You’re right. Before the death of freedom of speech and freedom of the press alternative viewpoints were expressed once in a while (not predominantly, of course) but now anyone who sticks their head up risks getting it blown off by metaphoric snipers.
Do you like Trump? Question Covid and its jabs?
Support Israel against terrorist murders? Question man made climate change? Want freedom to buy a gas power car and run an air conditioner at home? Better keep all that totally quiet......
For undergrads I guess they can just keep their head down, stick to less political majors.
I feel sorry for people who are trying to build an academic career. They spend years, even decades, as and undergrad, then grad school, then PhD, then Post Doc, then getting a tenure track, then trying to get tenure.
You could be studying something like improving the fracture toughness of nickel-cobalt alloys, and all of a sudden you are part of the diversity and inclusion nonsense, even in the grant process, or for tenure, or even tenure track hiring.