“All too true. Sociology once was an important and interesting field but it lost its way.” (Benjamin Ginsberg, David Bernstein Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University)
“An important site which documents the intellectual corruption of a discipline and the social science academy more broadly. One day historians will consult this site as a source to prove that not all of us believed the propaganda.” (Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Politics, University of Buckingham)
“This is really great and hilarious--like most people I've had a sneaking suspicion that sociology is bullshit--of course the discipline has had historic geniuses in the past like Max Weber and Erving Goffman--but this really nails it.” (Distinguished Professor of Humanities)
“I have found the essays on this website to be incredibly insightful. I think all students considering a sociology major, or any practitioners in the field, should read this website to better understand the critiques and possible pitfalls before pursuing it, or at least while they continue to pursue it.” (living_the_Pi_life, Ph.D Mathematics on Reddit)
“Your site is basically a hate space for sociology, a discipline I value… Ugh! I wish that site didn’t exist" (user on Reddit)
"Your website is good, very good even. Sociology deserves far more criticism than it usually gets from other social scientists. And it's a good reservoir of references and info." (Lee Jussim, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Rutgers)
“I’m not quite ready to throw in the towel with sociology—I’m too invested in it, for better or worse—but I do agree that a lot of what passes for sociology today is very politicized and tendentious. Too much work is dedicated to showing what the author already thinks to be true. Unfortunately, these same tendencies are apparent in other disciplines as well, including history. I just hope there are enough faculty members still committed to scholarship as a vocation to set a salutary counter-example for students who (as the UC Berkeley sociology major quoted on the website put it) “just want to get to truth.” (Endowed Professor of Sociology)
“Quite revealing” (Endowed Professor of Psychology)
"Wow, this is quite an expose! The profiles of these faculty are revolting." (Anna Krylov, USC Associates Chair in Natural Sciences and Professor of Chemistry, University of Southern California)
“Wow that website sucks.” (Reddit User)
“Some majors are simply not worth it”. (Dave Collum, Betty R. Miller Professor of Chemistry, Cornell University)
“As a retired professor of anthropology -- a once great field that is now only concerned with identity politics and virtue signaling -- this website illustrates that the only good thing about sociology is that it makes anthropology look good. We need such websites for other majors, including ethnic studies, environmental sciences, and, of course, anthropology!” (Elizabeth Weiss, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, San Jose State University)
I don’t disagree that there are problems in the discipline, but you’re essentially just doing everything you accuse the “woke left” of doing but from another side. An entirely unscientific criticism, rife with ad hominem, when what we need is a legitimately thoughtful foray into the decline of sociology (which I agree is occurring). All you’re doing is trying to score points rather than critically analyze the present conjuncture. Do you have nothing better to do than dig up the weirdest PhD pages you can find? I’m sure you’ll add me to the silly list of people who complained about your website, feel free to add my name it! (GlumCelebration_100 on Reddit)
“After reading your website I realized that I am always on defensive mode when talking to someone who is conservative. I discredit them before listening to them. And I think being more aware of that now is going to make discussions in class a lot better. I noticed the conservative vs leftist vibes we have going on in the class. I don't want to have a bias or be defensive 😂. Your website was really helpful.” (ThenTopic6625 on Reddit)
“The student comments are priceless. But sociology has always been problematic.” (Professor of Constitutional Law)
"I am not unsympathetic to your approach and found the collection of expert voices you assembled very very impressive. The state of sociology in particular is lamentable in this regard. And I say this as someone who is a member of the social democratic party in my home country and could not be described as a conservative by any account." (Ph.D student in Criminology)
“Sociologists should welcome your contribution. The gravy-trained-tenured-sociology establishment in the US is certainly living in its own world with lots of its own entertaining fantasy and virtue-signaling”. (Professor of Sociology)
“The site has super helpful and realistic info that I’ll be definitely taking into account” (Fabulous_Kiwi_9696 on Reddit)
“Wow that's a lot of bullshit.” (Professor of Sociology)
“Ha ha. Interesting. Good luck with your work”. (Professor of Sociology)
“It is great that you are exposing all of this nonsense. Maybe we should be asking “Defund sociology” (Professor of Sociology)
“It is interesting. Rather confirms my suspicions and prejudices.” (Stephen Baskerville, Professor of Government)
“The website is brutally honest. I love it. I’m a lone wolf in my department. Only vocal structural functionalist who is skeptical of the entire discipline.” (Reddit User)
“Ha ha—,nice” (Stephen P. Turner, Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy, University of South Florida)
“I won't place any credibility on this kind of ‘random’ testimonials because it is not research. They are assertions and anecdotes. Any profession or major contains people who complain and others who don't. They make different claims and tell different stories. Focusing on either of these populations lead to a skewed view of the profession or major. By contrast, a serious content analysis will tell us more about a profession or a major. With sociology, one can analyze the contents of journals (say flagship journals such as American Journal of Sociology and American Sociological Review) or contents of the most used textbooks. They are public information. Come up with a robust analytical framework first. Define, for example. terms such as leftism, radicalism, progressivism, conservatism, racism, anti-racism... that is, all the terms first. Then analyze the contents to see what is found”. (Professor of Sociology)
“I love your website, I hope you keep it up as long as you can. Sociology has definitely changed for the worse over the years.” (Mark Dexter, Boston, MA)
“We expect accountability from police officers, doctors, accountants, etc. Sociologists should maintain their own professional standards which include objectivity. One of their common tactics is raising the standards for “science” and “evidence” and “theory” and “nuance” when they don’t like your argument, but for their own work the standards are lowered in order to promote the groupthink that underlies their power.” (Sociology professor, Hong Kong)
“This site is blatant anti-woke propaganda” (user on Reddit)
“This is a very informative and interesting website with lots of good information on the bad side of sociology. The points made are very articulate and make a lot of sense. I have learned a lot reading through the site.” (Ariana Rolev, Yonkers, New York)
“Interesting website. Keep trying to get your message out.” (Retired Retail Industry District Manager)
“Great job”. (Retired US Bankruptcy Judge)
“Statisticians would agree. This is an accurate assessment of the misuse of a type of statistics by people in the disciplines of the social sciences”. (Retired Professor of Sociology)
“Wow. I'm amazed by this site. I resonate with the dissatisfaction of what academia has made of Sociology. I loved getting to know your site. Very interesting. Down the road, it could also foster a way to fix Sociology!” (Independent Researcher on Reddit)
“Love your website” (Yamel Tavera, Yonkers New York)
“Honestly, this website made me depressed. It made me regret, choosing a masters in sociology”. (jaaamoorant on Reddit)
“Your website seems to be effectively fostering a sense of solidarity among those who already have complaints against the current state of the discipline, but I imagine the website's tone might provoke defensiveness rather than reflection among those who don't already agree with you.” (Sociology Graduate Student)
Goodness that site is depressingly true. Can’t say I’m surprised people feel that way! I’m actually a sociology professor but I get annoyed with my colleagues and have given up on dinner parties. I think it is the product of a genuinely problematic civilization, drawing people to real questions, with a system of explanations, that eventually becomes dogmatic. It’s an ivory tower type of effect that pulls less talented thinkers with good intent to its core. It becomes an identity and something to protect at that point. That’s a theory anyway. It’s a sociological question!” (Sociology Professor on Reddit)
”Haha. No social science research is value-free!” (User on Reddit)
“I am impressed with that website. It’s huge. It makes a compelling case although it’s a bit redundant in spots, like deconstructing faculty with formulaic critiques. I don’t have time to read it all but my opinion is that it’s a right wing complaint about being criticized, though much of sociology is surely directed at criticizing right wing politics.” (Sociology student on Reddit)
“Seems like the website actually has more to offer than the funny gimmick.” (User on Reddit)
“Too many unfounded claims. If you make a statement that a certain proportion of sociology espouses a specific view, you have to provide evidence supporting your claim. A claim made without any evidence is basically useless. That is a fundamental tenet of science.” (OK-Masterpiece-1359 on Reddit)
"I'm inclined to agree with your point about many sociologists taking on the identity of a Marxist. I personally think your site is a major lmao though" (Gort-t on Reddit)
“Very good! You managed to include all the sociologists I can think of who have written to lament the decline of their field as a serious intellectual endeavor”. (Executive at Nonprofit focused on Higher Education and Public Policy)
"You definitely make valid criticisms of the discipline! Your perspective and points are illuminating." (stuffed_mittens on Reddit)
“Thank you. I mean this absolutely sincerely, your site is cathartic for me.” (theKnifeofPhaedrus on Reddit)
“Why do you wish sociology was dominated by mainly white men again? That’s what your website seems to suggest? I’m sorry you feel so strongly against a field that focuses on understanding society and advocating for positive change. It must be exhausting to direct so much energy toward disliking a social science. I truly hope that one day, you find peace and come to appreciate the value of progress in disciplines that needed it. As a woman pursuing my master’s in sociology, I’m grateful to live in a time where I can study acceptance, social justice, and many other impactful concepts shaped by diverse scholars—including women and people of color—who have contributed greatly to this field”. (millerlighht on Reddit)
“If I think about the discipline for too long, it becomes discouraging. I do what I can. It is not the discipline I entered 25 years ago, although in hindsight the seeds were already sown.” (Professor of Sociology)
“It was helpful to see what students think especially the comments about how it is a biased area and kind of made me questions its reliability”. (User on Reddit)
“That’s actually crazy. I fear I can’t disagree. The major is leftist biased.” (DistributionOld17 on Reddit)
“None of this is news to me”. (Sociology student pinesinthedunes on Reddit)
"Heh. I don't agree. I majored in it. It's only " woke" now. Sociology is supposed to give you a lens to see the systems and contextualize them properly. Sociological thinking requires a much broader, macro scope to see systemic issues. Sociology is a phenomenal science for: humility, macro views, system thinking, understanding interconnectedness, why we set-up societies the way we do, how our institutions influence our beliefs and motivations etc." (QueensGuy2105 on Reddit)
“I agree with some of your site. Is it necessary though? What good will come from it? Do people who go into sociology expect something different? I don’t know anyone who went to this field and thought it would be anything other than what it is”. (Hyperion Turtle on Reddit)
“"Not gonna lie, this reads like the rambling of a madman. Like "don't go to school" type manifesto” (SeagullsGonnaCome on Reddit)
“Your website is interesting, but it's hard to say whether those statements have been cherry picked or taken out of context. Some of it seems excessively harsh but other comments align with my view. To me it sociology seems like a valuable field of study that is being wasted currently due to researchers being activists first and scientists second. But there may be differences depending on the topic. I have a problem with research that is meant to show how unjust things are. Gender studies and things like that. You already know what they're going to say: it's all due to discrimination, male patriarchy and so on. There's no actual hypothesis being tested. What's the value of that? A true waste of research funds it is”. (LittlePower5691 on Reddit)
“I’m not sure entirely what to make of your website. I will say that criticism of disciplines is how those disciplines move forward”. (xxfukai on Reddit)
“Interesting website and nice name (straight to the point!). Also I like the website design lol. But I think it might be falling victim to some of the things you criticize about sociology, especially about reaching a conclusion first, then finding evidence for it. Sometimes better to imagine your opposition and use their language rather than your language. Reading thru the site feels very charged and anti-leftist instead of anti-bias. As a leftist my biases make me want to discount what you’re saying I guess. idk. I would say modern sociology is very woke, but I think it got there in a very rational way. It’s a huge discipline, too huge to simplify. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. But I think there is a problem happening especially with that progressive stacking bullshit. but it’s just not enough to write the whole thing off completely”. (Alrightnow on Reddit)