John, at the risk of piling on in regard to the Pipes discussion, I would just like to say it appears you're basic criticism of Pipes is he tends to create the environment around which freedom of expression in the classroom is squashed.
If this is a fair generalization of your thinking, I would like you to consider how rare and difficult it is to have a discussion/dialogue similar to what you've just experienced on this thread in a college classroom. Here, we have talented, mature and intelligent people comfortable with their achievements in life, who are willing to say what they think, and argue their point of view. This same discussion in a classroom, with a knowledgeable person such as yourself in a position of power, able to articulate your point of view, is what for years has created the environment where freedom of expression has been squashed.
From what I've read, that is what Pipes is trying to change. He is trying to change the attitude far too many academics have in regard to the "other" point of view being allowed to dissent from the professors.
Maybe you've been one of the rare ones John. I really don't know, but I've been there and a lot of other students and parents have too. The classrooms of today are not free to debate the way they were years ago. Leftists, who represent over 90% of most faculty members have primarily been the cause of that.
Try sitting in the shoes of a conservative sometime, pretend you've just turned in a paper critical of Hillary's "It takes a village" book. What do you think the likelihood of the paper getting a fair shake is compared to one criticizing a book by Newt Gingrich? Pretend you're arguing foreign policy with a professor who's views are anti-semitic, how likely do you think it would be for a pro Israeli student to voice his/her opinion in writing and discussions in the class?
It's incumbent on all Americans to be concerned about this trend. We want the classroom to be a place of open dissent, discussion and dialogue. And we want our academic professors to support that environment. Those that don’t, or those who use the classroom for their personal agenda's should be held up to public scrutiny. After all, as one of our smart posters said recently, the classroom isn't "owned" by the staff. They are the American people’s cherished centers of higher learning, and if narrow minded fundamentalist’s preachers took them over, or narrow minded leftists took them over, we have a responsibility as citizens to try and change it. |
