the trans movement of course they are left wing??

On the 'trans threads' of old, I (and others) were regularly accused of being right wing. I was called a Nazi and told I spoke like a KKK member by one poster. This was because I argued against the idea that men can become women. My position has always been that the issue is not aligned to right or left.

There is an element of authoritarianism involved - from one side the idea that people should conform to established ways of behaviour, and from the other that those who disagree need to be educated into consciousness, and arguably they represent extremes of right and left respectively, but I don't think that's what we are talking about here?

Galaxy Sun 04-Oct-26 10:30:23

Blooming hell. Is this not the second time I have got in the middle of a fight lately shock

friendlygingercat Sun 04-Oct-26 10:39:02

As a retired academic I'm glad I no longer teach in the university system with all this tiresome woke and gender stuff. Universities have forgotten their mission of educating and have become factories for producing workers in which learning is commercialised. This has generated a "I pay your wages and I want some service " sense of entitlement among students. I will not tutor UK based students because they lack the basic respect of a student for an older wiser person. All my current tutees are international from places such as Taiwan, Singapore and India.

Oreo Sun 04-Oct-26 10:45:59

Feel free to disagree Doodledog😄

Oreo Sun 04-Oct-26 10:47:49

Galaxy 😁
You know more about identity politics than me which was what I meant….but you can hold my coat haha.

Oreo Sun 04-Oct-26 10:48:33

friendlygingercat you are absolutely right.

NotSpaghetti Sun 04-Oct-26 10:52:32

Great post Doodledog.
Thank you.

NotSpaghetti Sun 04-Oct-26 10:53:46

(I meant Yesterday 13:24)

nanna8 Sun 04-Oct-26 11:04:35

My grandchildren who are currently at uni don’t get involved in politics and they are not interested in it,either. One studying commerce, one science and one education, 3 different unis. All they want is to get a decent degree, enjoy the friendship of fellow students . The ones who go on marches and shout are in a minority. The current lecturers and profs in the family are not interested,either. Too busy surviving the increasing workload and demands from the VCs and HODs and looking after their students.

Oreo Sun 04-Oct-26 11:05:29

It would be silly to say that all lecturers in universities were what my dear old Dad used to call trendy lefties ( we’re a classic left wing, as in Labour Party working class voters) the kind that aren’t really liked by the elitist socialists 😂 and universities have had their fair share of the same trendy lefties ever since the 1960’s.Now called woke rather than trendy.There isn’t a cause in any foreign land they can’t get behind.Or in this country too.
They collude with idealistic students who know next to nothing about those causes in demos, marches and general protests also in no platforming certain speakers and encourage general wokery and snowflakery.
Thankfully there may not be quite as many these days due to worry about job losses, but they do exist.

Oreo Sun 04-Oct-26 11:12:13

There was a real worry not too long ago about that arch elitist Socialist Jeremy Corbyn getting into power ( a prime example of a woke lefty) but thankfully sensible Labour voters refused to vote for him.
Andy Burnham is more of a Socialist than Keir Starmer, but more in tune with what more people actually want.
Sorry….I digress but never mind it was worth it.😄

Doodledog Sun 04-Oct-26 11:46:55

Oreo

It would be silly to say that all lecturers in universities were what my dear old Dad used to call trendy lefties ( we’re a classic left wing, as in Labour Party working class voters) the kind that aren’t really liked by the elitist socialists 😂 and universities have had their fair share of the same trendy lefties ever since the 1960’s.Now called woke rather than trendy.There isn’t a cause in any foreign land they can’t get behind.Or in this country too.
They collude with idealistic students who know next to nothing about those causes in demos, marches and general protests also in no platforming certain speakers and encourage general wokery and snowflakery.
Thankfully there may not be quite as many these days due to worry about job losses, but they do exist.

I shall feel free to disagree with all the sweeping generalisations in this post, too.

I would love to know on what you are basing all of this prejudice - preferably in your own words rather than someone else's. I'm not sure what you do for a living, but if someone with no experience of your sector started posting about how the problem with it is that there are so many employees who are X, Y or Z, I don't think you'd find it so amusing.

Oreo Sun 04-Oct-26 11:53:23

It’s a public forum Doodledog we can all claim to be anything we like and say anything we like within GN rules.
I won’t get into all that.
Nor will I keep on and on like a dog with a bone arguing back and forth on this, or anything else.

NotSpaghetti Sun 04-Oct-26 12:06:47

I think S1helley is new.
Maybe she'll come back and explain.

Doodledog Sun 04-Oct-26 12:08:27

😂

I wasn't asking you to say what you do for a living- just making the point that whatever it is, if someone, like a dog with a bone, kept making insinuations about it you might not find it as funny as you do making insinuations about others.

Cossy Sun 04-Oct-26 17:54:21

Fallingstar

I agree Cossy the word woke is being used ad nauseum as are references to left wing influences in academia.
The majority of universities today are run by very conservative Deans/Principals who simply want to attract money and lay off staff. Several universities face closure and those staff still in a job toe the line in order not to be next.
The days of rocking the boat were over years ago.
Is very sad that our universities are in this state and I sincerely wish there were a few left wing people still wielding influence with our universities because then they might stand a better chance of survival.
And this I know because I have a niece who works in a university.

👏👏👏

Cossy Sun 04-Oct-26 18:05:58

Oreo

Without knowing why the OP started this thread there are many different strands as to why we should share our thoughts on what’s wrong with universities.

I agree smile