Kangaroo U.
I just watched this documentary on university politics. I knew that most public universities unofficially oppose diversity of thought, but I didn’t realize just how bad it is. One student underwent substantial harassment from the school administration for posting an event flyer, touting a conservative black author and his book entitled “It’s OK to Leave the Plantation.” Apparently that title was considered to be something akin to ‘hate speech’.
Are there any local university students out there who have witnessed this kind of selective intolerance on campus?
Well of course SFSU had a problem with it. He was one of those evil conservative types. Had it been some PLO members they woulda made it a school holiday!
I think most aware college students have had some sort of brush with bias – from either side. I went to a school that conventional opinion deems “conservative” because its faculty and students represent a range of ideologies closer to the national curve than the traditional, liberal-heavy university. We sort of lucked out in that regard.
Now that I’m at a UC, however, I can appreciate how difficult it must be for conservative students. It seemed my college professors – even the ragingest of the Republican ones – kept their own shit outta the class room and fostered an environment that encouraged dissent. At my UC, however, I frequently cringe along with my (few) conservative friends as they are routinely singled out for their views (‘hey, let’s ask Joe Bob the Republican what he things’ – a technique of generalizing often criticized when applied to ethinic, gender, or sexual orientation minorities). One-sided political jokes run more freely, professors insert snarky comments (which I usually like, in extra-classroom settings), and the campus demeanor is definitely more welcoming to the heavy libs than even the moderate conservatives.
The doc to which you linked here is selective in its presentation, I’m sure – though it’s certainly though-provoking. I think examples of heinous administrative behavior exist for both lib and conservative campus groups. Here in San Francisco, Democrats face just as big a chance of being heckled as Republicans, given the number of 3d party types. It’s all part of the fun – for me, at least. But I see others everyday who’d rather bury their politcal selves than be open for attack from any direction.