Supposedly, one of the advantages of attending a big university is that you are exposed to the smartest and best-educated professors. There may be a grain of truth in that idea but it is not always manifested. Forty years ago—and even more so now—the University of Texas was a place where those guys and gals on the faculty spent most of their time doing research or working with graduate students. The glamour and money were there, not in teaching required courses to undergrads in large classrooms.
Nevertheless, I had some good professors at UT. They taught classes in history (my major), English, sociology, journalism and a couple of other disciplines. Perhaps more than the average student, I was willing to raise my hand and ask questions; I also visited a few of them during office hours and not merely to lobby for higher grades. Most of my professors made little impression on me and have been forgotten. And then there were a few, not too many, who were really bad. Of that group, one man stands out. The worst of the worst was Dr. Herb Hirsch, who taught a government course in Burdine Hall in the fall semester of 1972.
His task was not easy, I will admit. Hirsch was onstage in an auditorium, not a classroom. He had about 150 students, and few of us were there voluntarily. We had to take and pass this course to move on toward graduation. I concede there might have been one or two government majors who hung on his every word. I saw no such evidence, however. Twice a week, I would look around and wonder whether the others were as bored as I was. They seemed to be.
But if boredom were the only issue, Hirsch’s class would have been no different from many others. He used to stand up there next to a lectern and drone on about whatever suited his fancy. He did not just ram his left-wing views down our throats, he did so with apparent delight. Let me offer a couple of examples.
I should begin by saying I am no fan of Richard Nixon. When “Tricky Dick” won re-election as the POTUS (President Of The US) in November 1972, Hirsch stated that it could be explained by one word: racism. My non-racist credentials would match up well with those of just about any other European American, but I was really irked by his broad-brush assertion. There he was, a specialist in American government. Why not give his students some solid and nuanced information about the election, and the various pros and cons of Nixon and his Democratic adversary, George McGovern? I very much regret that I lacked the courage to raise my hand—or better yet, stand up—and challenge him. I do not doubt that many of my fellow students would have been in full agreement.
The second example comes from one of his long-winded lectures. (Questions or give-and-take? Not in Hirsch’s classroom.) He was going on about an issue that did not remotely pertain to US government and then somehow veered into a snide attack on Texas culture. The not-so-good doctor came from the northeast, if his accent was any indication. His spiel culminated with him quoting—in a fake Texas drawl—some local young men thus: “We’re going to drink some beer and kick some ass.” Maybe he actually heard those words, and maybe that is exactly what happened. Who knows? But for the life of me, I could not understand why he was bringing such low-register content into a government class. If I was too young to grasp Hirsch's reasons, at least it was clear that he had nothing but disdain for his students and the University of Texas as a whole.
Soon after that whopper, I told my girlfriend about this pompous professor. I asked her to join me just once to see for herself. When it was over, Pam confirmed what I already knew—Hirsch put on a miserable show. It stuck with me through the years.
I Googled him recently and learned that he is still teaching, now at Virginia Commonwealth University. We all can evolve, and that includes him. Perhaps in the ensuing decades Hirsch has learned to (1) stick to the topic, (2) encourage his students to speak up in class and (3) ditch the arrogant attitude. But I honestly doubt it. So today he’s at VCU, a significant step down from UT. What’s next—Northeast Montana Junior College?
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