If the true purpose of academic hierarchy is for wealthy elites to compete through the status of affiliation, especially with whomever has the most fashionable, progressive opinions and presents them in the most esoteric and obfuscated way yet can still have others call it &quot;art,&quot; then most of the bad behavior of this post seems to just be rational business on the part of the academics.<p>As much as we like to <i>talk</i> about rewarding academics for actually making breakthroughs that have positive effects in the lives of most others, that is all just talk. Want we really want is to collect academics like they are elusive Pokemon cards ... the more obscure their abilities, the better, as long as they can be plausibly connected to whatever cause, regime, or attitude is favored in the in-group where that academic&#x27;s works wield influence.