Posted on 11/28/2004 2:35:42 AM PST by dennisw
The brutal truth of the matter - leftist thought/indoctrination can tolerate NO dissent or discussion or contrary viewpoints to be entertained, simply because they are absurdly easy to refute, ridicule and utterly decimate with reasoned discourse and of course, logic.
One sharp student can flay a lecturing professor, and "ruin" the class - this is the dirty little secret, and why certain techniques are used skillfully to crush conservatives on campus, if possible. Truth and reason are their own reward. Leftist claptrap is a whole 'nuther matter.
I saw this "takeover" start to happen back in high school ...I had a social science teacher who told all of us that no one could bring a tape recorder to class...she then proceeded to ream the U.S. for it's Viet Nam War Policies....Guess what folks?!...that was 1965...I wonder how far this has advanced since then in todays public school system?...L.O.L....
"Finally, to create a livelier climate on the campus, professors must end the routine setups that pass for dialogue. Panels on issues like Iraq, racism, imperialism, and terrorism that stack the dais provide lots of passion, but little excitement. Syllabi that include the same roster of voices make learning ever more desultory. Add a few rightists, and the debate picks up. Perhaps that is the most persuasive internal case for infusing conservatism into academic discourse and activities. Without genuine dissent in the classroom and the committee room, academic life is simply boring."
Perhaps, parents or other conservative family members should apply to audit some of these leftist classes. Auditing a class costs money but the auditing student does not have to fall in with the professors biases to get a grade. A mature conservative could throw out challenges during class discussions or even conversation with other students which would make a big difference. Young people who have not been reared with values or a sense of roots are like dry sponges when they get to college. They soak up whatever is most prominent which in most cases is dictatorial leftist philosophy. It is unnatural and it is very damaging to society over the long haul..
I was at a large eastern University as a sophomre in 1965. The same paranoid atmosphere was alive and well in my history classes.... 1965.
It's much worse now. We must understand, imo, that if just another generation of kids is indoctrinated in the ideas of the left, the anti-Americanism etc., this country will have little chance very soon to have decent conservatives elected.
Something must be done to correct the education of the young .... VERY SOON.
I taught for a while under an ultra-liberal head of department. He was convinced that the Bible can mean just about anything you want it to. I'm hardly a fundamentalist, but it seems the only viewpoint these liberals can't tolerate is one that is at variance with their own. I was always friendly, but politely disagreed with him at a public meeting - big mistake. My contract didn't get renewed. I can honestly say I drew heaps of students to my classes, and judging from their written feedback they liked me a lot. Shame really.
My professor, whose works are mostly in the tradition of Thompson, has written many books on class struggle, etc. His face turned red when I put my argument using a theory dear to him. But, he couldn't say anything...
Unfortunately, this article is more of the same. We do a fine job of criticizing the left-leaning tilt of universities but do precious little about it. Chronic complaints are no solution. The author's suggestion that we somehow convince the left-leaning faculty to reform themselves is feeble and bound to failure. His proposal that outside solutions are out of the question is foolish; reform can only come from the outside.
Many professors and academics are not as bright as they think they are, or claim to be. They are not really scholars, they just "play one on TV."
There is very little in common between a professor teaching Thermodynamics and one teaching Trans-gendered Queer Theory.
In most if not all college, students have to take certain social sciences/humanity courses, regardless their major. So, it's bound that students will have these liberals as their professors...
It was a great contrast to the Navier-Stokes equations.
However, a simple answer is at hand. Conservative voices need conservative support. Endowments need to be created to study topics important to conservative thought, and these help fund the salaries for conservative professors and grad students. And wa la.. you start building a population of conservatives in Amarican universities. This is just a crisis in support that has gone unnoticed for years.
Although I find this article compelling, I am disturbed to note that whole paragraphs of it appear to be lifted, verbatim and without attribution, from George Will's current column on the same topic. Please have a look.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/georgewill/gw20041128.shtml
Besides, this is a situation that brings its own cures with just a little thought. The consumers are the kids and their parents. They do have a choice of schools. With information, kids and parents can avoid the worst snake pits and this will do alot to dry them out. Coupled with activist conservative support for research and study a balance can be reestablished.
Wait, I thought it's the other way around? This is the original article George Will quoted for his article...
And, the converse, the protection of group think and total devotional support of the MSM has created a vast weakness that can be exploited.
But this also reminds us to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. We may want to rest control away from these silly folks but we need to make sure that they still are around or we will find our own silliness comes to haunt.
"I saw this "takeover" start to happen back in high school ...that was 1965.."
I briefly attended City College in NYC back in the late 70s, it was all in full swing by then. Commies, nothing but commies, as the man said. I had my English professor tell me I had been wrong to use the word "effiminate" because "we don't use that word, it insults women" an assertion I strongly disputed. She gave me a decent grade anyway, since that was her ONLY criticism. I'm sure I needed help with my spelling, but, oh well, never mind.
My daughter (a staunch right winger, God love her, she's a gift!) is in the thick of it now. She told me this weekend: I have to make sure I quote Karl Marx, because my English Professor loves him so!
She's got no use for these people, but she will Barbara Streisand them to death, if needed. I get such a kick out of my kid, I always want to bash the commies in the head, but she's more into the ju-jitsu approach.
No, no, this is the article Will was quoting. Thanks dennis for posting it, but the authors name got mangled. Admin, can that be fixed?
This is an important article, it is very tremendous it appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Ed. That is their NY Times and is read by ALL who have anything to do with college educations, including trustees, etc.
He states ... "But we can't open the university to conservative ideas and persons by outside command. That would poison the atmosphere and jeopardize the ideals of free inquiry."
and then goes on to say ... "Leftist bias evolved within the protocols of academic practice (though not without intimidation), and conservative challenges should evolve in the same way."
The question remains for some of us, much smarter than I, to find this needed remedy.
As Freepers are among the most intelligent of people I know, let's have at it.
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