This is funny coming from somebody who said "The fact that university students will riot when someone their puppeteers do not agree with comes to give a presentation at their school" is funny. The number of disinvitations is in the tens per year, out of thousands of degree granting institutions and roughly zero riots.
No, I am not. This is real. The other thing that happens is brutally simple to understand: They just don't hold events featuring people with contrasting opinions. That's how you achieve "disinvitations is in the tens per year".
A parallel example having nothing to do with universities: The easiest way for a company to improve their numbers is to fire thousands of people. Their earnings per share metric will improve almost instantly. Yet, it doesn't mean they went out and got a bunch of new business...they manipulated the landscape to create a result.
I am not making shit up. You are ignoring reality and failing to engage in basic critical thinking. If you don't invite anyone from "the other side"...
"The students will riot but I cannot point to meaningful numbers of examples but trust me it's totally a liberal conspiracy" is not a focus on factual discourse.
> "The students will riot but I cannot point to meaningful numbers of examples but trust me it's totally a liberal conspiracy" is not a focus on factual discourse.
I'm sorry, why do you think you can make up shit I did not say and then use it in support of your claim?
> Conservatives speak at universities all the time.
I am not a Republican (Conservative) or Democrat (Liberal). I try very hard to observe reality from as neutral a perch as possible. I don't always succeed. Most topics of any importance cannot be reduced to single variables, which means they are nearly impossible to treat fairly in the context of these types of discussions. This is particularly true when some choose to resort to attacks rather than seeking to have a respectful conversation and conversation where everyone might learn something.
Saying that our universities are in the grips of leftist ideology isn't making shit up. It's verifiable reality. Has been so for a very long time. The same can be said of our mass media.
You might not like these objective observations. That does not mean they are not real. That also does not mean they are causing harm.
Simple rule: Universities must not identify with political parties, create ideological monocultures and promote/teach ideological extremes.
When this rule is violated, they become centers of hatred and indoctrination. That applies to ANY SIDE. Almost anyone familiar with US universities can rattle-off schools who lean left and right, and even rate them as hard-left and hard-right.
Either universities are centers for ideological warfare, we accept that and hope that balance is somehow magically produced by having equal portions of the population influenced by each side, or we do our best to reform systems in order to create balance.
I think graduating mentally and culturally balanced adults is vitally important. That is not what we do today. The system is solidly tilted in one direction.
One of the most interesting interviews out there on aspects of this subject is with Nial Ferguson, Historian, Oxford and Stanford lecturer (and more):
May I remind of you what President Barack Obama said when referring to the incident involving Condoleezza Rice:
"I don't think it's a secret that I disagree with many of the policies of Dr. Rice and the previous administration. But the notion that this community or this country would be better served by not hearing a former secretary of state or not hearing what she had to say — I believe that's misguided," Obama said. "I don't think that's how democracy works best, when we're not even willing to listen to each other."
"If you disagree with somebody, bring them in and ask them tough questions. Hold their feet to the fire, make them defend their positions. ... Don't be scared to take somebody on. Don't feel like you got to shut your ears off because you're too fragile and somebody might offend your sensibilities. Go at them if they're not making any sense."
He didn't say that because we don't have this problem at US universities. We do. It's very serious. And it was brave of him to take that position and highlight this is not good for society.
Without much effort you can find dozens of articles, from outfits like CNN, Washington Post, State Bar Associations and more discussing the problem in very real terms.
It's a matter of definition, but you are taking a conservative position, repeating conservative talking points, in a modern conservative style (aggression, lack of evidence, etc.).
While you laugh, watch the interview with Nial Ferguson and you might learn a thing or two. I don't want to guess as to why reality escapes your conclusions. Are you going to say that places like Berkeley are balanced? Yes, that's an extreme example, of course. Academia, in this country, is decidedly on the left. The people they graduate are deeply influenced by this.
Here, let's use another metric to get a sense of the ideological leanings of our STEM graduates.
This is funny coming from somebody who said "The fact that university students will riot when someone their puppeteers do not agree with comes to give a presentation at their school" is funny. The number of disinvitations is in the tens per year, out of thousands of degree granting institutions and roughly zero riots.
Oh nooooo. Those indoctrinated college students.
You are the one making shit up.