As a professor, I’ve seen woke and MAGA censorship. Which is worse?

The Washington Post ^ | 10/18/2025 6:30 a.m. EDT | Crispin Sartwell

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Both attacks on free speech are devastating for academia, but in different ways.

Crispin Sartwell retired as a philosophy professor in 2023. His most recent book is “Beauty: A Quick Immersion.”

It didn’t take long for professors to point out that the right-wing wave of restrictions on expression, spurred by the Trump administration, is far worse than those characteristic of “the woke era.” After all, the woke restrictions were primarily internal, a matter of academic practice, as students, administrators and professors tried to eliminate any shred of skepticism toward diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. It was annoying — and devastating if you were fired or publicly shamed. In my view, it led to a dramatic decline in the quality of research.

But MAGA restrictions appear far more serious, as the administration threatens to withhold federal funds on ideological grounds, attempts to make colleges pledge themselves to Trumpian orthodoxy, drives university presidents from their jobs and vilifies the work of professors or students in a way that shames or even endangers them. This is direct governmental free-speech suppression, which is just what the founders of the American republic wanted to prevent: The First Amendment prohibits the government but not, say, private universities from restricting speech.

The classic picture of censorship involves a government crackdown. The Constitution’s fundamental purpose is to prevent that kind of suppression, which the founders had experienced at the hands of the British Empire. And a government crackdown is a different sort of beast than an atmosphere of social and professional pressure: The president of the United States can employ weapons, surveillance techniques and internment facilities of which (dare I say it) university vice provosts can only dream. A government’s oppressive power exceeds that of any private institution, and the dangers to...

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TOPICS: Education
KEYWORDS: books; crispinsartwell; crispinthecommie; dickinsoncollege; epluribusrino; waposedition; zot

[enumerated]

As a professor, dumb question.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

After all, the woke restrictions were primarily internal, a matter of academic practice, as students, administrators and professors tried to eliminate any shred of skepticism toward diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Can't tolerate any thought-diversity now, can we?

[EnderWiggin1970]

Leftists think they have the inherent right to plunder other people and force them to fund and promote their speech. In their mind it is more wrong to cut off their pillaging of the slave class than it is to censor someone who is speaking on their own dime.

[Rockingham]

Another example of “yes but” reasoning by a Leftist academic. There is no MAGA censorship — except to decline federal funding for institutions that embrace anti-American and anti-Constitutional indoctrination in education. And the effect of Woke censorship and Leftist indoctrination in general is more profound in that they subvert intellectual freedom and reasoned discourse.

[SpaceBar]

Butthurt liberal academic rant.

Doesn’t like ideology when it isn’t his ideology.

[alexander_busek]

Gagging academicians, firing faculty members, expelling students - or subjecting them to "compelled speech" (Dr. Jordan Peterson) - is, morally speaking, incomparably worse than merely withdrawing funding.

The Federal Govt. is not required to subsidize hateful craziness.

Regards,

[Nervous Tick]

>> Crispin Sartwell retired as a philosophy professor in 2023.

Good plan, “Crispin”, if that’s your real name.

Plato or Aristotle, you ain’t!

[Nervous Tick]

>> Gagging academicians

Yeah, nearly all of them gag me! GAG RETCH PUKE!!!

[clearcarbon]

"It didn’t take long for professors to point out that the right-wing wave of restrictions on expression, spurred by the Trump administration, is far worse than those characteristic of 'the woke era.'”

On a positive note, I like that expression "the woke era" implying it may be something in the rear view mirror.

[sauropod]

Imagine having a first name of “Crispin.”

I can’t.

[Kudsman]

Ya it is fine when BigEd crushes student free speech, but axe a prof that cheers on cold blooded murder and the world is ending. When elites cry they just sound like Charlie Brown’s teachers on a party line.

[ifinnegan]

Funny how they used to say woke censorship didn’t exist.

[Kriggerel]

“...Crispin Sartwell retired as a philosophy professor in 2023...”

Sartwell, or SHARTwell? :P

[Oldeconomybuyer]

I’d hate being in grade school with a name like Crispin Sartwell.

[Katya]

I’m equally appalled with both, I honestly thought we were done with the thought police post Biden. On a personal leve, I simply don’t care enough what people say or think generally speaking. I certainly don’t want the gubmint to interject... I get that “conservatives” like certain speech, but don’t think this won’t come back later by the other side when theyve wrestled power for themselves once again.

[God luvs America]

After all, the woke restrictions were primarily internal, a matter of academic practice, as students, administrators and professors tried to eliminate any shred of skepticism toward diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Tell that to the parents who were targeted by the FBI for speaking out at BOE meetings...

[Donbue]

So woke censorship is ok censorship.
But MAGA elimination of censorship …..is worse censorship?
Does not compute. No matter how they twist and spin.

[cgbg]

Good catch—in fact they would censor anyone who said they were censoring anyone!

[MMusson]

Woke censorship - “You can’t say there are only two sexes!”

MAGA censorship - “You can’t say you want a mother’s children to die while she watches because her husband is a conservative.”