[meteorite-list] Apology for "academic egghead PhDs"

From: minador <minador_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat Jun 12 19:02:09 2004
Message-ID: <00af01c450d0$d447a020$cf77480c_at_s0024741812>

Dear List,

Someone just graciously pointed out my poor choice of words privately rather
than chastising me publicly.

I apologize if I offended any academics. I didn't mean to lump all
academics together. Those I intended to criticize are those who are
condescending toward amateurs or professionals only because they don't have
the correct credentials or are for profit. The "boot leather" types they
criticize can play an essential role in new discovery.

I don't consider most academic as eggheads - just the purists who seem to
have no judgment or balance (common sense). I meant the ivory tower types
who can be so problematic and irritating to those who try to come up with
new ideas or "trail blaze" into new geographic areas. I didn't foresee
that "egghead" can mean more than highbrow, especially for those who are
academics and are flippantly tagged with the word so often.

I have many professors whom I keep contact with to this day. They have been
great mentors and friends. It seems to me that more and more these days,
good leaders are slowly being replaced with politically correct people who
are savvy at surviving (because they don't take a stand for something).
While those who stand up for what they believe in fall by the way side - or
retire with (seemingly) no new, good cadre replacing them.

I have the utmost respect for most academics, including some who I may
disagree with in some areas. I guess it's important to point out that the
person who I was responding to isn't an academic and doesn't represent the
academic community. I think that he is engaged in a responsible, honorable
profession, but that I just disagree with him on the subject at hand.

Respectfully,

Mark Bowling
Vail, AZ USA
Received on Sat 12 Jun 2004 06:56:39 PM PDT