Michael Smith wrote:
> There's a proverb about the bitterness of the conflict being inversely proportional to the value of the stakes. The furious hatreds that develop in college English departments being one of the loci classici.
I once said the same thing to a friend of mine who teaches history at UC Irvine. I thought I had come up with this brilliant observation on my own. Didn't know it was a proverb.
Anyway, this guy, who should know more than I do about it, and I'd say more than you too, said that the hatreds develop for the opposite reason... i.e. careers are at stake and somebody, somewhere, when you least expect it, can shoot you down with a review of your work, among other means.