I tried to not say nothin...i really did. but this statement really got my goat: Re: Academia - I have known no professor to discourage pursuit of a

volatile subject, or to refuse to even listen and/or accept ideas within it regardless of their personal agreement. This is how we cultivate talent - how we grow. This too requires and open mind.

Dear Thomas, I'm finta call a spade a spade, and point out that your above statement is emblematic of White male privilege. I can assure you - as can many of the female/queer/minority members of this list - that indeed professors DO "discourage pursuit of a volatile subject". This is especially true, but not limited to, of any research project that attempts to avoid deficit-based portrayals of non-whites/"other" and ICT usage. The innate conservatism of the academy stifles not only critical cultural projects, but also the recruitment and retention of minority faculty and students. Please argue this with me...i'm begging you. Moving on... I don't know you..and based on your interactions with others here i'm not sure i want to. That being said, you're entitled to your opinions on academia and the list. What you are NOT entitled to are your statements demeaning the intelligence, training, or ethos of other list members. If you spoke to me like that in person, i'd call you on it - which is why i'm saying something here. While you may have received approval or your actions off-list, note that no-one has stepped forward to publicly defend your words. That should signal to you that your actions fall outside the pale of civility. Even if you don't intend to enter academia after completing your degree, I'm sure that your behavior would be deemed objectionable in either the corporate, non-profit, or governmental sectors. I find it ironic that your paragraph ends with "open mind". IMO (i ain't humble) an open mind requires you to accept that the beliefs/practices of others have equal validity to yours REGARDLESS of whether you believe otherwise. I have yet to see you demonstrate that in your behavior on this forum. In the words of the sage philosopher O'Shea Jackson, "check yourself before you wreck yourself". I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. /end rant