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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Vol. 37, No. 7. April, 17 1974

Academic bourgeois arrogance

Academic bourgeois arrogance

Dear Roger,

In Salient on April 3 you published an unsigned article called "Putting Screws on Student its Money" dealing with the attempt by Muldoon to introduce legislation which was to restrict student finances.

While being totally in agreement with the article, I was however, disturbed by the attitude expressed in one paragraph: "Mr Goldie said that these views were based on his experience of life. However persistent questioning from Frank O'Flynn revealed that Mr Goldie's experience was limited to a time as an apprentice carpenter and to some involvement with the Boy Scouts."

Without defending Mr Goldie's views or the Boy Scouts, I take strong objection to the inference that because one has been apprenticed then one's views are less valid than otherwise.

Having been an apprentice myself and having been subjected to similar examples of academic bourgeois arrogance, I wonder whether the correspondent would have questioned Mr Goldie's views had his "experience of life" contained three years within the safety of the sterilised walls of academia?

May I through Salient, suggest to your smug correspondent that most of present and future comfort in life and his privileged complacency have been at the expense of exploited groups in our society such as apprentices.

Neville Taylor