Academia vs The Real World courtesy of Ghostbusters

I turned on the TV yesterday, not knowing what was on, and found that the classic Ghostbusters had just started.

After being kicked out of university due to Dr Peter Venkman's (Bill Murray) sustained incompetence he and Dr Raymond Stanz (Dan Akroyd) are discussing what the future holds for them. Murray is saying that it's fate and things will be fine but a worried Akroyd is having none of it:

Dr Raymond Stanz: Personally, I liked the university. They gave us money and facilities, we didn't have to produce anything! You've never been out of college! You don't know what it's like out there! I've *worked* in the private sector. They expect *results*.

Ghostbusters was made in 1984. I wonder whether a much more actively politically partisan Hollywood would include that line these days?

As I pointed out the other day, the leftist mind is fundamentally immature and there's no greater example of that intellectual immaturity than in academia.

It also reminded me of the debate about torture doing the rounds last year. The left was taking the "it's never, ever OK to use torture" line even if an impending catastrophic threat of the variety dreamt up in the TV series 24 was uncovered.

Does the left really believe this or is it simply their usual knee jerk reaction to what they perceive as the right's predilection for thumb screws, truth drugs and water boarding? The latter, I suspect.

You'll recall that in another classic movie, also in a similar genre to Ghostbusters - Men In Black - that MIB has one hour to save the world from being destroyed by the Arquillians. They need to get information about what the Arquillians want and ends up interrogating Frank The Pug.

KAY - You busy, Frank?

FRANK THE PUG - Sorry, Kay, I can't talk right now, my ride's leaving in --

(Kay grabs Frank. He yelps like, well, a dog.)

KAY - Call the pound. We got a stray.

FRANK THE PUG - Hey! Get your paws off me!

(PASSERBYS glare at Kay, who appears to be seriously mistreating this poor
little dog. Jay tries to explain.)

JAY - The, uh...dog owes my friend some money.

KAY (to Frank) - Arquillians and bugs. What do you know?

FRANK THE PUG - I know nothing.

KAY - Not a thing?

(Kay shakes Frank the Pug, trying to force an answer.)

FRANK THE PUG - Stop it. Okay, okay. Rosenberg wasn't some two-bit Arquillian. He was the guardian of a galaxy. They thought he would be safe here on earth.

KAY - And the bug had other plans.

FRANK THE PUG - The galaxy is the best source for subatomic energy in the universe. If the bugs get
their slimy claws on it, kiss the Arquillians goodbye.

JAY - Ask him about the belt.

KAY - (to Frank) - Rosenberg said something about a galaxy on "Orion's belt." What's he talking about, Frank?

FRANK THE PUG - Beats me.

(Kay shakes Frank the Pug once more.)

In the movie it seems not only completely credible but quite reasonable, as it does in '24'. However I've done enough research on torture to know that it is, in fact, counter-productive, even in extreme circumstances. I wonder whether those that banged on loudest about torture saw the irony in the above?