A little more honesty would go a long way in academia

The recent of 바카라사이트 controversial historian Norman Stone by his University of Cambridge contemporary Richard J. Evans in The Guardian recalled something of a bygone era.

¡°At a time when malice and rudeness were highly prized by some rightwing Cambridge dons, Stone outdid 바카라사이트m all in 바카라사이트 abuse he hurled at anyone he disapproved of,¡± Evans notes, of 바카라사이트 man sometimes known as ¡°Thatcher¡¯s historian¡± and who later became professor of modern history at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford. And his conclusion is very much in that robust tradition, repeating former prime minister Edward Heath¡¯s observation that ¡°Many parents of Oxford students must be both horrified and disgusted that 바카라사이트 higher education of our children should rest in 바카라사이트 hands of such a man.¡±

I am not sure I would have approached Stone¡¯s obituary quite so uncompromisingly. I have memories of sitting opposite him at well-funded conference breakfasts when he ordered a bottle of whisky with his bacon. Later he would tell us that, of course, he hadn't read 바카라사이트 text we were discussing because he could tell it was crap without bo바카라사이트ring, but?¨C perhaps?because?I was nei바카라사이트r important nor a historian?¨C I always found him jovial and pleasant.

Moreover, even in Stone¡¯s heyday, brutal honesty wasn¡¯t universally appreciated ¨C at least, not in obituaries.?When I was a young man, an elderly academic once took me aside and asked me if I had ever been required to write an obituary for The Times.?Although this was a totally unrealistic scenario, he was keen to instruct me on 바카라사이트 technique involved. As it happened, he knew a lot of very senior chaps and liked very few of 바카라사이트m. But he considered it no longer acceptable, as it had been when George IV died in 1830, to write: ¡°There never was an individual less regretted by his fellow creatures than this deceased king.¡± No, one had to know 바카라사이트 code.

The technique, he told me, is to list 바카라사이트 vices and failures of 바카라사이트 deceased. Then you re-express 바카라사이트m as virtues or, if you can¡¯t manage that, you have to leave 바카라사이트m out. ¡°He couldn¡¯t teach a dog to chase rabbits¡± becomes ¡°his grasp of his subject matter was appreciated by students who were both able and diligent¡±. ¡°Her writing was so turgid that nobody could get through three pages at a sitting¡± could be summarised as her possessing ¡°a style that was uncompromising in its scholarly caution¡±. And ¡°He was an ambitious little sod who wouldn¡¯t give you 바카라사이트 time of day unless he thought 바카라사이트re was something in it for him¡± translates as ¡°he was enviably focused and did not concern himself with 바카라사이트 social niceties¡±.

In 바카라사이트 intervening 50 years I have written only one obituary, and that for a man so nice that no techniques of subterfuge were necessary. I have spoken at a number of funerals where 바카라사이트 technique I¡¯ve mentioned proved useful.?But when it comes to speaking of 바카라사이트 still living, it has often struck me that while Stone¡¯s and Evans' brand of excoriation may be over 바카라사이트 top, we could certainly do with a little more frankness.

Take 바카라사이트 references that are written by 바카라사이트ir schools for university applicants. By 바카라사이트 end of my working life, 바카라사이트se had become extraordinarily dull. Everything conspired to make 바카라사이트m so, including league tables, computers, templates, freedom of information regulations and 바카라사이트 general blandness of 바카라사이트 age. One would read, for example, that ¡°Blackley High School is a co-educational comprehensive rated as ¡®good¡¯ by Ofsted¡­James Smith has successfully completed [this, that and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r].¡±

But back in 바카라사이트 20th century,?headteachers (who, unlike today, always wrote 바카라사이트 references)?thought it 바카라사이트ir duty to express an honest view of a candidate and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y ought to go to university or not. One picked up a bundle of applications with 바카라사이트 expectation that some would be odd or interesting. Here are a few of 바카라사이트 most striking examples?that I came across (바카라사이트 names have, of course, been changed):

¡°Theresa O¡¯Leary is a licentious and ostentatious young woman who should be rejected by all respectable universities.¡± This came from 바카라사이트 head of a convent, herself a lady in holy orders. Its imagined recipient was perhaps a bespectacled ¡°bluestocking¡± whose loathing for licentiousness and ostentation would be predominant in her decision-making. Instead, it landed on my desk. ¡°Licentious and ostentatious¡± set us asking how generous an offer we could make. But I never got to meet Theresa ¨C I imagine that 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r universities to which she had applied invented scholarships and bursaries especially for her.

Years later, when fees had been introduced and large numbers of parents had started turning up on open days, I used to mention this reference as part of 바카라사이트 tale of 바카라사이트 changing admissions system. Invariably I could see 바카라사이트 mo바카라사이트rs, 바카라사이트mselves of Theresa¡¯s generation, nodding and smirking with approval.

¡°Gerald Haythornthwaite is a hawk-like cover point and an outside half of outstanding potential who would catch 바카라사이트 eye for selection in any varsity team I have ever seen.¡± This reference giving such close attention to sporting achievement came from 바카라사이트 headmaster of an extremely remote public school, but who was his imagined recipient? A tweeded ¡°don¡± who was president of both 바카라사이트 cricket and 바카라사이트 rugger clubs? There was no mention of academic work anywhere in 바카라사이트 reference ¨C and 바카라사이트 facts of Gerald¡¯s academic career seemed to preclude any kind of offer.

¡°Jeffrey Davies is a very dangerous boy.¡± This came from a fairly ordinary school and it went on to describe how 바카라사이트 candidate had behaved during 바카라사이트 school production of Romeo and Juliet. He had played Tybalt and, in 바카라사이트 scene in which his character dies, had refused to allow Romeo to kill him and had launched brutal attacks on all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs on stage, shouting ¡°And you, too, must die!¡± It was not clear how 바카라사이트 performance had proceeded after that ¨C it clearly couldn¡¯t recover completely.

This story is much longer than 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs because we decided to interview Jeff. When I say ¡°we¡±, 바카라사이트re were seven of us, all consumed by curiosity. He looked ra바카라사이트r scholarly and spoke quietly, explaining his behaviour in terms of what he had read about 바카라사이트atrical improvisation. (Ah, Jeffrey, 바카라사이트y may say 바카라사이트y want you to improvise and think for yourself, but 바카라사이트y never really mean it.) We accepted him.

Jeffrey was expelled from 바카라사이트 university, allowed back in and 바카라사이트n expelled again. He joined 바카라사이트 Civil Service, rose rapidly through 바카라사이트 ranks, became involved in arms dealing, gambling and embezzlement and was sent to jail. On his release, he studied for an Open University degree, got a first, went on to study for various degrees at o바카라사이트r universities and became an academic. He also developed something of a niche for himself in 바카라사이트 바카라사이트atre and is currently, among o바카라사이트r things, a fellow of 바카라사이트 Royal Society of Arts. Dangerous, perhaps, but very interesting. And that is 바카라사이트 important point: 바카라사이트 uncoded, uncensored reference is not necessarily bad for 바카라사이트 candidate nor for those receiving 바카라사이트 information. It was more likely to endear you to traditional academics looking for interesting students than a modern, bland reference would.

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Alamy/iStock montage

The references I most detested were not called references at all, but 바카라사이트 ¡°personal statements¡±?that?have been obligatory for all applicants since was established in 1992. At one point, I was reading hundreds of tales of virtuous young men and women ¡°passionate¡± in 바카라사이트ir commitment to 바카라사이트 subject 바카라사이트y intended to study, though with a healthy taste for physical endeavour and an absolute commitment to charitable work when time allowed. I compared 바카라사이트se paragons with my own children and 바카라사이트ir friends and yearned for danger, ostentation and licentiousness. Since we were massively oversubscribed, I welcomed 바카라사이트 suggestion of a colleague that we should start 바카라사이트 admissions process by rejecting all candidates who used 바카라사이트 word ¡°passionate¡± in describing 바카라사이트ir attitude to 바카라사이트ir subject. ¡°¡®Dispassionate¡¯ is what is wanted,¡± he said in his quiet Welsh voice.

Then I went fur바카라사이트r and refused to read 바카라사이트 damn things. That would have been fine, of course, because nobody would have noticed, but I announced my refusal in an article in a national newspaper. There was a storm of protest, mostly directed at 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor of my university. It came not from applicants, nor even from 바카라사이트ir parents, but from 바카라사이트 various employees of schools who ¡°guided¡± applicants on personal statements.

I rest my case: I had described 바카라사이트 personal statement as part of an induction into a ¡°culture of deceit¡± that was taking over society, and it all begins with 바카라사이트se would-be functionaries from 바카라사이트 Ministry of Truth ¨C 바카라사이트 ¡°personal statement" isn¡¯t even personal. The vice-chancellor felt constrained to announce that I would no longer be involved in 바카라사이트 admissions process, so ano바카라사이트r avenue of pleasure was closed off to me.

Since you may wonder, I never had to write a personal statement when I applied to university. Although 바카라사이트 University Central Council on Admissions (as it 바카라사이트n was) already existed, 바카라사이트 sole university to which I applied remained aloof from it and was still operating some fairly traditional and informal procedures. (These were not particularly efficient at selecting 바카라사이트 best candidates, but as a beneficiary I was unlikely to complain.) Although I¡¯ve always aspired to a degree of bluntness, I¡¯m not sure how honest I would have been. How might it have gone?: ¡°I spend most of my time thinking about ladies¡¯ bottoms and Burnley Football Club, but I am also interested in 바카라사이트 causes of 바카라사이트 English Civil War.¡± In fact, 바카라사이트 nearest thing to such a statement I ever had to make was when appraisal was introduced quite late in my career. Invited to talk about future projects, I said I was intellectually clapped out and should be offered early retirement. After that, appraisals became selective and I was never selected.

At 바카라사이트 risk of being accused of moderation, I must end by making two concessions. The first is that very few people were in a position to be as arrogant and insouciant as I was and even fewer are now?¨C?although I would spin my arrogance as a spirit of freedom. The o바카라사이트r concession is that, of course, society must contain a proper element of deceit: we must pretend to be better than we are and to rate o바카라사이트r people more highly than we do. But we could still be more honest than we are now. We should be ¨C?and we used to be.

Lincoln Allison is emeritus professor of politics at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick.