On Dec 7, 2011, at 9:54 AM, Michael Smith wrote:
> In other news, Doug's Facebook page shows Thomas
> Friedman receiving an honorary doctorate from Rensselaer.
I'm reminded of something Christopher Hitchens once said before he went bad. Rejecting the facile Stalin = Hitler comparison, Hitch said, "With Stalin, one gets the feeling he was betraying something. Not Hitler." Same with giving TF an honorary degree. But not a NYT column.
Also, re: your disclosure that factory workers are far more free-speaking than academics. As some old academic once pointed out - I think it was Michael Burawoy - blowing off steam is an important coping mechanism in dealing with the stress and tedium of the workday. But in most senses, the factory is an authoritarian regime. They don't even pretend to embrace free expression.
Doug