The Academic Working Poor

Working in an airport gift shop, standing in line for free cheese, sharing a bowl of soup for dinner... these are the all-too-typical coping strategies adopted by the working poor among the contingent faculty who are now the overwhelming majority of the professoriate. In part 2 of our interview, Cary Nelson discusses the abjection of the professoriate and the role of the AAUP in pushing back against the callous, systematic exploitation of students and faculty by university management.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Colleges
• universities
• professors
• students
• adjuncts
• faculty
• Wal-mart
• poverty
• working poor
• AAUP
• PhD
• Marc Bousquet

[torrac2]

capitalism is the worst piece of shit ever

[FriedDaisy]

That may be, madcatzy, but that doesn't make it ethical.

Money isn't a product, it's an idea-- a symbol. It's a promise to exchange labor and products for the labor and products of others.

Like parasites, the above mentioned suck from the primordial soup of other people's pain, suffering and honest labor to accumulate obscene amounts of wealth while they, themselves, produce nothing.

[Cardywhite111]

I dont want to criticise the faculty member who was standing in line for cheese but surely he should consider whether he can afford children if he is so strapped for cash We all have to make choices in this world. I could have had five children. I chose to have two. I went to work part time. His wife could go to work part time. He could look after his children whilst she was working. If he still needs the cheese forget humiliation.

[TheLiberty53]

@torrac2 - In this man's first few sentences and from the place he occupies doing this interview, he's a hypocrite. Who has more freedom than academics in a free and democratic society: Professors. If this interview was done in the former Soviet Union, China or a Middle East nation they would take him out and shoot him. Capitalism is the only economic system that works and benefits any person, no matter what color, creed or race, who is willing to work hard to achieve their dreams. Not Marxism.

[justcallmeassinine]

@sergioapuzzo Its sad that a Phd in biochem cannot get a job but sounds like you made a good choice to go to med school and not have children.It would not be good for you or the children. Higher ed is a business and too many go into it with no plan. If you don't have a family and really don't want to go to med school,I amsure their are jobs abroad and in federal gov't for you.

[sergioapuzzo]

@MultiSmartass1 you made the right choice

[sergioapuzzo]

PhD = pretty horrible deal

I got a PhD in Biochemistry and published 6 papers during my PhD and still no decent job, so guess what, I went to med school and had to postpone my life another 10 years.

Please tell the world to avoid higher education in the form of PhDs or Master's - it is actually dangerous for your future - for example I have to consider staying childless since I have no time with med school and being older I get tired more easily. Again please do not do a PhD

[jtejkowski]

@engineerjatt This is why you are not a teacher.

[carnypimp]

@KripDrip Im sorry if was such a great oppurtunity for everyone to get rich then their would be many poor educated people getting rich. Sorry you live in la la land! The united states has to have at least 30% socialism so the majority of the poor can capitalize from capitalism otherwise only the rich make others rich. The party that gained controll of this country AGAIN is only out for those who are already rich or look down on the middle, and poor class. The class war is capitalist.

[KripDrip]

if it wasnt for capitalism, it would be harder for everyone to get a job and get rich.