[Home]ProfRestivo

Visiting professor, 2002-2004. Social scientist with an ego the size of the former Soviet Union. Specializes in Science and Technology Studies, but teaches, among others, Intro to Social Sciences. Often a source of mind-bogglingly stupid quotes.

Professor Restivo is an unusual beast. Start with his background. He is a mobster, plain and simple. Raised in Brooklyn, Sicilian ethnicity, and the accent to prove it. Graduated with honors from Brooklyn Technical High School in Electrical Engineering. Nearly dropped out of college to become a professional weighlifter. Graduated with honors after almost being kicked out twice. Kept going to school (for some completely unknown reason), and ended up essentially inventing a field of research called Science Studies. He wears jeans and a sport coat. He teaches his class using some variation of the Socratic method, though I don't think Socrates ever blew a whistle to stop the flow of questions that he wasn't interested in dealing with, nor did he ever yell "Fire" to wake up the sleeping class. Frequently comes into class unprepared (having not done the reading) or makes class totally irrelevant to anything that could possibly be covered by his class. He enjoys introducing intentionally inflammatory ideas like our lack of free will or individuality and watching how people react. I have a strong sense that on the last day of class, he'll tell us that he was pulling our leg all semester.

Victims of his classes include BenjAzose, CalPierog, BrianYoung, ErikShimshock, DanCicio (though he didn't remember me two weeks after I dropped the class), (add your name here if you can)


Everybody's Social - by Sal Restivo (notes taken by BrianYoung, 27 October 2003)

Everybody's social. No two people are individuals.

Some people are talking about genetics. Some people are uneducated.

Some people think they have their own ideas. Some people need to be more humble.

Some people are very tall. CalPierog was taught to be very tall.

Some people have blue hair. Andy is an extension of a culture that values blue hair.

Some people were born in Oregon. Alice was abandoned in Mongolia.

Some people need to think about things more. The professor is changing the subject.

Everybody's social. If you're not me, you're wrong.


"Not all social scientists are like me. Some social scientists are stupid."

"I am utterly fearless."

"No more drugs, Paul."

"The second law of thermodynamics is ethnocentric and racist. Think about it."

"If we [Social Scientists] talk about methods enough, maybe people will think that we are actual scientists."

"I have a huge ego." (Winner of the prestigious: Understatement of the Decade Award)

"Its guys like me who are getting these young teenagers pregnant."

"No, only mostly everything you know is wrong."

"You are talking to the biggest ego in the known universe!"

"If you decide that I am right, right now, you are making a terrible mistake."


NeedsRewriting and reformatting.


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