Among the perks of being a professor is getting to attend academic conferences, but are they worth the cost? In today’s Martin Center article, Professor Elizabeth Weiss argues that they are not.

Weiss decided not to bother with an anthropology conference after a paper she had submitted was rejected because it might “harm” someone. She writes, “Even though I think it’s a pity that anthropology has gone off the deep end on many woke topics — from the reburial of bones to decolonization to the transgender movement — I must say that I’m not disappointed that I’ll miss the conference. Academic conferences have lost their appeal to me due to their emphasis on safety (from harmful language, germs, relationships, and allergens); their high fees with no equivalent benefits; and their stifling atmosphere that no longer welcomes debate.”

In short, ideology and virtue signaling have taken over. Language must now be “inclusive,” and comments that might be deemed offensive are forbidden. Opportunities for true scholarly interaction are few and far between.

Presentations are dreary leftist fare:

These hundreds of dollars — not including airfares, hotel fees, and meals — are being paid so that faculty can hear such talks as “Body by Colonialism: Engaging the (False) Sex Binary in Biological Anthropology” and “Decolonial Cuisine: Entangled Politics of Food Revitalization in Native-led Culinary Organizations.”

Ideology has ruined another once-useful aspect of academia.