The disarray of a scattered curriculum, the disenchantment of talented yet deferential faculty, and the disorientation of precocious students loom large.
You don't see a problem with this? Nobody speaks this way, it's not how anyone communicates. Saying something is mendacious is fine, it's not uncommon words that are the problem, it's the structure itself. A letter should be written as a conversational message not like a novel telling a story.
Not sure how Americans usually react to this kind of thing but this would go over really poorly in the UK and serve to further alienate academics from sections of the masses because of the pretentious style.
True story: I know someone who sorta knows him. He said to take however smart he is based on how you see him in interviews. Now multiply that number by 1,000. He is off the charts smart.
Nobody speaks this way, it's not how anyone communicates
Well, evidently at least one person communicates this way. Regardless, writing in ways other than exact imitations of verbal speech isn't a "problem".
A letter should be
A letter doesn't really have to be anything outside of a few loose requirements like being addressed to someone. And given that this is being written to the dean of America's most prestigious school, I don't think some flowery diction is out of place for the audience.
You've made a very silly assumption that anyone outside of America either knows who he is or the race someone they've never seen a picture of. He might be important to Americans but he's barely a footnote in the UK.
i agree that writing should be as accessible as possible, and i definitely have a pet peeve about anyone using overly pretentious language regardless of whether or not theyre an academic. (if anything, i think being a teaching academic makes overly wrought language even worse). and while i agree that west's writing wasn't the most accessible (and is practicing a pretentiousness that would usually piss people off), its a little different here because west has a unique position of being a black, older, theological, eccentric academic (as well as an actual background in fighting for working class issues) that allows him to get away with writing like this and not being a douche, as someone in normal circumstances would be if they communicated like this.
he's harking back to the traditions set by james baldwin, malcolm x, MLK, the activist black church and more.
his letter is also a practice in rhetorical dramatic academic writing
its also as simple as why neil degrasse tyson can kinda talk in super abstract ways --he's just smart and kinda on another level but its not wrapped up in condescension (from what i understand, but idk tyson could have a douche rep), it's just a function of being wrapped in abstract thought
It's just a formal letter written in protest and that bit you cited is pretty based ngl. It's very specific wording, nothing wrong with a bit of drama considering he's probably pissed
You don't see a problem with this? Nobody speaks this way, it's not how anyone communicates. Saying something is mendacious is fine, it's not uncommon words that are the problem, it's the structure itself. A letter should be written as a conversational message not like a novel telling a story.
Not sure how Americans usually react to this kind of thing but this would go over really poorly in the UK and serve to further alienate academics from sections of the masses because of the pretentious style.
I mean, this is pretty much exactly how he sounds in interviews. And it doesn't come off as pretentious at all, he's really just super wicked smart
Yeah, are we really going to look down on Dr. Cornel fuckin West for being highly intelligent? What a horrible take.
I wouldn't say it's a horrible take, but yeah, man's just a lifelong academic.
True story: I know someone who sorta knows him. He said to take however smart he is based on how you see him in interviews. Now multiply that number by 1,000. He is off the charts smart.
If he's so smart how come he's not hired by Harvard anymore.
e: Oh he resigned lol
in the UK they would be like, "U WOT M8? ITS COMING HOME! [17 racial slurs]"
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Reads like he's describing hogwarts under the control of the death eaters. It's definitely pretentious for a letter, come on.
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He definitely wrote this knowing he was going to tweet it.
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Well, evidently at least one person communicates this way. Regardless, writing in ways other than exact imitations of verbal speech isn't a "problem".
A letter doesn't really have to be anything outside of a few loose requirements like being addressed to someone. And given that this is being written to the dean of America's most prestigious school, I don't think some flowery diction is out of place for the audience.
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Also very conservative word count. I'd love it if every paper was written like this. At least the quoted bit
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I mean, yeah the toffs do. That's besides the point though.
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:PIGPOOPBALLS: :pigpoop:
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You've made a very silly assumption that anyone outside of America either knows who he is or the race someone they've never seen a picture of. He might be important to Americans but he's barely a footnote in the UK.
Everyone here knows that's not me.
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This isn't reddit, you're missing the point by acting like this is a conversation you must "win" at all costs. It's supremely reddit-ey behaviour.
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Lmao could you be any more obviously a wrecker?
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You've been called a wrecker before? Maybe if that keeps happening you should self reflect.
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Why did you say "again" then?
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i agree that writing should be as accessible as possible, and i definitely have a pet peeve about anyone using overly pretentious language regardless of whether or not theyre an academic. (if anything, i think being a teaching academic makes overly wrought language even worse). and while i agree that west's writing wasn't the most accessible (and is practicing a pretentiousness that would usually piss people off), its a little different here because west has a unique position of being a black, older, theological, eccentric academic (as well as an actual background in fighting for working class issues) that allows him to get away with writing like this and not being a douche, as someone in normal circumstances would be if they communicated like this.
he's harking back to the traditions set by james baldwin, malcolm x, MLK, the activist black church and more.
his letter is also a practice in rhetorical dramatic academic writing
its also as simple as why neil degrasse tyson can kinda talk in super abstract ways --he's just smart and kinda on another level but its not wrapped up in condescension (from what i understand, but idk tyson could have a douche rep), it's just a function of being wrapped in abstract thought
It's just a formal letter written in protest and that bit you cited is pretty based ngl. It's very specific wording, nothing wrong with a bit of drama considering he's probably pissed