Faculty at all 23 campuses of the California State University system have voted to authorize a strike, demanding a new contract with higher salaries, lower class sizes and more manageable workloads.
It’s really imperative that we stop analyzing everything from the perspective of the past and what worked in the past while ignoring both the new possibilities we have now and the differences from the past. Just because people in the past were able to migrate with less means neither that they can do so now nor - more importantly - that they should have to. There is absolutely zero reason these days to have tends of thousands of people living homeless, with numerous millions more living in or on the verge of poverty. Saying “just leave and move somewhere else” is not a solution that makes good use of the available resources that we have.
That’s the root of the problem. Complacency and elitism. Living in the past. I won’t make assumptions on your feelings or beliefs, but the same points that you are making are the same ones that those at the top constantly make to legitimize their negligence to do any bit of good for the rest of us. Because those very people would love to continue living in the past. Why would they want to see change?
And believe me, I understand that for some people it makes perfect sense to move. I’d imagine that many of these CSU faculty have that option available to them as they are likely in much more fortunate situations. Telling them though to leave - or creating and maintaining the conditions to support that - is the worst thing they could possibly do. Texas, Florida, and other states made these same decisions - not through economics but through social policy - and pushed out doctors and academics. Now, health care access has plummeted and numerous educators have left the state or exited the field. All at the detriment of the people who don’t have the ability to get out themselves.
It’s really imperative that we stop analyzing everything from the perspective of the past and what worked in the past while ignoring both the new possibilities we have now and the differences from the past. Just because people in the past were able to migrate with less means neither that they can do so now nor - more importantly - that they should have to. There is absolutely zero reason these days to have tends of thousands of people living homeless, with numerous millions more living in or on the verge of poverty. Saying “just leave and move somewhere else” is not a solution that makes good use of the available resources that we have.
That’s the root of the problem. Complacency and elitism. Living in the past. I won’t make assumptions on your feelings or beliefs, but the same points that you are making are the same ones that those at the top constantly make to legitimize their negligence to do any bit of good for the rest of us. Because those very people would love to continue living in the past. Why would they want to see change?
And believe me, I understand that for some people it makes perfect sense to move. I’d imagine that many of these CSU faculty have that option available to them as they are likely in much more fortunate situations. Telling them though to leave - or creating and maintaining the conditions to support that - is the worst thing they could possibly do. Texas, Florida, and other states made these same decisions - not through economics but through social policy - and pushed out doctors and academics. Now, health care access has plummeted and numerous educators have left the state or exited the field. All at the detriment of the people who don’t have the ability to get out themselves.
Okay. Let me know when these problems get solved doing something I don’t suggest.
I can wait.