The centerpiece of this episode is DHP Episode 253: Academia is a Racket, which CJ produced back in late-February 2023, only about 6 months after he walked away from academia, after spending 22 years of his life in it (6 as a student & 16 as a teacher.)
In this episode, CJ mostly avoided the lowest-hanging & widely understood defects of academia in recent decades — ie, the rise to hegemony of once-fringe (even in academia) “Woke” ideology, & the exorbitant costs to the students of getting a college “education.”
Instead, drawing from his 22 years inside academia, he mostly focuses on structural (in the true sense of the word) problems inherent in the nature of the institution & the perverse incentives created thereby, which minimize the amount of education (in the true sense of the word) that takes place.
Join CJ as he discusses the following problems with modern conventional academia:
- No real market feedback mechanism to indicate whether a “good education” is being provided.
- Overspecialization.
- Rigid credentialism.
- Too many courses online (especially at the intro/gen-ed level.)
- Excessive disability accommodations.
- Private-sector profiteering (off a captive audience & cartelized, non-competitive system.)
- Administrative bloat.
- A focus on arbitrary metrics that can be juked/gamed.
- Degree inflation.
- The accreditation agencies functioning as a cartel enforcer to artificially restrict entry & reduce competition.
- Ideology baked into most (if not all) disciplines, in many cases for over a century.
- The adversarial relationship often automatically created between student & teacher.
- State & corporate influence & control.
Like this episode?
- Through Labor Day (9/7) of 2026, CJ’s running a Back to (Dangerous History) School Special: There will be a 25% discount on the first year of an annual membership at any level of support, or 25% off the first month of a monthly membership (also at any level of support)!
- If you want to get access to the upcoming multi-hour DHP Bonus Episode “Wooden Walls on the Water,” covering just about everything we know about ancient Greek warships & naval warfare, sign up as one of his Patreon supporters at the Journeyman Scholar-Warrior Level (or higher) — if you’re not already one of those excellent individuals who keeps the DHP a going concern, of course! 😉
- Just use coupon code 826 when signing up!
You can also throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VUYSYQ4EU6L
Throw CJ a $ tip via Venmo here:
https://www.venmo.com/u/dangerousmedia
Or throw CJ a BTC tip here:
bc1qfrz9erz7dqazh9rhz3j7nv696nl52ux8unw79z
Amazon Affiliate Links (buy ANYTHING – not just these specific items – from Amazon using any of these links & CJ gets a small commission at no cost to you!)
- The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto
- War is a Racket by Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler
CJ’s PO Box Address
(For Sending Him Items — Including, but not Limited to — Sacks of Gold Doubloons, Pieces of Eight, Freeze-Dried Flapjacks, etc. )
CJ Killmer
Dangerous Media Productions
704 E Moody Blvd #43
Bunnell, FL 32110
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
