“Scholar, professor, author, former newspaper reporter, maverick, and an advocate of First Amendment rights David Demers has written a thought-provoking work ... I very much enjoyed reading this book and was particularly interested in the author’s description of his fighting for what he believes in despite the obstacles. I found the discussion of his years in academia especially fascinating. ... a highly readable and thought-provoking book.” –Lucy Heckman, St. John’s University Library, Jamaica, NY “[Sociologist] C. Wright Mills defined sociology as the study of intersections between biography and history. By Mills’ definition, this book is sociology par excellence. It is an exemplar of sociological method. By tracing and reflecting on his personal initiatives and activities in the twilight decades of the twentieth century, Demers powerfully illuminates the direction of American society. On the other hand, The Lonely Activist doesn’t quite fit the bill of sociology [because] the prose is too smooth, engaging, and jargon-free. Better to call it social commentary or first-rate journalism. Whatever it is, read it and learn.” –Dr. Kenneth Westhues, professor emeritus of sociology, University of Waterloo, Canada, and expert on workplace mobbing “I loved every minute of this piece and was fully engaged with it. I found it beautifully written and very interesting. One thing I really like about this is that it deals with what could be difficult issues for average readers — philosophy, law, rights, history — but it is very understandable. I think a person with no or limited background could enter the work well and understand what [the author was] talking about. I never felt like [he was] writing over the reader’s head.” –Carolyn Walker, Writer’s Digest “With an approachable and easy style, Dr. Demers uses his life as a means to examine the history of the various sociological theories and trends that have shaped our culture to this day. These are supported by extensive research. Among the many ways Demers tried to reach out beyond ‘the ivory tower’ and make a difference in the world was by supporting his students in overcoming obstacles in having their stories published.” –Nancy Barthelemy, Archivist, Peabody Institute Library, Peabody, MA “This book is ... incredibly well researched and a very interesting, relevant story. It was thought-provoking and an unexpected story. My background is in the social sciences (political science) and I was both shocked and completely identified with the author’s story. Demers has a great voice and manages to tell his narrative without sounding holier-than-thou or just someone with a grudge match.” –Amada Scott, Librarian, Cambridge Springs Public Library, PA This book is “part biographical study of his own fight for his First Amendment rights while working as a college professor and part background of social science and its application. ... it was very interesting. Mostly I was reminded of the study that says the more people witnessing a crime, the less likely someone will help. For instance if a woman is being mugged on the street and there is one man witnessing it, it is far more likely that he will try to help her than if a group of people are passing by. .. This book is the story of a man who comes to help the woman before she knows she’s in trouble.” –Princess of the Library, http://princessofthelibrary.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/the-ivory-tower-of-babel “The author writes in an easy-to-understand style that makes it very readable.” – Ken Neubeck, Patchogue, NY This book “questions what role academics plays in the social world to help ‘solve’ societal problems. His passionate commitment to being a proponent of change emanates off every page as well as his zest for upholding First Amendment issues. ... Demers fuses so much of his own life experiences into the reading that one becomes caught up in his academic memoir and learns much more than anticipated because of how Demers explains everything with such detail and explication. Well worth reading for those interesting in journalism, mass communication, and academia. ... The greatest strength of the book is the passion and questioning Demers has. I believe that this is an important and relevant look into academic institutions and the responsibilities they have in their immediate environments and larger communities as well.” –Anne M. Miskewitch, Librarian, Literature and World Language Department, Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago, IL Other Books by the Author Jelly Beans & Peanuts: Life and Times of Llewellyn Jenkins, an American Banker, Soldier and Family Man (Spokane, WA: Marquette Books, 2014). How the Mass Media Really Work: An Introduction to Their Role as Institutions of Control and Change (Spokane, WA: Marquette Books, 2013, with Taehyun Kim and Dan Erickson). The Ivory Tower of Babel: Why the Social Sciences Are Failing to Live up to Their Promises (New York, NY: Algora Publishing, 2011). History and Future of Mass Media: An Integrated Perspective (Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2007). A Dictionary of Mass Communication & Media Research (Spokane, WA: Marquette Books, 2005). China Girl: One Man’s Adoption Story (Spokane: Marquette Books, 2004). Global Media: Menace or Messiah? (Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 1999, 2002 revised). Mass Media, Social Control and Social Change: A Macrosocial Perspective (Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 1999, co-edited with K. Viswanath). The Menace of the Corporate Newspaper: Fact or Fiction? (Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 1996). Precision Journalism: A Practical Guide (Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1987, with Suzanne Nichols). Copyright © 2013, 2014, 2015 by David Demers The American Center for Civil Liberties is a not-for-profit organization promoting civil liberties and freedom of speech. Please visit www.acfcl.org All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Demers, David, 1953- The lonely activist : an American odyssey / David Demers. volumes cm Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 978-0-9833476-5-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Demers, David, 1953- 2. Journalists--United States--Biography. 3. Mass media specialists--United States--Biography. 4. College teachers--United States--Biography. 5. Civil rights--United States. I. Title. PN4874.D3975A3 2013 070.92--dc23 [B] 2013021108 INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBER 978-0-9833476-5-1 All photographs shown in this book are in the public domain, were used with permission, or were taken by the author. Cover illustration obtained from Fotoloia.com and adapted from a copyrighted graphic by ~lonely~ (used with permission) MARQUETTE BOOKS LLC 3107 East 62nd Ave, Spokane, Washington 99223 16421 North 31st Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85053 509-290-9240 (voice) • 602-464-9675 (fax) www.MarquetteBooks.com • [email protected] To Jan Polek, who believed in people who believed in lost causes. CONTENTS DEFINITIONS, xi CAST OF CHARACTERS, xiii VOLUME ONE — ANATOMY OF AN ACTIVIST, 1 1 A Flag Burning, 3 25 The Enlightenment of Plato & Dewey, 72 2 Cockroaches and Professors, 7 26 Working for Corporate America, 74 3 The Tranquil Years, 9 27 Narcissism and Commie Pinkos, 77 4 Damned Lies & Student Evaluations, 12 28 The Woodstein Effect, 79 5 The Anti-Holocaust Advertisement, 15 29 CMU Gate, 82 6 The Faculty Salary Series, 16 30 A Big Fish in a Small Pond, 86 7 Apologize or Else! 18 31 The Daily Newspaper Daze, 91 8 Victory for the Students, 20 32 The Kiplinger Program, 98 9 The Honeymoon Is Over, 21 33 Green Eyeshades v. Chi-Squares, 102 10 ‘You’ve Got No Case,’ 24 34 More Truth Next Time? 104 11 The Fountainhead, 24 35 Shades of Felix Heider, 113 12 The Uncollegial, 24 36 The Organization Man, 116 13 Second-Party Tape Recordings, 27 37 The Lonely Crowd, 118 14 The Personal Toll, 30 38 Cool Life at Minnesota, 121 15 Pack Your Bags, 31 39 Noam Chomsky and Me, 125 16 Nothin’ But a Troublemaker? 33 40 Impact of Critical Scholarship, 137 17 The Lottery, 35 41 Are Minneapolis Police Racist? 138 18 Early History of an Activist, 39 42 Assessing Damage, 146 19 “Hang the Frenchman,” 47 43 Bureaucratic Quagmire, 150 20 Applied Enlightenment, 53 44 Corporate Media Aren’t So Bad, 155 21 Sociology Is for Activists, 57 45 Losing Faith in Bureaucracies, 157 22 Children of the Enlightenment, 62 46 Fighting Back, 158 23 Class Consciousness, 68 47 The $64,000 Apology, 165 24 The Disenlightenment of Nixon, 70 48 Lesson Learned? 167 ENDNOTES FOR VOLUME ONE, 168 VOLUME TWO — THE IVORY TOWER OF BABEL, 1 49 Murder in the Palouse, 187 53 What’s in a Name? 206 50 The Cow College, 192 54 Murrow School: A Cash Cow, 208 51 Murrow Legacy: Integrity/Activism? 198 55 The Upstart Parvenu, 210 52 The Enlightenment Journalist, 203 56 The Blank Protest Newspaper, 212 The Lonely Activist ix 57 The Unhappy Publishers, 214 74 A New Program of Research, 255 58 De-Professionalizing UW Journalism, 216 75 The Phoenix Plenary, 259 59 Eyeshades v. Chi-Squares Revisited, 218 76 Post-Plenary Research Blues, 265 60 Jesse Jackson v. Social Science, 225 77 Moving to Spokane, 267 61 Suing the Pullman Police, 227 78 Baba, Baba, 268 62 PNNA Extracts Its Pound of Flesh, 230 79 Marquette Books, 270 63 The Floppy Presentation, 232 80 The Complaint, 274 64 Ivory Tower Democracy in Hiring, 236