Academic Footnotes

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,325]

I am very sad to note that one of my heroes, Denis Dutton, passed away earlier today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Dutton

Dutton was the founder of the "Bad Writing Contest" which he awarded annually to a prominent academic, (winners included Judith Butler and Fredric Jameson), in an attempt to highlight the intellectual vacuity, arrogance and obfuscation rife in modern academia.

Here is some more information on the "Bad Writing Awards" including samples from some of the most famous academics today:

http://denisdutton.com/bad_writing.htm

Bless you, Mr Dutton, for your service in showing that the emperors (and empresses) of academia have no clothes. May you rest in peace, good sir.

Unfortunately, most of these academics are still influential, as are their legion of sycophantic supporters in just about every university in the western world.

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,325]

I decided to break this away into its own thread. In honour of the late Mr Dutton, let's monitor the fall of this pompous generation of academics. Most of the Marxist and post-structuralist thinkers are fairly long in the tooth now and with the likes of Susan Sontag dying fairly recently, I think a few more will be going soon.

 

Okay, so I know that Slavoj Zizek is overweight and has a heart condition (he won't fly because of it) and Frederic Jameson is also obese.

 

Australian Educationalist Kerryn McCluskey from the University of Queensland was also under stress a few years ago after being caught involved in a corruption scandal but she is fairly young. She is too obscure for a UK obit, though

 

Any other ideas?

[Ize 3]

Problem with most academics is they tend to disapeer when they get old or retire, so hard to tell what health they are in. For my contributions Stuart Hall (not the It's a Knockout one though they are about they are about the same age) comes to mind as he hasn't done anything in a while. Harold Bloom is 80 now and particulalry noted for his various pretensions. Also, someone who mentioned before on here who is surprisingly still alive, Christian theologian John Hick is now 88.

 

Most of the original Post-structuralists are already dead, but on other philosophers, Jurgan Habermass is probably one of the most famous still alive and is now 81 but still occasionally pops in the media. Hiliary Putnamn is 84 but still a professor (dunno how active) at Harvard. Gore Vidal seems to make less appearances than he used to these days and say even more ridicilous things when he does and at 85 could be a decent outside bet. Doris Lessing is 91 though one a literary prize in 2007.

 

Unfortunatly I have go and read some these people in a studenty capacity but it is an awful good way to waste time on Wikipedia if anyones interested.

[Handrejka 1,911]

Well there's Eugene Nida born in 1914 whom I think I've mentioned before.

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,325]

Apparently, there is a fairly big scandal in the US with an "Ivory League" uni academic, one Mr David Epstein, in a spot of bother for enjoying his daughter's company a bit too much over a number of years:

 

http://www.slate.com/id/2277787

 

Potential suicide?

[maryportfuncity 10,700]

Oi...speaking as one who has hung out in such company, not all academics are arrogant.

[Ra Ra Rasputin 99]

Bit of a cross-over from the linguist list, but I'd be tempted to go for Randolph Quirk (although he's never struck me as arrogant at all) simply due to him pushing 90.

[maryportfuncity 10,700]

Gene Smith, far from arrogant, very academic.

[msc 18,559]

Daniel Bell, a leading American sociologist best known for writing The End of Ideology, has ended.

[maryportfuncity 10,700]

W Ross Winterowd, significant scholar in terms of rhetoric of literature and one who made a major contribution to understanding of nonfiction novels and creative nonfiction via his book "The Rhethoric of the "Other" Literature."

[Spade_Cooley 9,639]

Noel Sheehy, who was apparently a "big cheese" in the world of psychology, has offed himself.

[sympathyforthedevil 11]

Noel Sheehy, who was apparently a "big cheese" in the world of psychology, has offed himself.

 

Where does it say he offed himself?

[Spade_Cooley 9,639]

Noel Sheehy, who was apparently a "big cheese" in the world of psychology, has offed himself.

 

Where does it say he offed himself?

 

Died "on his own" after "going missing" with "no suspicious circumstances". Gonna guess he didn't just crawl into a bush upon having a heart attack.

[sympathyforthedevil 11]

Noel Sheehy, who was apparently a "big cheese" in the world of psychology, has offed himself.

 

Where does it say he offed himself?

 

Died "on his own" after "going missing" with "no suspicious circumstances". Gonna guess he didn't just crawl into a bush upon having a heart attack.

 

I wouldn't necessarily assume suicide but whatever floats your boat.

[Davey Jones' Locker 1,325]

One arrogant academic at Oxford has apparently just bumped another off: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-13/oxford-lecturer-arrested-over-professor27s-death/3772508

 

 

"Britain's 900-year-old Oxford University was in shock on Friday after a prominent astrophysicist was found dead and a maths lecturer arrested on suspicion of his murder."

[Windsor 2,235]

One arrogant academic at Oxford has apparently just bumped another off: http://www.abc.net.a...s-death/3772508

 

 

"Britain's 900-year-old Oxford University was in shock on Friday after a prominent astrophysicist was found dead and a maths lecturer arrested on suspicion of his murder."

 

Yes, but the murdered man's wife says it was just a tragic accident...which makes me think she may be humping the accused.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,366]

I'm not sure if she's arrogant or, strictly speaking, an academic, so this is probably the wrong thread. Anyway, I'd like to suggest the folklorist and world renowned expert on nursery rhymes Iona Opie, who will be 89 later this year. With her late husband Peter, she edited the Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, which I've just finished reading (I'd always wanted to know the story behind Little Miss Muffett, Humpty Dumpty et al).

 

I don't have any information on Opie's health, but thought I'd mention her anyway, partly due to the fact that she has so few consonants in her name.

[Magere Hein 1,400]

I don't have any information on Opie's health, but thought I'd mention her anyway, partly due to the fact that she has so few consonants in her name.

 

Unfortunately Mher Mkrtchyan is no longer with us.

 

regards,

Hein

[maryportfuncity 10,700]

Hadn't realised Richard Hoggart - author of the seminal "The Uses of Literacy" - is still breathing and well into his 94th year. Broadsheet obits a certainty where he's concerned. He even made it to having his own edition of Desert Island Discs.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia....Richard_Hoggart

[time 8,682]

Three Sussex University physics professors have died in unrelated circumstances within 4 days of each other.

[Toast 16,246]

Three Sussex University physics professors have died in unrelated circumstances within 4 days of each other.

 

Must be something in the H²O

[Phantom 2,552]

Three Sussex University physics professors have died in unrelated circumstances within 4 days of each other.

 

If it had been in Oxford, we'd have had to call in Inspector Lewis to investigate

[time 8,682]

Three Sussex University physics professors have died in unrelated circumstances within 4 days of each other.

 

Must be something in the H²O

H₂O

[Magere Hein 1,400]

Three Sussex University physics professors have died in unrelated circumstances within 4 days of each other.

 

Must be something in the H²O

H₂O

 

Dihydrogen monoxide, aka DHMO. Dangerous stuff.

 

regards,

Hein

[time 8,682]

One arrogant academic at Oxford has apparently just bumped another off: http://www.abc.net.a...s-death/3772508

 

 

"Britain's 900-year-old Oxford University was in shock on Friday after a prominent astrophysicist was found dead and a maths lecturer arrested on suspicion of his murder."

 

 

Oxford don will not be prosecuted over death of professor