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Universities Are Anti-Liberal

Domenick J. Maglio, Ph.D. Neo Traditionalist

“Restrictions of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act to most easily defeat us.” William O. Douglas

Classic liberals must be turning over in their graves when they see today’s institutions of higher education. University officials are silent while students shut down reasonable debate based on facts replacing it with emotional mob rule. This behavior is the antithesis of historical liberalism that has stood for a free exchange of ideas. Liberals have been advocates for tolerance of action and expression.

The University of Delaware, a public university funded by taxpayers, has mandated a “life education program” for all students residing on campus. Their intensive diversity training of residence assistants taught that all white people of European descent are privileged and benefited from racism regardless of class, gender, religion, culture or sexuality. Blacks and other non-whites cannot be racist for they never had power to systematically implement their will. Any students not immediately accepting this ideology were considered patients needing treatment according to the program. “University of Delaware Requires Students to Undergo Ideological Reeducation,” FIRE Press Release, October 30, 2007.

This is not therapy for mental health illness. These are indoctrination techniques used in communist re-education programs to destroy freedom of thought. This cockamamie theory disseminated by the university’s sanctioned program as fact is prejudiced against all people and their ancestors who came from a particular geographic region of the world. Anyone who is re-educated to accept this belief either has not learned or has forgotten that immigrants from Europe were not received with open arms. Irish were taunted as “micks” and were prohibited from many jobs and living in certain areas. Italians were called “dagos, guineas or wops” and were often classified as “colored” upon entering the United States. Jews were called “hymies” and were excluded from many clubs and other establishments. Polish were ridiculed as ”pollocks” and the list goes on and on.

The University of Delaware’s diversity program is currently the most egregious example of brainwashing of students although many of our prestigious universities are not allowing a forum for an open exchange of ideas. University administrators stand by as groups of vocal students refuse to allow people of differing viewpoints to speak. Chris Simcox of the Minute Men, David Horowitz and a host of other conservatives and even classic liberals such as Senator Joseph Lieberman have been unable to express their viewpoints. Even Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez were welcomed with open arms to express their radical anti-American views. Even after physical attacks of pie throwing or pushing the speakers, university officials are unwilling to punish the perpetrators or insure sufficient security to guarantee the safety of people with opposing viewpoints.

It is all right in sociology, women’s studies or minority studies to express hatred toward men, toward Christianity, toward heterosexually, marriage and all whites. Modern “liberal” professors usually require students to regurgitate their beliefs and opinions or the student suffers ridicule and disastrous grades.

Students are not allowed to discuss anything that may be disparaging, no matter how factual, about minorities, other religions, gays or feminists. This double standard even applies to persons of high status like Bill Cosby who is openly chastised for pointing out the negative impact of the lack of males on Black families. Lawrence Summers, the ex-president of Harvard University, was forced out of his position by feminist groups for merely mentioning scientific differences between the genders in reference to innate ability in mathematics.

When universities are unable or unwilling to accommodate differing viewpoints in their “ivory towers” their status as institutions of higher education change to factories of indoctrination. This should be frightening to every citizen of the USA. We must return to the open competition of ideas in our schools of education if we expect to remain a free and vibrant society.

Liberals, conservatives and independents please stand up for everyone’s right to free thought and expression or we will shortly be living in a totalitarian country.