The Pride Of The Academy
Well, they’re at it again.
In just the latest example of devoted leftists trying to persuade Americans of their point of view by silencing their opponents, professors at Duke University led a contingent of about twenty in an attempt to drown out and disrupt conservative speaker David Horowitz as he delivered a speech on campus to a gathered crowd of around 800 this past Tuesday.
Of course, what this motley crew actually did to try to disrupt the address – first laughing derisively as Mr. Horowitz began to speak, and then shouting rebukes at him – was actually plan B. What Diane Nelson, Director of Undergraduate Studies and a professor of “Cultural Anthropology” originally wanted the group to do in order to disrupt the assembly was to disrobe to the waist during Mr. Horowitz’s speech.
But it’s not as though she wanted to be obscene about it, mind you. She did suggest that the females in the group wear jogging bras for the occasion. The males, of course, would be wearing nothing. Ironically, it was the students who were to take part who had to play the part of the “more mature” players and express discomfort with stripping off their shirts in public.
Does this story even need any more commentary?
Perhaps not, but it’s worth noting once again that those who are supposed to be the “intellectual elite” are the very ones who don’t seem to posses the intellect to fashion a coherent and persuasive argument against what conservatives are saying. Thus, the reliance on disruption and silencing as debate tactics.
Oh, and did they succeed in silencing Mr. Horowitz? Not in the least.
Did they succeed in convincing the crowd that Mr. Horowitz and his conservative ideological soulmates are ignorant hayseeds who shouldn’t be allowed to be seen, much less be heard, in public? Apparently not. When Mr. Horowitz responded to their shouts by asking them from the podium, “Didn’t your mother teach you manners?,” the 800 or so others who were there wanting to hear him responded with an ovation.
I’m pretty sure that, at one time, those who made their careers in academia were held in fairly high esteem for their learning and devotion to seeking and disseminating knowledge. Back in those days, the views of those in this field would, justifiably, carry a great deal of weight, because those views would be articulately expressed. Nowadays, the academy is looking more and more like a place where intellectual deadbeats want to hunker down in order to avoid having to produce anything useful for society while still drawing a paycheck. Not surprisingly, a career in this field no longer carries much prestige, nor the views of those in the field much weight – with certain exceptions, on both sides of the aisle, of course.
If silliness like this were actually succeeding in winning over people to their side of any issue, behavior like this would be legitimately worrisome to conservatives. As it is, however, the continued attempts on the part of howling-at-the-moon leftists like this only further enhance the image of those of us on the right as more rational in our approach to public debate (When did you last hear of conservatives pulling a stunt like this?). So conservatives can feel perfectly comfortable in issuing a blanket invitation to any liberals who want to join in the parade of silliness and let the public see their true nature as well as the weight of their arguments.
Oh, and by all means, let them name the names of the candidates and party they support in the upcoming, and any other, elections as well. You know as well as I do what party and candidates this would be, don’t you?
In just the latest example of devoted leftists trying to persuade Americans of their point of view by silencing their opponents, professors at Duke University led a contingent of about twenty in an attempt to drown out and disrupt conservative speaker David Horowitz as he delivered a speech on campus to a gathered crowd of around 800 this past Tuesday.
Of course, what this motley crew actually did to try to disrupt the address – first laughing derisively as Mr. Horowitz began to speak, and then shouting rebukes at him – was actually plan B. What Diane Nelson, Director of Undergraduate Studies and a professor of “Cultural Anthropology” originally wanted the group to do in order to disrupt the assembly was to disrobe to the waist during Mr. Horowitz’s speech.
But it’s not as though she wanted to be obscene about it, mind you. She did suggest that the females in the group wear jogging bras for the occasion. The males, of course, would be wearing nothing. Ironically, it was the students who were to take part who had to play the part of the “more mature” players and express discomfort with stripping off their shirts in public.
Does this story even need any more commentary?
Perhaps not, but it’s worth noting once again that those who are supposed to be the “intellectual elite” are the very ones who don’t seem to posses the intellect to fashion a coherent and persuasive argument against what conservatives are saying. Thus, the reliance on disruption and silencing as debate tactics.
Oh, and did they succeed in silencing Mr. Horowitz? Not in the least.
Did they succeed in convincing the crowd that Mr. Horowitz and his conservative ideological soulmates are ignorant hayseeds who shouldn’t be allowed to be seen, much less be heard, in public? Apparently not. When Mr. Horowitz responded to their shouts by asking them from the podium, “Didn’t your mother teach you manners?,” the 800 or so others who were there wanting to hear him responded with an ovation.
I’m pretty sure that, at one time, those who made their careers in academia were held in fairly high esteem for their learning and devotion to seeking and disseminating knowledge. Back in those days, the views of those in this field would, justifiably, carry a great deal of weight, because those views would be articulately expressed. Nowadays, the academy is looking more and more like a place where intellectual deadbeats want to hunker down in order to avoid having to produce anything useful for society while still drawing a paycheck. Not surprisingly, a career in this field no longer carries much prestige, nor the views of those in the field much weight – with certain exceptions, on both sides of the aisle, of course.
If silliness like this were actually succeeding in winning over people to their side of any issue, behavior like this would be legitimately worrisome to conservatives. As it is, however, the continued attempts on the part of howling-at-the-moon leftists like this only further enhance the image of those of us on the right as more rational in our approach to public debate (When did you last hear of conservatives pulling a stunt like this?). So conservatives can feel perfectly comfortable in issuing a blanket invitation to any liberals who want to join in the parade of silliness and let the public see their true nature as well as the weight of their arguments.
Oh, and by all means, let them name the names of the candidates and party they support in the upcoming, and any other, elections as well. You know as well as I do what party and candidates this would be, don’t you?
posted by JeffreyH | 12:19 PM
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