On Friday, The News & Observer ran a “From the Editor” article titled “Drescher: Gov. McCrory says journalists are dumb.” In it, Executive Editor John Drescher recounted a speech that Gov. Pat McCrory gave last Monday to businessmen in Asheville in which he said “This is too complex for the journalists. They don’t have economics degrees; they’ve not been in business. I respect them greatly, but you get it.”
Drescher’s article was not admiring of McCrory. Beside pointing out that McCrory himself doesn’t have an economics degree (he has degrees in political science and education from Catawba College) and his top business experience is as a mid-level manager, Drescher detailed the adequate credibility of The N&O staff. We at the Technician also haven’t found McCrory’s comment about journalists flattering, and we would like to take The N&O’s indignation further.
If McCrory holds that journalists need degrees corresponding to what they report on to authoritatively do so, the logic must be taken to the full extent: It must include politicians.
So, we request that McCrory repeal the infamous “Motorcycle Vagina” bill he signed, which authorizes the shutdown of almost every abortion clinic in the state, until he and N.C. legislators have acquired degrees in women and gender studies.
We would also request that henceforth, everyone in the N.C. Legislature get degrees in environmental science (maybe even along with masters degrees in ecology) before they approve a bill to issue permits for hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) and offshore drilling. Who knows, some of them may even start believing in climate change on the way.
Furthermore, we will be fine with the General Assembly convening twice a week for a semester’s Introduction to Sociology course before it again thinks about doing something even vaguely similar to repealing the landmark Racial Justice Act—a degree in this case really shouldn’t be necessary to act differently, or should we say, sensibly.
It could also do well for certain legislators to acquire degrees in philosophy, with concentrations in common sense, before further relaxing gun laws.
Though not on the educational track, perhaps the Governor and all the legislators who voted to cut federal long-term unemployment benefits should try unemployment first-hand and join the 70,000 people who lost unemployment benefits starting July 1—it may also have other benefits for the state.
Then they could properly regret rejecting federal government money for expanding Medicaid, while they try to go back to school to become doctors, so that they could then have a legitimate voice regarding healthcare.
We could go on, but we have one suggestion just for our friend Pat himself: We in the domain of education will soon start feeling just how useful your education degree was, and everyone in N.C. is already reeling from the effects of the wisdom your political science degree conferred on you. Still, it might be worth a shot—go get a degree in media studies before giving bad press to us journalists.
