Teachable Moments

— Matthew Henry Hall

Matthew Henry Hall is a cartoonist and writer, living in Flagstaff, Ariz. Matthew would be gosh darned tickled if you visited his Web site: www.matthewhenryhall.com.

Comments

Both of the professors are men and the secretary is a woman, this is because our universities and colleges are models of gender equity, right?

Susan Feiner, professor of economics and women’s studies at university of southern maine, at 5:10 pm EDT on March 24, 2007

the obvious?

The majority of professors are male and the very very very vast majority of secretaries at universities are female.

If women choose being a secretary over being a professor, well perhaps that is just another example of exercising a woman’s right to choose whatever she wants on whatever topic.

ACF, at 10:00 pm EDT on March 25, 2007

Choices

Just a American Jails are full of African Americans who “choose” to be crimnals.

CG, at 4:20 am EDT on March 26, 2007

I think this is just funny. Besides, how do we know that the female is not the department chair writing something for her classes? Let’s lighten up.

V.Lana, at 9:25 am EDT on March 26, 2007

definition of “choice” varies

Only a simplistic notion of “choice” and human agency could declare unproblematically that the stark gender hierarcy evident in higher education is defensible because we all “choose” the jobs we have.

Um, are you kidding me or what?

While I am an optimistic humanist and like to defend the agency of the human being, I recognize the tremendous influence of cultural forces that shape the horizon of possible “choices” we all must make. In other words, the culture makes suggestions to all of us (implicit and explicit) based on age, gender, race, sexuality, etc., and rewards us or punishes us accordingly when we accept or reject such suggestions as to how we should live or behave. Noone makes a “choice” on some clean slate, and cultural factors always play a part, which means we all need to take responsibility for those factors.

Everyone needs a cultural studies course in their college education, lest we all fall under the spell of the consumer capitalist version of agency, where freedom is found in our “choice” of 200 brands of cereal in the supermarket, or fifteen types of lattes in Starbucks.

Violet, Humanities Prof at MidWestern Private U, at 9:46 am EDT on March 26, 2007

Subtext, over examination, and a lack of humor

I assumed, without second thought, that the woman, in this obviously politically dense cartoon, was department chair. Department chairs in my part of the world always have older computers (note the lack of an LCD), a ficus in the corner slowly dying, and are beset by faculty with odd solutions in search of a problem (note both the cartoon and the responses).

Midwesterner, Coord., Center for Online Teaching & Learning at Governors State University, at 10:16 am EDT on March 26, 2007

I guess I watch too much “Daily Show"; I immediately wondered what Paul was doing with his right hand...

smart-aleck, at 6:30 pm EDT on March 26, 2007

Is this discussion why the New Yorker has so many animals in its cartoons?

Christopher Milton, at 9:41 pm EDT on March 26, 2007

Yuk, Yuk, Yuk .... Yawn

Forgive me for repeating myself, but this is what I love about cartoons with an educational theme ... and even jokes about academe. They are always grist for inane debate ... and never, ever funny.

Frizbane Manley, at 9:35 am EDT on March 27, 2007