User:BixLives32/sandbox

WikiClique-er? I am old. I have little time. Wikipedia needs a major overhaul that I have not the time, energy nor health to advance. Moreover, Wikipedia desperately requires new people with backgrounds that include standard academic reference writing and editing. New people who are not necessarily freinds, but serious professional, academic colleagues. Wikipedia does not need more members of the central Wiki-Clique.

This infusion of new Wiki-personnel does not necessarily mean people with degrees from fancy universities, but, sadly, this often helps. Yes, I have a fancy degree from a fancy University. Frankly, all they taught me was how and what to re-learn of the subjects that were thrown at me at 120 MPH when I was but a lad of 20. In short, they taught me how and what to learn. Nothing more.

i have spent the last 40 years truly reading all those books that I was suppose to have read and learned and from there I advanced on to obvious intellectual connections that any solid learning generates. My only regret is that I cannot go back to those ivy classrooms and give some of the T.A.s and tenure-posturing Ass. Profs an intellectual 'what-for' on the subjects they were supposed to know and teach. —E.g., I was lectured by a supposedly famous and innovative literature professor from Harvard. This professor wasted valuable class time (an advanced class) giving credence to the absurd and thoroughly disproven homsexual theories surrounding the raft passages in Huckleberry Finn! I do not make this up. And there are worse episodes.

Even some of the advanced math and physics profs were thoroughly misguided and understood little of their subjects. E.g., not a few were engaged in attempting to solve Fermat's last theorem via the last notes he wrote in the margins of his notebooks. Even in 1982, it was well understood that there was NO easy or simple/elegant proof to Fermat's last problem. Hence, when a valid and sound proof was advanced, in the early 1990s, it weighed more than a classic volume from the Encyclopedia Britannica. I recall with shock at the disbelief and angst that this now accepted proof propagated throughout the morass of the world's professional theoretical mathematicians. Revealing and depressing.

However; this does not mean that the American academic world is completely bereft of value. Despite the reptilian struggles for tenure, or meaningful and useful full-time employment for worthy and learned teachers, there are many impressive professionals from this world who managed to avoid intellectual defeat and self pity. Many of these people are more formidable scholars as a result of their mis-adventures. I am sure that these people are far more worthy than Wikipedia can presently claim as a resource.

Note: the university system in America does not have to pay benefits for workers who are under 3/4 time; hence, many excellent scholars often are exploited to the advantage of the university, but to the disadvantage of the students and the poor victimised scholar.

You probably think I am a professional product of the corrupt American university system. Nope. I have not been back since I was afforded extra meaningless letters to adorn my Christian name. However, I have witnessed the destruction of many good freinds who attempted to negotiate the clique-ish and intrigue-fested corridors of the ivy covered facades of 'higher' learning.

I suggest, that there are many disaffected scholars of the highest calibre going to waste whom would be willing to donate some time to Wikipedia. They are NOT, however, willing to negotiate further Wiki-clique driven intrigues and absurd wannabes. These are highly trained scholars whom, despite their odyssey through University-Land, could transform Wikipedia into a worthwhile, dependable and respected scholarly resource; —not just a fast source for high-school students whom do not realise that their teachers have never fully read their papers and grade based on weight, typing skills and a well MS-Office formatted pseudo-bibliography  The Wiki-clique people will need to recognise the error of their ways and seek these people out with respect. Many of these people will prove worthwhile writers, editors and scholars for transforming Wikipedia into a respected resource. respected by whom? The very people who do not respect Wiki-pedia now. I.e. the academic fraternity.

Yes, the ruling Wiki-clique will need to do an ultra fast soul-search and emerge on the opposite side as new and improved scholars. Of course, this is improbable. Self-improvement is not what humans do best.