Posted on 06/21/2020 7:25:13 AM PDT by Kaslin
The contemporary political landscape is mired in a tsunami of bad ideas. Who would have ever anticipated that defunding police departments, emptying out prisons, eliminating cash bail, free health care, free college, looting as a legitimate form of social protest politics, among other screwball ideas would go mainstream? Socialism? How did views resting on blatant falsehoods jump from the academys ideological wet markets to the New York Times?
A full explanation must wait until passions cool, but in the meantime let me offer a personal account based on decades of university teaching where this nonsense initially metastasized from a few quirky campus ideas to a conquering idiocy.
I began teaching government at an ivy league school in 1969. Yes, the students were exceptionally bright, but the faculty were unafraid of pushing them hard and an occasional Marine drill sergeant mentality was necessary. Stupidities were immediately confronted, often sarcastically and grading was tough. Some colleagues especially relished slicing and dicing fools, and students years later, would praise these martinets for making me think and work hard. Survivors could boast of a world-class, rigorous education.
Matters began shifting in the '70s as some faculty conflated easier grading (which facilitated student draft deferments) with opposing the War in Vietnam. Affirmative action admission now appeared and while these admittees lagged far behind regular students, most faculty anticipated no long-term harm, believing that blacks would eventually catch up. In any case, faculty still confidently dominated, students were still considered ignorant, and periodically informed of their failings.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
I’m not against good articles, but I feel as if we all *know* the problem already, and reading and quoting all these articles is starting to feel like a waste of time.
The question now is, what to do?
Regarding the education crisis, I think we first and foremost have to take back our public schools. All parents who care need to start attending school board meetings and making sure the curriculum that is being taught is acceptable, and that the teachers are not teaching them to hate America. If you find yourselves outnumbered, then withdraw your kids from these schools and do homeschooling, private schooling, parochial schooling... whatever you can.
All of this is nothing new. It’s been going on for over 25 years with many conservatives commenting on it. In fact, many have made very brilliant remarks, given penetrating and astute insights. But nothing, alas, (to use a Roger Kimball word choice) NOTHING has been done. Since the early days people like Roger Kimball, Allan Bloom, Robert Bork, etc. have been sounding the clarion call of alarm. To repeat, nothing has been done. Conservatives must think the leftist/communist infection of the university and from there to the remaining parts of body politic (arts, government, law, entertainment, Hollywood, media, big tech) will eventually subside and reason and order will naturally be restored. WRONG! This is a cowardly view. For over 20 years this problem kept getting worse. What did conservatives as a whole do? Put their heads in the sand.
Thank you. That picture should be reprinted and retransmitted as many times as possible. Yale must be renamed, or cease to exist.
Because the crappy instructors have driven the good ones out.
Because universities have lowered their standards in order to meet racial and cultural quotas instead of holding out for the very best with the highest IQ.
Not everybody should go to college and fact most people are smarter if they don’t.
Truly intelligent people will educate themselves one way or the other.
Universities are now in the business of excluding intelligent people because it makes the stupids look bad.
As well as the social justice supposed hacks who impersonate intelligent and tenured professors of stem subject matter.
Students who would be prone to scientific thinking reasoning logic and hypothesis... Are being screened out.
A bucket full of well-crafted wisdom.
I don’t know how other people put up with them. I have a low tolerance for bs. I counted the days until I could legally drop out.
Universities are now in the business of excluding intelligent people because it makes the stupids look bad.
Indeed a new book out by John Ellis about the break down of education is a must read.
Bump
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.