Comments on: Academics: Still Totally Lame

By: The Story So Far… » Blog Archive » Ten Guilty Pleasures

The Story So Far… » Blog Archive » Ten Guilty Pleasures — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:16:53 +0000

[...] Some time ago Brad DeLong linked to this post over at Cosmic Variance… [...]

By: Vice Vice Baby | Cosmic Variance

Vice Vice Baby | Cosmic Variance — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 15:08:30 +0000

[...] we’ve already decided, are sadly unfamiliar with guilty pleasures. But you know who are the true experts? Public radio show [...]

By: Sarapen

Sarapen — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 02:28:06 +0000

From The Guardian: Guilty pleasures of intellectuals

It’s slightly more salacious, listing pro wrestling, Stalinist nostalgia, and Project Runway. There’s nothing in it about beating off to coffee table books about architecture or anything really interesting, though.

By: Scott Gerard Prinster

Scott Gerard Prinster — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:47:32 +0000

What I find pathetic about most of their responses is that they’re all of the “job interview question” category: “Well, sir, I’d have to say that my greatest weakness is just working too hard and loving the company too much.” Give me a break.

By: Julianne

Julianne — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:02:30 +0000

how about making tee shirts that say “once you have tenure its all edible panties, firearms and blow”

Done! See http://cosmicvarance.spreadshirt.com

Sadly, we couldn’t do mugs.

By: BlackGriffen

BlackGriffen — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:39:55 +0000

I think I may have the worst guilty pleasure for an academic - tests. I actually enjoy taking and acing a nice, challenging test. Nothing too grueling, mind, but a good couples hours of test is a thrill and its invigorating to come out knowing that you effing owned that thing.

What makes this one so bad is that it leads to ostracism both by your peers and the general populace.

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:17:16 +0000

Seriously, Mark, how about making tee shirts that say “once you have tenure its all edible panties, firearms and blow”? I’d so totally buy one. I know a bunch of assistant professors who’d buy one.

By: Russell Blackford

Russell Blackford — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:50:53 +0000

Well, I’ve been known to read novels by people like Greg Egan - but I can’t think of anything else off-hand. Where’s my “angel” smiley, goddammit?

By: Roger Giner-Sorolla

Roger Giner-Sorolla — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:58:46 +0000

Wait, she admits to enjoying opening a textbook - presumably for teaching purposes? If you’re up for tenure at a Big State University, that’s downright perverse.

By: Mel Anderson

Mel Anderson — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 08:57:38 +0000

I think Greg Egan has hit the nail on the head. The culture of “coolness” is harming kids’ perception of how the world actually works. Witness the decline of the hard sciences in universities in the UK. I read SF as a kid, and thought maths was “cool”. I was thought geeky by my peers because of it. Still am, to some extent.

Incidentally, Greg, glad to hear you’re writing SF again, looking forward to “Incandescence” next year. I think I have just about all of you books, including “An Unusual Angle”.

By: Ted

Ted — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:21:55 +0000

I wonder how much of the absence of actually interesting guilty pleasures on the part of these people is the result not of being in academia but something else - i.e., are the people who answered the question married and in their late 30s, like me? Because back when I was single and in my late 20s, I was in academia, but I actually had guilty pleasures. I don’t anymore because I have a wife and daughter now, not because of anything having to do with academia.

By: Crooked Timber » » Publish You’re Squarish

Crooked Timber » » Publish You’re Squarish — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:48:12 +0000

[...] of interest to sociologists of academia, this post by Sean Carroll on how pathetic academics can be when they’re asked to disclose their ‘guilty [...]

By: daisy rose

daisy rose — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:55:18 +0000

Guilt is a useless emotion -

By: Yasaman Farzan

Yasaman Farzan — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:19:24 +0000

Does curving out and eating 7 kilos of watermelon with a spoon and putting back the rest in the refrigerator (instead of sliding a little piece and putting it in plate to eat) count as a guilty pleasure in American culture?
Not that I do such a thing!

By: John Armstrong

John Armstrong — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 05:35:09 +0000

Guilty pleasure: paying attention to popular culture. Man I loves me some Britney-bashing. Sure, plenty of other people do it, but are academics “supposed” to?

On the other hand, does it take the “edge” off it if I then use the pop-culture trivia as foddor for ridiculing Critical Theory? I’m still rather proud of my “queer reading” of “The Sign”, by Ace of Base.

By: Neil B.

Neil B. — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:00:02 +0000

One of my guilty pleasures is arguing about metaphysical issues like God’s existence, the contingent nature of observed reality, the meaning of existence, multiple universes, modal realism, etc. in stupefyingly deep, perplexing, and intricate ways.

By: John Baez

John Baez — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:46:10 +0000

Reading this blog is one of my guilty pleasures.

By: mxracer652

mxracer652 — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:35:30 +0000

@ Peter E,
True, but we’re talking about two different things, riding for exercise/transportation is one thing, training to be a semi/pro cyclist is entirely different.

I think the point Hacker admits is that the amount of time that is necessary for training cuts into your family time, hence its inherent selfishness/guilty pleasure status.

By: sysrick.com

sysrick.com — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:28:08 +0000

[...] Academics: Still Totally Lame [...]

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:23:17 +0000

Doesn’t the incredulous (even disapproving) response to McCloskey’s lame pleasure at cracking a textbook perversely validate her? I mean, she’s right - now it is a guilty pleasure.