Commentary below:
- The irony of the college administration’s actions will of course be lost on the tantrum throwers and other kiddies there
- College – where actual liberalism goes to die . . .
- And the little zombies then infect corporate America
Middlebury College Cancels Conservative Philosopher’s Lecture on Totalitarianism
“In the interest of ensuring the safety of students, faculty, staff, and community members, the lecture by Ryszard Legutko scheduled for later today will not take place,” the email read. “This decision was not taken lightly. It was based on an assessment of our ability to respond effectively to potential security and safety risks for both the lecture and the event students had planned in response.”
There you have it! The very definition of oppressive totalitarianism! And the idiots who ‘run’ this nuthouse don’t have a clue as to their role in the process.
It is too trite to say simply that they are bowing to the threats of violence by the bolsheviks who apparently are the de facto administrators of this educational dumpster.
Anybody who pays the tuition to send their kid to this ‘academic black hole’ deserves the nasty little communist they get! DLH
From the Washington Free Beacon article:
A professor of philosophy at Jagiellonian University and a member of the European Parliament, Legutko was scheduled to speak Wednesday at the Vermont college’s Alexander Hamilton Forum, delivering a lecture entitled “The Demon in Democracy: Totalitarian Temptations in Free Societies.” A member of the anti-Communist Polish resistance during the Cold War, Legutko warns that western democracy is also susceptible to creep towards totalitarianism.
But in the days leading up to the speech, some Middlebury students and professors wrote an open letter demanding the university rescind its sponsorship. The liberal activists took issue with Legutko’s pointed critiques of multiculturalism, feminism, and homosexuality, calling them “homophobic, racist, xenophobic, [and] misogynistic.”
“Inquiry, equity, and agency cannot be fostered in the same space that accepts and even elevates homophobic, xenophobic, misogynistic discourse,” they demand. “Bigotry of any kind should not be considered a form of inquiry.”
The chairmen of both departments denied the activists requests, defending the event on grounds of academic freedom. But hours before the event was scheduled, Middlebury Provost Jeff Cason and Vice President for Student Affairs Baishakhi Taylor sent a campus-wide email indicating the lecture was canceled. . . .
The cancelation comes two years after a Middlebury lecture by conservative academic Charles Murray was disrupted by protesters, who later attacked Murray as he walked to his car and sent another professor to the hospital. None of the dozens of students who participated were suspended or expelled, with most receiving “a permanent record in the student’s file.”
Ed note: Don’s piece was intended to be posted yesterday. In the mean time Michael Barone writing at Townhall has a related offering identifying how corporate America has given succor to the little Trotskyites. We wish we had come up with the title of his article.
Stopping the Campusfication of American Life
I used to imagine that the effects of restrictive campuses would wear off when graduates encountered the real world. Instead, the post-campus world has come to embrace the idea suppression of the campuses. FIRE’s success in overturning campus speech codes has been outmatched by the mudslide of restrictions promoted by corporate HR departments, as their Nurse Ratcheds eagerly pursue violators, and even more by the giant media companies through which so much of the communication of ideas passes. Even though Congress shielded Google, Facebook and Twitter from legal consequences for the ideas they transmit, they are actively in the business of idea suppression.
Barone identifies some push back as regards campus speech codes and discrimination against conservatives ( from the Trump administration and other organizations) Barone correctly calls for more: Those are encouraging signs that the host society can fight back against the infections festering in its campus wing. It needs to fight back against the campusfication suppression of free speech as well.
