Comments on: My phobia http://clubtroppo.com.au/2009/05/05/my-phobia/ Fearlessly dispensing political, legal and economic analysis (and some whimsy) since 2002 Fri, 25 May 2012 13:31:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Nicholas Gruen http://clubtroppo.com.au/2009/05/05/my-phobia/#comment-357314 Nicholas Gruen Mon, 11 May 2009 16:06:12 +0000 http://clubtroppo.com.au/?p=8289#comment-357314 James, I'm with you. I went to considerable trouble not to have my various degrees conferred to avoid the nonsense. I try to affect moments of doubt. I certainly don't feel particularly self righteous about it, because I can see the other side. But empty pomposity isn't for me I'm afraid. (Well I have learned to do it tolerably well and occasionally with some flair when it seems called for but I do laugh about it with similarly inclined people - like my wife - after the event. I don't like business class for similar reasons. But of course it has its compensations - not so much the luxury which can be fun especially on international flights - but the networking which is very personally valuable.) James,

I’m with you.

I went to considerable trouble not to have my various degrees conferred to avoid the nonsense. I try to affect moments of doubt. I certainly don’t feel particularly self righteous about it, because I can see the other side. But empty pomposity isn’t for me I’m afraid. (Well I have learned to do it tolerably well and occasionally with some flair when it seems called for but I do laugh about it with similarly inclined people – like my wife – after the event. I don’t like business class for similar reasons. But of course it has its compensations – not so much the luxury which can be fun especially on international flights – but the networking which is very personally valuable.)

]]> By: conrad http://clubtroppo.com.au/2009/05/05/my-phobia/#comment-356542 conrad Tue, 05 May 2009 21:04:20 +0000 http://clubtroppo.com.au/?p=8289#comment-356542 One of the interesting things about those ceremonies is how much the overseas students like them (sometimes they even fly in their parents). Fortunately for me, most of the parents seem to like looking at older males, as they obviously appear more university-like and official, so if you arn't one of them its a good excuse not to go (and, at least for me, thanks to micromanagement, another good excuse is that it isn't on our workload model). That's another reason to wear the robes -- the places where many of our (and I assume yours) OS students come from place a fair bit more importance on formality than Australians. One of the interesting things about those ceremonies is how much the overseas students like them (sometimes they even fly in their parents). Fortunately for me, most of the parents seem to like looking at older males, as they obviously appear more university-like and official, so if you arn’t one of them its a good excuse not to go (and, at least for me, thanks to micromanagement, another good excuse is that it isn’t on our workload model). That’s another reason to wear the robes — the places where many of our (and I assume yours) OS students come from place a fair bit more importance on formality than Australians.

]]> By: John Quiggin http://clubtroppo.com.au/2009/05/05/my-phobia/#comment-356535 John Quiggin Tue, 05 May 2009 19:54:41 +0000 http://clubtroppo.com.au/?p=8289#comment-356535 As a research fellow, I don't go to graduations much (only when one of my PhD students is up), but I fully approve of the tradition, and regard myself as one of "the same people who invested them with meaning", that is, a scholar. It's true that there is a fair bit of hypocrisy in those who maintain the traditional fittings while seeking to turn the university into a for-profit business, but hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue. As a research fellow, I don’t go to graduations much (only when one of my PhD students is up), but I fully approve of the tradition, and regard myself as one of “the same people who invested them with meaning”, that is, a scholar. It’s true that there is a fair bit of hypocrisy in those who maintain the traditional fittings while seeking to turn the university into a for-profit business, but hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue.

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