IN THIS heightened world of political correctness, where it is considered an abomination to speak negatively about almost every religious, political and social group, especially in academia, one bloc that is exempt from an overt extension of tolerance is conservatives. This trend is most noticeable in the academic world, including our University.
Granted, the University is one of the less liberal institutions of its caliber. Compared with its counterparts such as UC-Berkeley, arguably the most liberal university in the country, it is to an extent more conservative. But that isn't saying much.
Various conservative groups around Grounds constantly have to replace flyers that other individuals tear down only minutes after they have put them up. Where is the free speech in this?
Liberal sentiments that are far from even mainstream Democratic thought are constantly spewed by professors across the country. Harvard Professor Noel Ignatiev wrote in Harvard Magazine in 2002, "The goal of abolishing the white race is on its face so desirable that some may find it hard to believe that it could incur any opposition other than from committed white supremacists."
Duke University's philosophy chair Robert Brandon stated earlier this year, "If, as John Stuart Mill said, stupid people are generally conservative, then there are lots of conservatives we will never hire. Mill's analysis may [also] go some way towards explaining the power of the Republican Party in our society and the relative scarcity of Republicans in academia." Mill, who died in 1873, was not directing the previous comments at contemporary American conservatives.
While a recent survey by the Center for the Study of Popular Culture does indicate that only about 6 percent of Ivy League professors describe themselves as "somewhat conservative" and that the voter registration of professors confirms this tendency, I have a hard time believing that conservatives are all just a bunch of cave-dwelling Neanderthals who don't have the brain capacity to become scholars. Could it be that the majority tend to work in the private business sector or at academic think tanks?
Conservative icons are also bashed on a regular basis. One of my TAs painted Rush Limbaugh as a fundamental extremist, which is far from accurate, considering that Limbaugh commands an audience upwards of 20 million per week, is broadcasted in approximately 600 markets and has held the spot as the nation's top radio talk show host for nearly a decade. His audience is greater than all of the viewership of the cable news networks combined (CNN, Fox News and MSNBC). He must have some sliver of credibility if he garners the listenership of roughly three times the population of Virginia.
This widespread disconcerting reality has caught the attention of national and state lawmakers. The Colorado state legislature, along with nine other states, is considering the adoption of an Academic Bill of Rights, which would protect students from ideologically based discrimination, initiated due to student complaints about liberal bias among professors. The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce is also working on a comparable resolution.
A university is supposed to foster a free exchange of all ideas for developing minds to debate, contemplate and mull over various angles on a plethora of subjects. It is not supposed to stifle any point of view. That would be counterproductive to a university's purpose -- to educate students to think freely and be exposed to different perspectives, then come to a knowledgeable conclusion of their own position on an issue.
In his essay, "On Liberty," John Stuart Mill wrote, "We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavouring to stifle is a false opinion... Those who desire to suppress it... deny its truth; but they are not infallible."
The conservative viewpoint, whether one believes it to have merit, still deserves a mention on college campuses. It is not as if it represents some miniscule faction of society; the percentage of Republicans is just about even with the percentage of Democrats in the electorate.
Hearing both sides of an issue allows one to make an informed decision, and then, knowing the reasoning behind both positions, make an even stronger argument for that stance. If only one view is persistently voiced, and it is not challenged, as Mill surmised, "the meaning of the doctrine itself will be in danger of being lost..."
An inclusive dialogue will sharpen the minds of all. Ideological boundaries should not divide the quest for true scholarship. Professors should make a conscious effort to present both sides of the issues and encourage students to examine vigorously all viewpoints before embracing one.
Whitney Blake is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at wblake@cavalierdaily.com.
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