21st Century Taylorism? Not in Our Universities!

Every time Charles Taylor comes up in the news, I am reminded of his stay with us here in the United States. Taylor ended up having an unfortunately all too typical experience while here--he was sent to jail. Before his incarceration, however, he spent some time in an institution of higher learning: Bentley College, in pristine Waltham, MA, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1977. Perusing the college website, one is quickly whisked away by the school's vibrance, its energy, and its famed Code of Ethics for Faculty and Staff, which is prominently discussed on the school's "About" page. The question I was immediately confronted with is what "about" Bentley is capable of producing such a "horrific genius"--as the New York Times recently stated--as Charles Taylor?

The genius part I can understand. Their economics department looks pretty damn top notch, "equip[ping] students with the tools, skills and intuition necessary to make sound business decisions."

The horrific, murderous, tyrannical aspect of Taylor's personality, is clearly not a failure of the econ department. Rather, I would like forward the thesis, here in this blog post, that the institutions in place to theoretically prevent a man like Taylor from becoming who is he today, were the very same ones that sewed the seeds of his descent. In the Code of Ethics for Faculty in Staff itself, that is, is already the narrow and morbose set of ethical arrangements that allowed a wild man to ravage West African countryside. Let's go through the Code to see where exactly the failure lies. My analysis appears in brackets.

II. Compliance with the Law

College faculty and staff shall comply in good faith with all lawful requirements, both domestic and international, applicable to Bentley College. [As one can clearly see, this is some dangerously narrow stuff. Taylor clearly interpreted this, and rightly so, to apply only to faculty, staff, and Bentley College. Because it failed to address a world outside of its tiny ivory tower, it tacitly allowed for Taylor's expansionist wars into the Ivory Coast.]

III. Use of College Resources and Assets

It is expected that faculty and staff will be efficient and economical in their use of college resources, and not permit the abuse of these resources by others. [Sick stuff. If this isn't how Taylor ruled while in power, I don't know how else to describe it. As a recent NY Times feature puts it, "even before he was elected president in 1997, the vast countryside he controlled, with its rich endowment of diamonds, rubber and timber, generated an estimated $100 million in revenues a year. During his time as president, diplomats sometimes referred ot Liberia as 'Charles Taylor Inc.' " Oh yes, he was efficient and economical alright, and certainly didn't allow anyone else to "abuse" his "resources."]

V. Harassment and Discrimination

Harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin ethnicity or disability status undermines the fundamental principles of the college and is not acceptable behavior. [Evidence suggests that Mr. Taylor might have taken this to heart. He was an equal opportunity killer, never discriminating between Liberian, Ivory Coastian, or Sierra Leonian.]

VII. Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when a faculty, staff member, or a member of their family is in the position to benefit personally, directly or indirectly, from his or her dealings with an organization or person conducting business with the college. [Not to worry, he was never greedy with his spoils. He shared them with friends, including the righteous Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi.]

XIII. Violations

Ethics Code Procedure for Alleged Violations

Violations of the Code of Ethics policy will be referred to senior management by the College Ethics Committee, with recommendations for appropriate action. The decision and recommendations would go to the President of the College for review. This process may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from employment at Bentley College. [After several notices, this is the final penalty that Bentley deems appropriate for those who break the rules. Wait, did they just threaten dismall? Let's think of this from a dictator's perspective: 'I'm Charles Taylor. I've killed 300,000 people, and have an army of loyal commanders 8-year-olds wielding automatic rifles. Please don't d-d-d-dismiss me. That's just too harsh. I'll never invade another country again, I swear.' This was the kind of penalty he thought he was going to get the whole time--hardly enough to persuade someone against committing the crimes he did.]

Whatever happens to Mr. Taylor when he is brought in front of the Hague for trial, let us not forget who really bears responsibility for all of this. Bentley College, shame on you. Your Code of Ethics is a sham, a modern day "Elders of Zion," and it must be destroyed. We need a document that will not encourage mass murder, not one that sits in silence as the world burns.