Posted on 11/13/2015 7:07:45 AM PST by Kaslin
There was a much-beloved quote circulated among leftists, often attributed to Sinclair Lewis, that "when fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." In light of recent episodes of mob action on American campuses, the quote needs updating: When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in "diversity" and demanding "safe spaces."
Demand is the key word. It marks the essential authoritarianism at work here. At the University of Missouri, students "demanded" that (now-former) university President Tim Wolfe write a "handwritten" letter of apology acknowledging his "white, male privilege." Among his alleged sins was apparently not doing enough to shield so-called "marginalized students" from feeling upset after a black criminal, Michael Brown, was killed by the police officer he had assaulted. Another sin was driving away when a mob surrounded Wolfe's car at homecoming festivities. Wolfe has since apologized, groveled ("my apology is long overdue") and resigned. Good riddance.
Events at the University of Missouri were a perfect American storm: the confluence of fascistic student and faculty behavior, viral rumors of white racism and the almighty dollar. That's right, the dollar, because as an American university administrator, you can offend every principle enshrined in the Bible and the U.S. Constitution, you can make a mockery of higher education by offering courses on Martha Stewart's whiteness or "Fifty Shades of Gray," but don't mess with the football team. That's where the real power resides. When the black football players threatened to boycott this weekend's game against Brigham Young, the university president had to go.
There has been some tut-tutting, even among liberals, about modern university students' hypersensitivity. But let's not kid ourselves -- though it is couched in the language of safety, what these little snowflakes want is repression. Brenda Smith-Lezama, for example, is vice president of the Missouri Students Association. Asked about efforts on the Missouri campus to "muscle" student journalists away from a public event, she offered a view that would make Castro proud: "I personally am tired of hearing that First Amendment rights protect students when they are creating a hostile and unsafe learning environment for myself and for other students here," she told MSNBC.
An ideological fellow traveler at Yale screamed obscenities at a faculty member. That alone ought to be enough to ensure her dismissal from the college -- or at least some degree of punishment. But no. Background: Erika Christakis, a professor's wife and a lecturer in childhood education, had written an email suggesting that students should be able to use their own judgment about Halloween costumes. On such mighty issues do our finest minds now cogitate. Students confronted the professor on campus. One student screamed that it was the faculty's job to "create a place of comfort and home" for students (comfort, that is, being defined as insulation from challenging ideas). He demurred. "Then why the f--- did you accept the position?" she bellowed. "It is not about creating an intellectual space!"
Congratulations, Yale, and Missouri, and American academia in general, you've succeeded in undermining the ethic of free inquiry, disinterested scholarship, and certainly anything like decent manners.
The target of that vulgar outburst has now executed a full kowtow. He invited students to his home and prostrated himself: "I care so much about the same issues you care about. I've spent my life taking care of these issues of injustice, of poverty, of racism. I'm genuinely sorry ... to have disappointed you. I've disappointed myself."
Yeah, we're all disappointed in you, fella. As for the screamer, she'll suffer no ill effects, and is probably already fielding job offers from MSNBC.
The truth is that universities are and always have been ripe environments for absolutism. Students -- brimming with self-righteousness, unaware of how easily violence can spread, stimulated by the scent of blood in the water -- have provided the shock troops for most totalitarian movements.
During what liberal academics praised as the "idealistic" 1960s, American students (sometimes armed) seized buildings, held a dean hostage, looted research files and committed promiscuous vandalism. Nazi students (egged on by professors) "cleansed" Heidelberg and other universities of Jews and others. Russian universities became incubators for radicals who took their ideas into the streets. During the Cultural Revolution, Mao's faithful pupils subjected their teachers to "re-education" and even occasionally cannibalized them.
Students are natural radicals. The job of academics in a free society that hopes to remain so is to instill respect for freedom of thought and expression. Our problem is that many of the students who were burning professors' research notes in the 1960s are now on the faculty.
Fascist snowflakes.
The new Red Guards.
But the letter better not be in cursive.
Kent State
The wealthy, politically-connected Chic-Commies are indeed pushing a replay of Mao’s cultural revolution:
“On August 22, 1966, a central directive was issued to stop police intervention in Red Guard activities.[44] Those in the police force who defied this notice were labeled “counter-revolutionaries.” Mao’s praise for rebellion was effectively an endorsement for the actions of the Red Guards, which grew increasingly violent.[45] Public security in China deteriorated rapidly as a result of central officials lifting restraints on violent behavior.[46] Xie Fuzhi, the national police chief, said it was “no big deal” if Red Guards were beating “bad people” to death.[47]
The police relayed Xie’s remarks to the Red Guards and they acted accordingly.[47] In the course of about two weeks, the violence left some one hundred teachers, school officials, and educated cadres dead in Beijing’s western district alone. The number injured was “too large to be calculated.”[46]
Their Revo fantasy may blow up in their face.
Then we have 10 to 20 years top before they start hauling us to the camps.
Then we have 10 to 20 years to prepare.
Maybe, but I’m afraid most won’t.
At the rate things are going that could be any day now.
Fascists are NATIONALISTS. These people are much closer to Communists. Lets start calling them what they are.
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Communism_vs_Fascism
Sig update
No, “Communist” doesn’t work that well. A good number will openly embrace it, while others will dismiss it out of hand as being conspiratorial nostalgia for the 1950s Red Scare.
“Fascist” applies just as well, and turning their own accusatory language back at them does a lot more damage.
Their Revo fantasy WILL blow up in their face.
There are over 100 million firearms owners in the US and by recent accounts upwards of 400 million firearms.
There’s no way the snowflakes can win against that. College campuses are a very permissive environment, we’re seeing radical Leftists being destroyed by even more radical Leftists. They take this off-campus, turn violent and they won’t last very long.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution only worked because the “bad people” who the cops stepped back from and allowed to be beaten and killed weren’t able to respond to lethal force via hands, feet and blunt force trauma instruments with lethal force via gunpowder propelled high velocity projectile
One more thing ... I’m seeing the term “zombie” being used for the snowflakes various places. That works pretty well too.
Hmm, interesting, fascism historically has been nationalistic. Fascists in America today hate their own country.
My thoughts exactly.
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