Victor Davis Hanson: The Polarizing Atmosphere of the University Has Now Spread to Congress

RCP ^ | Victor Davis Hanson

[RoosterRedux]

During the recent Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, we witnessed how college values have become the norms of the Senate. On campus, constitutional due process vanishes when accusations of sexual harassment arise. America saw that when false charges were lodged against the Duke University lacrosse players and during Rolling Stone magazine's concocted smear of a University of Virginia fraternity.

Americans may disagree about the relative credibility of either Kavanaugh or his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. But they all witnessed how the asymmetry of the campus governed the hearings.

Ford's veracity hinged on empathy and perceived believability. There was little requirement of corroborating testimonies, witnesses and what used to be called physical evidence. In contrast, Kavanaugh was considered guilty from the start. He had to prove his innocence.

One belief of the university is the postmodern idea of relativist truth.

On campus, all can present equally valid narratives. What privileges one story over another is not necessarily any semblance to reality, at least as established by evidence and facts. Instead, powerful victimizers supposedly "construct" truths based on their own self-interests. As a result, self-described victims of historical biases are under no obligation to play by what they consider to be rigged rules of facts, evidence or testimony.

This dynamic explains why Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J) insisted that Dr. Ford told "her truth." In other words, evidence was not so relevant. Ford's story of events from 36 years ago inherently would have as much claim on reality as Kavanaugh's rebuttal -- and perhaps more so, given their different genders and asymmetrical access to power.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Well what did you really expect? Universities are merely ongoing lab experiments run by Leftist social engineers.

[Da Coyote]

Where does one think the university grads who really have not had actual hard courses go?

[StoneRainbow68]

-—Where does one think the university grads who really have not had actual hard courses go?——

Government and media?

DING DING DING!!!!

[gattaca]

bmp

[Steely Tom]

A certain FReeper made a similar observation more than two weeks ago:

They’re trying to undertake a trial in the same format that’s used in university rape court proceedings. The accused can’t confront his accuser, the accused can’t be present when evidence against him is presented, the accused can’t question the accuser, the accused isn’t told exactly what the charges are. Of course, the verdict is a foregone conclusion.

Link: Democrats moving the goalposts on Kavanaugh, again and again, post #7.

[heshtesh]

Doe’s this mean the university kids were the adults in the room the whole time, i’ll need a program to sort this one out!

[allendale]

This country is divided socially and culturally. In this era of “multiculturalism”, Americans no longer share a reasonable social and political consensus. There are Americans who celebrate individual accomplishment, merit, free enterprise, their heritage and borders. Then there Americans who are socialists, globalists and advocate open borders and a “radical transformation” of social values and the country itself. The later are still a minority but appear magnified by a sympathetic, propagandistic media. The historical significance of the vile Kavanaugh character assassination is not yet full appreciated. The first ramification will be that the so called blue wave will smash against a rock of righteous indignation in November.

[TigerClaws]

Key moment: Ford’s sister said Ford was preparing to testify as to “her truth.”

What about THE truth?

To leftists there is no truth. There’s only weaponized political spin. There’s no reality. There’s only a “social construct.”

The universities have been overrun with Cultural Marxism. We now see that rot spreading to other institutions - as was the plan.

[bitt]

p

[Brilliant]

The universities are nothing but partisan cesspools. They don’t teach anything useful.

[dmcnash]

“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.”

[Leep]

A new version of the old TV show, Father Knows Best.
Big Government Knows Best

[Ouderkirk]

The key is to not cede the moral authority/high ground to the snowflake protestor types.

Demand facts and empirical evidence for their assertions. Do not accept “white privilege”, or “toxic masculinity” or any of that other crapola. Get back in their faces about it was whites, and white men in particular who gave them the opportunity to shout this malarkey. We built this world and while it may be imperfect it is better than anything created previously.

[NYAmerican]

“The later are still a minority”.

I hope and pray you are correct, but I doubt it. I fear that with several generations already brainwashed, and with a majority of institutions fully infiltrated and converted, I’m afraid we are the minority now. Not only that, but in terms of Demographics, we are old and dying out rapidly. Did I cheer you up yet?

[servo1969]

Feminism as practised on the modern American college campus:

It is not possible for a woman to initiate a bad or regrettable sexual encounter with a man. 'Womyn' are incapable of exercising poor judgement in sexual situations. Therefore, the only explanation for a woman having pangs of guilt or feelings of embarrassment after sex with a man is that she has been raped.

The following should be the default position of the State: Any woman who is less than completely satisfied with a sexual encounter with a man has been raped — even if she doesn’t realize it until days, weeks, months or years later. A woman's sexual consent may be withdrawn retroactively at any point in the future. Women never lie about rape and there should be no statute of limitation regarding to the prosecution of her rapist.

[1Old Pro]

'Womyn' are incapable of exercising poor judgement in sexual situations.

Here's some advice, when drinking a lot, don't offer to go to the guy your with's room - like the chick in vegas going up to the soccer players room.

[stylin19a]

The Polarizing Atmosphere of the University Has Now Spread to Congress

seems to me, vice-verse

[BEJ]

The Dems are older people, many lawyers who know the presumption of innocence. But they also know the presumption of ignorance of the masses. What they did was a desperate experiment for desperate times — it was an experiment in sophistry. And it flatters their self image of cleverness to no end to come up with twisty arguments for the court of public opinion. But Americans are not having that — not because they are stupid or ignorant — but because of common sense and decency.

I personally believe the Dems are the dumb ones because they underestimate common sense. They are elitist because they deride common sense. They have invested so much into their sophistical powers, heir poise of cleverness, fashionable nonsense that they are blind to the obvious. The perfect example is there response to losing the election. Instead of figuring out how they messed up and working to win the next election they have chosen the path of resistance which is counter productive to voters. It’s a stupid move but one that flatters their self image as romantic resistance fighters in WWII against Hitler (Trump).

This is dumb stuff. The new generation is also dumb — Bernie Sanders dumb. This is because they are spoiled kids who don’t live in Venezuela just as Bernie is a spoiled kid who never lived in the USSR. They are following the Dems in denying common sense and going for worlds of creative imagination that will have the floor drop out of it. They are walking on sunshine.

[RoosterRedux]

I personally believe the Dems are the dumb ones because they underestimate common sense.

They know that their constituents don't have any common sense. They know that there constituents are the angry, raging, mixed-up, homos, trannies, and atheists who hate God and America.

I think some Dems would like to run nearer the center, but the Democratic leadership won't permit it because it would splinter the already desperate party.

This is why the #walkaway movement is growing by leaps and bounds.