Frank Lechner

Sociology professor at Emory University. Substack commentary on political and social issues:

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

@LeeBorko92201 @guypbenson "This is all on The orange criminal and the gop" If only. Debt also grew enormously under other presidents, and entitlements are driving force on the spending side. If it's all on the GOP, what is the Dem long-term solution?

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

@cremieuxrecueil "Wokeness obviously didn't end." Indeed. Apologies to followers for reposting a link to a Substack piece that argued, "We Will Always be Woke": https://t.co/5vUIMhRzl3

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

@epkaufm Fair enough. I took a slightly different, but perhaps compatible, view here, arguing that "We Will Always be Woke," perhaps relevant as the woke 2.0 meme takes hold: https://t.co/5vUIMhRzl3

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

@firesidealpha https://t.co/DAYBfjnlHG

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

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[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

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[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

@ProfAliceS Stock underestimates the challenge: https://t.co/E9RLSxGXYI

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

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[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

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[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

@Shilohmarx $2.7T in "improper payments": even if the real number is half that, you'd almost think someone somewhere has an incentive not to check and rein in spending. But then, might fraud be the point? https://t.co/iIgkZH0C26

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

"How is this message supposed to make the younger generation mentally healthier or less depressed?" Perhaps UMich admins think it might, "without evidence," as they say. Suppressing grade disparities that reflect poorly on admissions policies is also an institutional plus. But think about the effect on instructors. They can be honest in actual grading. Perhaps ironically, hiding the grade behind a "P" may decrease coddling. It may even be useful to pre-meds: a D in organic chemistry means you're gonna struggle--change direction. Which is healthy, in a perverse way. Assuming, of course, that med schools evenhandedly care about grades and competence.

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

"The people defending Jason Arday's lies have lost their minds." Not at all. It's important to see the political rationality at work. Strictly speaking, of course, defending the package of lies (more than just plagiarism) makes no sense, esp. considering the extent (including calling police etc.) But, given their priorities, Arday defenders are also acting rationally (though whether they'll succed is not yet clear!): by the Havel rule, trying to make others assent to lies in some way symbolizes and forces their submission, and by making Arday a martyr and deflecting criticism as racism, his defenders also promote a new round of leftist policy and try to cow media allies. More here: https://t.co/GltjHrHFAD and here: https://t.co/7KmsJINhEt

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

@akoustov https://t.co/oJO2AHfWxm

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

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[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

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[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

"It’s right to point out black scholars are underrepresented" Underrepresented according to what yardstick? For example, judging by black representation among the top SAT math scores, should we expect higher black representation on math and physics faculty, or for that matter in quantitative finance, than currently? By some evidence in some fields, black scholars are already represented acccording to credentials--if not better: check with @JukkaSavo and here: https://t.co/1oETs9JPvz In general, how does the logic of representation jibe with advancement of knowledge? What if left academics and the public favor the former?

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

"counterproductive backlash" Whether the backlash is "counterproductive" depends on what you mean by production. Hypothesis: Arday's defenders, now and in the past, want to overcome oppression and lessen disdavantage to produce equity as they see it. They don't give priority to producing great scholarship or academically strong faculties. Neutralizing the backlash will require grasping, as the left likes to frame it, the root causes. Without addressing those, "counterproductive" things will keep happening. See also: https://t.co/jrxbwkfIza

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

@RichardDawkins Dawkins' response to Arday's defenders is itself bewildering, because their actions reflect the same political project at work in his ascent:
https://t.co/gMZUGRf5Gg

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

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[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

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[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

"It's about politics, which is to say, power." Yes, and for now, the negative coverage of Arday notwithstanding, only one side, i.e., the Trafalgar Square left, is doing the actual politics--with the apparent aim of limiting investigations and criticisms of DEI, and promoting harder-left, even more equity-oriented policies in higher ed. Social media commenters aside, is there any organized opposition?
https://t.co/7KmsJINhEt

[Frank Lechner @FrankJLechner]

"no evidence that they have considered their complicity" That would require clarity on complicity in what, and why. It's hard to acknowledge that UK-style DEI spurs academic fraud and that it results from progressive political commitments most academics share. Few people even "consider" it because it was dangerous to deviate from the party line then, and it is still dangerous now--as the party line evolves to declare Arday a martyred victim of a vicious racist campaign. If you confess complicity in the fraud rather than the attack, doesn't that make you racist? Profs and journalists will (re)learn that the risk of actual learning is high.