No Bull Mom

Indoctrinating Young Americans

The news about Harry Reid is a great segue into this next subject: America's colleges and universities.

Sometime last year I TIVOd a program on the Documentary Channel called Indoctrination U. I watched it, took notes, and have been meaning to blog about it for some time. But it's a biggie, so I was waiting till I had enough time to tackle the issue. It'll probably take several posts.

The documentary is about the "marketplace of ideas" -- what colleges and universities are supposed to be. In truth, American universities aren't anything like this. For years now college campuses have functioned like the media: They're saturated with liberals.

The author of the documentary, Evan Coyle, is conservative. He was raised by 1960s parents who encouraged true independent thought -- in other words, Coyle was encouraged to think whatever he believed was right. But once Coyle got to college, like many of us he learned that not everyone is as "open-minded" as his parents. On campuses all over the country, policies that are supposed to encourage tolerance and diversity are instead being used to silence those with alternative viewpoints. Namely, conservatives.

Indeed, race, class, and gender issues are at the forefront of American universities. Whenever someone disagrees with the dominant thinking in matters of race and politics, they're punished. Ward Connelly (who wrote the great article I mentioned you should google yesterday), Carol Swain, and John McWhorter are examples of professors who dared to question policies like affirmative action; but since they're black, they're considered traitors to their race (just as white conservatives are traitors to the human race).

The documentary focused on Lydia Brodeur, a student whose brother is of another race. (He was adopted by her parents when she was little.) Lydia wrote a letter to the editor (of the school's newspaper) against affirmative action b/c she didn't believe in the idea that her brother should receive preferential treatment for being a different color. "If anything, that would teach him he's somehow oppressed," she says.

One day in class her professor holds up her letter to the editor (not realizing it's one of his students) to the class and uses it as an example of racism. Lydia was shocked but said nothing.

Defending herself in the documentary, Lydia says, "I don't believe minorities should be treated differently; I think they should be treated equally. That's pretty unprejudice."

Of course it's unprejudiced. That's what makes the whole "Democrats care more about the poor and minorities more than Republicans" such hypocrisy. If you truly, honestly do not think black people are less capable than white people -- in other words, if you're not prejudiced -- you can't simultaneously support affirmative action. Supporting affirmative action means you believe minorities need a leg up. And if you think they need a leg up, then you don't think very highly of them. Pretty simple logic. Alas, it is lost on modern Democrats.

Here are some examples of comments made by students at Columbia University during a protest of some sort (you know how those college students love protests):

"Minority students are marginalized in a racist, capitalist America."

"My sexist, my racist, and my homophobic country..."

"Yes, I am angry today, and I am hostile!"

As Lydia points out about being on campus today, "When they want to render you helpless, they label you. PREJUDICED! HOMOPHOBE! BIGOT!"

And as Lydia's father says, "There is no discussion. There is one way to think. That's what universities have become: This is the way you think."

TOMORROW: More on the American college experience..