Scott Tibbs



The Left's war against education

By Scott Tibbs, March 23, 2022

The most glaring thing about "woke" ideology, especially on college campuses, is the open hostility to intellectual curiosity. "Woke" Leftists refuse to learn about opposing viewpoints, and they are determined to prevent anyone else from learning about these "offensive" things. That is why they shout down speakers. In the most extreme cases, they riot in order to silence anyone who has "offensive" opinions.

"Woke" ideology is better described as a theology. This perfectly explains why there is no tolerance for dissent. Speakers, books, podcasts (and other forms of media) that are "offensive" to a minority group are not just wrong, they are heresy. Since "offensive" content is heresy, "woke" Leftists believe it must be silenced to please their "god." Do not be fooled: This is not about justice or protecting the weak. This is about a religious jihad against heresy and blasphemy. The "blasphemy laws" we have today are about the god of Political Correctness.

As an example of this religious purge, see how many students are afraid to express their true opinions for fear of retaliation. This sounds like something out of the Soviet Union:
Another friend shuts his bedroom door when I mention a lecture defending Thomas Jefferson from contemporary criticism. His roommate might hear us, he explains.
Imagine being afraid to speak your mind in a private conversation because someone might hear you. While we have seen legal victories against campus speech codes, that doesn't help someone being targeted by an angry mob. And the culture of free speech is indeed important.

But there is something much deeper and more sinister at work here, and it goes well beyond hurt feelings. This is an attack on education itself. When legal adults are unable to handle opposing viewpoints without becoming unhinged and trying to silence those opinions, it erases the entire purpose of education. You go to college expecting to learn, but these so-called "students" are adamantly opposed to learning anything that challenges their worldview. Like I said above, this is much more of a theological belief than a political one.

College administrators have been feeding this beast for generations. They have implemented speech codes and free speech zones, and investigated people for "offensive" speech that is protected by the First Amendment. By doing so, they have encouraged the notion that hurt feelings supersedes free speech. They could have taken a stand in the 1970s and 1980s and told malcontents that they are at college to learn. They should have said this 40 years ago: "If you cannot handle opinions that dissent from your world view, maybe you are not ready to enroll in higher education. We will not silence or punish anyone to soothe your hurt feelings."

As we have seen from the radicalism of "woke" corporations, this does not stay on college campuses. This bleeds into the culture at large. As I warned back in January, the attack on free speech and the denigration of education itself will not be confined to the culture. It will eventually lead to weakening and then destroying the First Amendment itself. The only way to preserve liberty for our children is to fight back now.



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