Thread by @JeffreyASachs

⁦@Noahpinion⁩ seems to have deleted this tweet, which is a shame, because I think he’s right. But scrolling through his replies, it looks like he’s getting two types of objections. 1/n

Objection #1: It won't make a difference. The Right has always hated academia and nothing we do will change that.

Maybe, but consider. Yes, there has always been suspicion on the Right about higher ed, going right back through Buckley to the interwar years. It's not new. 2/n

But it's also gotten much, much worse. Another way of putting it is that this general complaint, one mainly held by a small percentage of conservatives, has suddenly gone mainstream. And I do mean *suddenly*. 3/n

pewsocialtrends.org/essay/the-grow…

Obviously that's cause for alarm, but it's also cause for optimism. It suggests that the current situation has less to do with higher ed itself and more to do with media framing, elite cues, etc. Those are hard to solve, but not unsolvable. 4/n

Btw, there's another national report from last autumn, which I can't for the life of me locate right now, that found that while Republicans are suspicious of universities in general, they like their local institutions and the people working there. That too is significant. 5/n

All of which is to say that having more conservative profs in academia - and more visible ones - is not a terrible way of improving higher ed's PR problem. Whether in university governance, media, or by liaising with policymakers, they can make a difference. Don't laugh! 6/n

Conservatives like @SamuelAbramsAEI and Matthew Woessner have very publicly and persuasively defended higher ed in the press, in academia, and in the conservative think-tank-o-sphere. All of it helps. They're very effective.

Objection #2: If we give conservatives special treatment because of they whine so much, we'll just be rewarding bad behavior.

I agree, but that's not what I have in mind. 8/n

The point is that we should create an environment in academia that permits everyone to thrive, so long as they can meet disciplinary standards and professional norms. At present, I don't think we're doing that for conservatives. 9/n

global.oup.com/academic/produ…

The goal of getting more conservatives in academia is, in part, a craven one. We would be doing it because higher ed is facing multiple catastrophes. A demographic crisis. A financial crisis. A public health crisis. And also a crisis of public trust. It's terrible. 10/n

So yes, in so far as getting more conservatives in academia helps ameliorate one or more of those crises, it's rewarding bad behavior. But! But!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is ALSO about your student. You remember him/her, right? That 19yo kid in your class?

The one who loves to learn, who loves old books and lab experiments, and who also wonders with mounting alarm whether s/he will be welcome in grad school? Because s/he is conservative?

Set aside whether his/her fears are well-founded. The fact is that they're real, and we should care about them because we're good people and we want our students to succeed.

The fact that their success might also help save higher ed is just gravy. A bonus for doing our jobs.

Gah. I know I'm not going to convince most of you. I've had versions of this conversation so many times on Twitter that I already know EXACTLY the sorts of snotty comments I'm going to get. "But what about anti-vaxxers?" "You mean we should hire racists?" Etc.

It's exhausting and I have no intention of reading them.

But for those of you who *are* persuadable, please give it some thought. Higher ed is in desperate trouble. Noah's solution may not work, but it's worth considering. And remember, even if it doesn't work...

...it's still worth figuring out how we can make academia more welcoming. Not for racists, not for homophobes, not for [insert moral monster here]. But for conservatives.

And if that strikes you as a tautology, I've got nothing for you. Please block and report.