GUEST do you teach college classes? I do, and I think I know exactly where Adam is coming from. It's not that he's "afraid to speak his mind" or "afraid to lose his job," it's that once your students know exactly what your position is, many of them will start to mirror it in hopes of getting an A. This kills effective discussion of the issue.

Students, even at great Universities, are grade-driven rather than idea-driven these days, and will repeat whatever you tell them, even if you hint that they should not do so. In some areas, where I will be quite clear that my theoretical position is unusual or innovative (after all, I have my own research), my students will answer exam questions as though my own position were the accepted and normative one within my discipline.

In short, Adam is protecting the discussion, not his ass. In my own classes, I usually also avoid directly stating my political positions for this reason. If a student asks me privately, or if it comes up in a discussion where it's relevant, I will own up to my positions, but generally I keep them out of discussions.