Liberal Factories?
Candace de Russy's piece in the National Review Online uses Ward Churchill to make her point that universities have become liberal-making factories, and that changes need to be made.
Her first flaw is equating Churchill with all liberals. Churchill is not a liberal; he is an extremist. His remarks were repugnant and not indicative of what the majority of the Left believes.
Her second flaw is assuming that all students who attend college are unduly influenced by their professors to become "conscripted as footsoldiers in the army fighting — usually — for left-wing causes." (She is quoting John Kekes here.) I assume de Russy attended college. I know Dick Cheney went to college. Bush received his MBA from Harvard, in what's thought of as the most liberal state in the county. They certainly haven't become liberal robots. College professors, while influential, are not brainwashers. The pressure that students often feel from having to agree with their prof's beliefs is not limited to politics; the same difficulties are found in nearly all liberal arts classes.
But her proposal for change is a good one. As I've noted before, the higher percentage of liberal professors at college is troubling. And her suggestion that colleges adopt the Academic Bill of Rights by allowing them to enforce it through measures deemed appropriate by the college, is fair and reasonable. But using Churchill as an example of what is wrong with all colleges is a flawed comparison. Churchill is an unfortunate byproduct of free speech, not a standard.
Her first flaw is equating Churchill with all liberals. Churchill is not a liberal; he is an extremist. His remarks were repugnant and not indicative of what the majority of the Left believes.
Her second flaw is assuming that all students who attend college are unduly influenced by their professors to become "conscripted as footsoldiers in the army fighting — usually — for left-wing causes." (She is quoting John Kekes here.) I assume de Russy attended college. I know Dick Cheney went to college. Bush received his MBA from Harvard, in what's thought of as the most liberal state in the county. They certainly haven't become liberal robots. College professors, while influential, are not brainwashers. The pressure that students often feel from having to agree with their prof's beliefs is not limited to politics; the same difficulties are found in nearly all liberal arts classes.
But her proposal for change is a good one. As I've noted before, the higher percentage of liberal professors at college is troubling. And her suggestion that colleges adopt the Academic Bill of Rights by allowing them to enforce it through measures deemed appropriate by the college, is fair and reasonable. But using Churchill as an example of what is wrong with all colleges is a flawed comparison. Churchill is an unfortunate byproduct of free speech, not a standard.
posted by Anonymous at 3:18 PM
10 Comments:
Luna, great post, we missed you. Moderate liberalism or moderate conservatism is healthy as long as there is environment that fosters debate and gives students an opportunity to hear alternate views.
I concur. I often find myself having to decry the frequent occurrence of people taking the most extreme views and assigning those to all liberals. It's like saying that Timothy McVeigh represented all conservatives. I am the evangalist of individualism - down with generalizations!
As for colleges having a higher percentage of liberal professors, I would like to study up on some statistics - for example, have they differentiated bewteen types of colleges? Techy environments like MIT might be more conservative than Harvard. Also, I read a blogger comment once that perhaps the reason more college professors are liberal is because the more well educated one becomes, the more likely one is to develop liberal values.
Just reportin' it, man...
Yeah, extremists on both sides make it that much more difficult for more voices to be heard.
That being said, I know there are those who would call me an extremist, too :)
Smorgas, would like to invite you to enter the essay contest at www.newssnipet.blogspot.com (left hand column for info). There is still time!
Also, Mochi--great insight on your comment here! Impressed!
In regards to colleges and universities. There is plenty of evidence beyond Ward Churchill to indicate the leaning. I taught in the Penn State system--the year I was there 91% registered either Democrat or Green Party, 6% Independent and 3% Republican, Libertarian or Constitution Party. It's no secret the ideological makeups of colleges and universities.
Keep in mind also, that I heard MANY of my liberal friends and pundits indicate that 9/11 took place because of US foreign policy. WC has just had the guts to say what many liberals feel inside...am i right?
Oh, and SNC, just wanted to make a comment. The 3% of us who were "conservative" at the University were those of us who had held successful jobs in the real world prior to teaching. Most of the professors who espoused liberalism were theoreticians and had little real world experience to back up their assertions.
The old saying goes "those that can't-teach"
Jack Mercer, are you sure those who teach, can't? I think many teach because that's what they want to do. Besides, real-world experience does not create wisdom. I find an ample supply of dumb-asses in all walks of life.
Anyway, if, as you say, you consider Ward Churchill to be "evidence", then you've got the left pegged all wrong. Guys like him are not representative of liberals.
Also, I'd like to offer a thought regarding the notion of universities being predominantly liberal. It has also been pointed out that big business is predominantly right-wing. Let's say for the sake of argument that both these characterizations are true. Doesn't it provide necessary balance between corporate and educational america that both these exist to provide checks and balances?
It has also been pointed out that big business is predominantly right-wing. Good point. Liberals should be complaining about their unequal representation in big businsess.
It's clear that political donations from big business have more impact on Congress than college professors.
Abigail, that is so true! Let's see a study comparing campaign contributions between the two. That's where the influence is, not in professors' free speech.
And ANOTHER thing: With the right-wing blogs afire with citicism of academia, isn't it ironic how they call liberal critics "whiners?" while they whine about colleges and universities? They are like spoiled children - they're not satisfied unless they possess everything.
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