Intellectuals Unhinged

I hope my next professor at UMass Lowell is not a supporter of Professor Francis Fox Piven.  If she is, I could be in trouble, because I think Law Professor and Blogger Ann Althouse does a good job of explaining why Professor Piven is in the wrong and her supporters are even more in the wrong and why TV Commentator Glenn Beck is on solid ground.

This issue revolves around Mr Beck pointing out that Professor Piven's call for demonstrations in the streets of the US like those in Greece are calls for violence, including destruction of property and resulting death.  Mr Beck calls her the ninth most dangerous person in America.  I quibble with his ranking her as ninth, but I think he makes a point that her call demonstrations, based on those that recently lead to the destruction of property and death, shows a clear lack of responsibility.

The latest group to get involved in this are the officers of the American Sociology Association.♠

This latest dust-up is not my first acquaintance with Professor Piven.  Several years ago I took a history course from Professor Steve Russell where there were several textbooks, but only one I remember, the one by Professor Piven and her late husband, Richard Cloward—Regulating the Poor:  The Functions of Public Welfare.  Incidentally, a great course.

Professor Piven and her backers are in the wrong here and this time Mr Beck is on the side of the angels.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  When I was looking for a second concentration, to go with my history concentration, my wife advised me that I would not enjoy sociology.  I thought she was wrong, but had a chance to pick economics and did.  Score another one for the wife.