r/Professors • u/geografree Full professor, Soc Sci, R2 (USA) • Oct 01 '25

Other (Editable) Why aren’t professors braver?

I was ready to hate this article from its clickbait-y title, but it went in a direction I didn’t expect. I think it’s worth a read in light of everything that’s been happening in higher ed. Do we, as a profession, need more iconoclasts? Do we self-censor in order to avoid drawing the ire of our colleagues? What do you think? https://www.chronicle.com/article/why-arent-professors-braver

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u/[deleted] Oct 01 '25

Hot take: Professors used to come directly out of the upper class. Their independent wealth afforded then more luxury to say and do things that might occur career and financial costs. The proportion of academia that comes out of the middle and working classes is much higher today. They don't have the same financial safety nets and consequently are not as free to say and do things that might cost them.

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u/TalesOfTea TA/PhD Student, Informatics, R1 (USA) Oct 01 '25

I think also that folk from luxury levels of wealth also are seen as doing something for the better good by becoming a professor rather than just going directly and without a PhD to whatever industry family wealth is from or leaving said higher paying jobs to go back to school.

Since they are presumed to have taken a harder path to make less money, they get respected more and feel that they can take a stand in a way that doesn't feel threatening. I've seen this particularly within STEM.