Actual footage of U.S. Senator Arlen Specter questioning National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell as part of an inquiry into whether or not the New England Patriots sneakily videotaped their opponent’s sidelines. An issue, we can all agree, of world-historical importance.
Category: Humanity
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Signaling
Brad DeLong disentangles the messages that a (male) professor sends by wearing a tie. (Inspired by this sad little diatribe, properly mocked here.)
I have found that wearing a suit and tie is very effective if done occasionally with non-math-oriented students. It tells them that I care because it shows that I have taken sufficient time to prepare and teach the class even though I am a busy person whose schedule requires meetings with:
- some powerful political figure,
- some powerful economic figure,
- some powerful university administrative figure, or
- some TV interviewer
With math-oriented students, however, a tie tells them that I spend too little time thinking about isomorphisms
Cf. Focus. Professors were once students.