Conrad, Tolsoy, Nietzsche - amongst others) to explore how people do bad

things for the sake of power and belonging to the group. I learned that

nothing ever really changes - the way the academics around me behaved

fitted very closely with what I read in various classic works of

literature and philosophy. The PhD experience (2005-2009) was pretty

grim. There was more miserable ID Pol and idiot Postmodernism - and more

cruel arts academics. I was so disillusioned with academia I got a job

teaching academic skills at the University of New South Wales. This was

unambitious of me, but I was able to do a lot of teaching, which I still

love, and essentially teach people to think critically and write

coherently. In 2020 I became an academic at Sydney University in the

department of Politics and International Relations. At USYD I taught

International Relations / International Security and Politics and

Popular Culture, and I wrote The Way of the Intellectual Dark Web. The

Identity Politics was always bad there, but it has got worse in recent

years - so no, I don't think we are past peak woke yet. Honestly,

despite many high points with teaching, for the most part, my whole

being recoils at how intellectually corrupt university is. Working there

is very much like sticking with an abusive relationship. I'm actually

currently on personal leave because it has all become too much - the

bullying superiors, the censorious students. It's very hard to do my

job; i.e. pursue truth. I'm always balancing my commitment to truth with

my own fears about how much I will be attacked if I step out of line

(and the attacks are quite regular).

Outside all this, I write novels - nothing published yet. I also write

music. And I am starting to build a vast art environment on some land

that I own - my dream has always been to do this (The Wollemi Art Farm).

My heart lies with art: literature, music and whatever I'm doing on my

land, but also with teaching. I hope to bring people out to my land and

teach them about the classics: Shakespeare, Shelley, Carroll, Sterne,

Larkin, Forster. I also run quests on my land - like Zelda, but in real

life.

Oh, and I also spend a lot of my time with my two children - I love

going on adventures with them. There's nothing better, really.

Here is the link to my 'suspended' book about the IDW:

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003318033/way-intellectual-dark-web-jamie-roberts

Here are some links to a few recent articles:

https://theconversation.com/guide-to-the-classics-shakespeares-hamlet-the-everest-of-literature-164070

https://theconversation.com/guide-to-the-classics-confessions-of-an-english-opium-eater-by-thomas-de-quincey-a-dense-strange-journey-through-addiction-190435

https://www.amazon.com.au/Essentials-Essay-Writing-What-Markers/dp/1137575840

Here are links to two academic skills books I wrote:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Essentials-Essay-Writing-What-Markers/dp/1137575840

https://www.amazon.com.au/Reading-University-Improve-Focus-Better/dp/1352009161

Here are links to a couple of my songs:

https://youtu.be/hOlYNBu0M2w?si=EgggOAmpSRuE8uEX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLaerTvzDEo

Here is a link to my business / art enterprise:

https://wollemiartfarm.com.au/

_____________________________________________________________________

If you would like to contact me, my website is:

https://theradicalcenterconsulting.com/ and I am on twitter

@JLeslieElliott

And if you appreciate this ongoing project and would like to support my

continued work in this area you can chip in at any of the following

(thank you very much!):

https://www.paypal.me/jleslieelliott

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/radicalcenter

https://www.patreon.com/theradicalcenter