In early February, I wrote four posts that I called the "academic neuroses files" (see Willy Loman Syndrome for an example). Today, Professor Yidg shows me the March 4th Chronicle Review, in which a couple of hacks published a few "advanced symptoms for advanced degrees." I'm incensed! Such blatant theivery. And in the Chronicle of Higher Ed! Where is the outrage! The OUTRAGE!
Well, I think I've stumbled upon another academic neurosis, Original Spin: the obsessive, nearly paranoid need to try to take credit for coming up with ideas that have clearly been thought-up, rehashed, and recycled endlessly; well, certainly longer than you or I had even thought about being an academic. Sufferers will defend their false and faulty claim more vociferously than they will pursue actual original work, turning to the teachings of the Sophists, Self-helpists, and Spin-doctorists as a last-ditch effort to live up to the ultimate measure of academic success: being interesting. Original Spin is really a global malady, as it seaps into the afflicted's overall perceptual environment. Luckily, original spin is similar to the chicken pox, as nearly everyone will catch it at some point. Most people recover fairly quickly, with little scarring. Experts note that it's much better to catch it early in one's career than later on when it can be quite dangerous.
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2 comments:
You are so right about this. I once saw a middle-aged feminist full professor who writes on Stein imply that Judith Butler's Gender Trouble was actually stolen from her research. The entire room stared hard at the floor. What do you do with your face when someone gives way to this kind of hysteria???? yikes.
They're great posts. And oddly I have suffered from mild versions of most of these disorders, but only after tenure ... it is scary how stuff rubs off after a while ... that's why the posts, while delightful, are also instructive.
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