[MD] Another parallel

[Arlo Bensinger]

[Ron]
By your rational if MoQ WERE to be taught in universities, it would 
STILL be considered SOM. HOW dumb is THAT?

[Arlo]
Its an inane dialogue built solely upon the demonizing of "the 
academy". Pirsig called this "just right-wing politics", and I think 
you'll notice, not oddly, that those who clamor the loudest for 
"right-wing" orthodoxy are also the first to demonize and vilify the 
University at every conceivable turn. Call it knee-jerk reactionism, 
or whatever you like, but don't expect it to have much value.

Sure, the Academy is very static, moves slow, perhaps too much so at 
times, but it does this to protect itself from chasing every whim, 
every fad. To be otherwise would be chaos, syllabi and curriculums 
would change monthy, weekly, daily. And you could make a valid 
argument that, at times, good ideas (such as Pirsig's) have a hard 
time getting in. But, and this is crucial, they DO get it. It might 
not be on the timeline we'd like, but Ant's groundbreaking degree, 
and others who are moving the MOQ forward (even in indirect ways, by 
writing papers, by engaging students in discussions on its ideas, 
etc) will also ensure that the MOQ will not be kept down.

Believe me, as one who has worked for educational reform for many 
years, I don't idolize the Academy. There are many ways it can/should 
be improved. But none of that amounts to tossing the baby out with 
the bathwater (as it were), nor with simply squalking the idiotic 
rants of talk-radio, which amount to little more than "the academy is 
baaaad, mmmmkay". Platt, who is always so eager to jump on the "evil 
academy" bandwagon, does again this time forgetting that while the 
Academy may have rejected Pirsig's thesis initially, it was 
right-wingers who wanted to reject Pirsig himself as a "radical". 
While the Academy has moved slow to accept the MOQ, at least it has 
moved. Today's right-wing reactionaries are just as quick to denounce 
"radical perfessers" in the same zeal they denounced Pirsig. For 
them, the game has not changed one whit.

And while I expect these comments to draw nothing but the "Arlo is an 
evil Marxist, commie, socialist, fascist, terrorist lovin', freedom 
hatin', enemy of liberty acerdimic" as it always does, I just want to 
remind you, Ron, not to be put off by "arguments" based only in 
reactionary anti-intellectualism, or as Pirsig called it "just 
right-wing politics".

[Ron]
pretty fuckin dumb

[Arlo]
Yep.