Root Causes of Anger Against Anti-American College Faculty

INSIGHT magazine ^ | October 26, 2001 | Alan L. Anderson

[Stand Watch Listen]

A professor at a New Mexico university tells his class, "Anyone who blows up the Pentagon has my vote," and finds himself the target of death threats. A professor at a Texas university expresses similar sympathies for the murderers of Sept. 11 and is similarly targeted. Finally, a college senior at Emory University in Atlanta burns an American flag and is violently assaulted by two fellow students. I — along with most Americans, I’m sure — condemn these acts of violence and intimidation directed toward the America-hating radicals on our college campuses in the strongest terms possible and agree the perpetrators of these acts should be hunted down and dealt with appropriately.

And yet ...

Should we be satisfied with such a simplistic response to violence directed against our campus radicals? Should we be so quick to judge those who commit acts of violence against them with such stark, black-and-white arguments as "people have a right to free speech regardless of how stupid said speech might be?"

Shouldn’t we, instead, at least try to understand what prompts these people who love their country to violence against those who don’t? Put simply, shouldn’t we go beyond such pre-postmodern modes of thinking and examine the root causes of terrorism directed toward our campus radicals?

I think we should.

Consider, for example, the two students at Emory University, who allegedly (only allegedly, mind you) beat the stuffing out of another student for burning a flag on a student-run radio show. Let us consider the world in which these two students live.

The modern American university is the most totalitarian and elitist institution in the world. Students who show up on campus loving their country face a monolithic, repressive environment. Professors are undemocratically chosen by other, like-minded professors and tenure is distributed based solely on the willingness of the scholar to adopt the anti-American theology of the ruling elites. This authoritarian structure continues once the student enters the classroom, where America-hating professors can arbitrarily impose their anti-American morality on powerless students through grading.

The oppression continues when one looks at the curriculum where strenuous efforts by the anti-American leftists who brutally control college campuses have successfully marginalized and often eliminated course offerings which evince a sensitivity and acceptance of those who love their country.

Moreover, out of the classroom the student who loves his country finds himself similarly oppressed and isolated. Most college campuses have no American Student Centers where like-minded patriots can gather and offer each other support and celebrate their diversity within the wonderful mosaic that is American life.

Should we be surprised that, given such a repressive environment, students would give up on peaceful expression and turn to violence? Indeed, the flag-burner burned the flag on a campus radio station — the propaganda arm of the anti-American university faculty and administration. The two students who pummeled the flag-burner rightly recognized his appearance on the radio show to burn the flag as yet another provocation by the dictatorial university faculty and administration and viewed the student who burned the flag as nothing but a pawn of the ruling elites. Thus, shouldn’t we hold the university, itself, partly responsible for this violence.

Finally, consider the fascistic response of Emory University, the institution at which this incident occurred. Rather than sensitively dialoguing with the two students to ascertain the feelings and emotions which led them to commit their act of violence and make note of the act of the flag-burner who actually was the symbolic cause of their violence, the university instead immediately called in both its own gestapo (the campus police) and even police from the city of Atlanta. Obviously, the administration has made it clear it will crush any dissent from those who disagree with its anti-American orthodoxy — thus escalating the cycle of violence and assuring more violence in the future.

So, then, now that we understand the root causes of violence directed against anti-American radicals on our campus, what is to be done?

Well, there are a number of things that could be done. We just need to be creative here.

For example, perhaps university administrations around the country should require that every classroom display an American flag and that each class begin with a rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by singing "God Bless America." Moreover, the universities should make this compulsory, for only then will patriots on our college campuses feel they are truly accepted and loved by their anti-American counterparts. No one should be allowed to express his or her disapproval of patriotism for to do so would be, well, insensitive.

Second, a series of teach-ins must be held, funded by the universities, designed to educate the anti-Americans at their college campuses on the lifestyle choice of the patriot. Selected speakers such as William F. Buckley Jr., George Will, Paul Gigot and other noted writers and thinkers known to love their country must be allowed to speak unopposed. Again, attendance at these teach-ins should be mandatory and the assembled anti-American faculty and students should be required to remain silent during the speeches so that they truly may understand just what it’s like to be a patriot on America’s college campuses.

Tenure, of course, must be eliminated and professors should only keep their jobs after students vote their approval. Finally, a large number of new courses such as "The Religious Views of Jerry Falwell" and "The Economic and Political Theories of Frederick von Hayek" need to be added to the curriculum so that patriots of all, diverse stripes will be made to feel welcome on our college campuses. New faculty must be brought in to teach these courses. Retired generals, for example, would be a good pool from which efforts to recruit faculty could be made.

Of course, all of this will cost money. Just to begin, I suggest the salaries of the tenured radicals be cut by 50 percent so as to free up funds for these projects. Certainly, since they often have preached in the past against materialism, this will be one proposal they’ll readily accept once they recognize that only by sharing their power can they truly hope to live in peace.

And if they don’t accept these and other proposals to make our college campuses safe and secure for patriots? Well, then, I guess some protests are in order — peaceful, of course. Let none of us start by quoting the Maoist maxim so many of the anti-Americans live by, "In order to put down the gun one must pick up the gun." That would be wrong.

Instead, let us resurrect the green peace symbol of the late 1960s and burn it. Let us organize sit-ins to block the classrooms of the anti-American professors. Let us throw pigs’ blood on the steps of the administration buildings. In short, let us utilize every strategy they developed in the 1960s to attain their power until they cave to our demands.

Or we could just go back to the pre-postmodern standard which holds that "people have a right to free speech regardless of how stupid said speech might be" and just prosecute those who perpetrate violence against those who exercise this right. Perhaps the peace-loving, postmodern, anti-American radicals who control our college campuses would like to decide this one.

Alan L. Anderson writes on politics and culture from Roanoke, Ill.

[Sabertooth]

LMAO bump.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"Instead, let us resurrect the green peace symbol of the late 1960s and burn it. Let us organize sit-ins to block the classrooms of the anti-American professors. Let us throw pigs’ blood on the steps of the administration buildings. In short, let us utilize every strategy they developed in the 1960s to attain their power until they cave to our demands."

I still remember the anti-war protests that I saw daily in Chicago in 1969 when I returned home.
My 1st job after I got out was in downtown Chicago
and I worked directly across the street from the "Chicago Seven" trial, i.e. Abby Hoffman, Tom Hayden, etc.
And just a few blocks away were the daily "anti-war" protests at Dailey Plaza.
BUT THIS TIME AROUND THE MAJORITY OF THE USA IS ON THE CORRECT SIDE!
Our service people WILL NOT suffer the scorn and ridicule that we as Viet Nam Vets did.
So it is I who am so thankful for all that stand up and proudly wave the American Flag
in front of this new generation of traitors.

[Marak]

ROFL Ya gotta love it!

[RLK]

I — along with most Americans, I’m sure — condemn these acts of violence and intimidation directed toward the America-hating radicals on our college campuses in the strongest terms possible and agree the perpetrators of these acts should be hunted down and dealt with appropriately.

---------------------------------

I, unlike most referred-to Americans, don't condemn such acts. There are some actions so intentionally provocative that a physically hostile action is the only reasonable reaction from healthy individuals. This was encoded into law and was an assumed doctrine until recently. In Black's law dictionary it is explained under "Fighting words."

[Snow Bunny]

ROTFLM fanny off. These socialists commies will never learn, They live in Freedom ,they did not fight for nor support , and then abuse it everyday of their miserable lives.

[FReethesheeples]

The question supplies its own answer.

I hate them because they are anti-American.

[mdittmar]

The a$$holes should be arrested for "Inciting a riot".

These statements are obviously meant to enflame and are not "free speech".

[Enlightiator]

LOLOL, great wit there, Alan.

[EricT.]

When you spit on a good-ol'-boy and call his mama names, you best be ready for an @$$whoopin'. What these anti-American idiots were doing was no different. Maybe it's healthy for the academia nuts to get their cages rattled. It might wake a few up to reality.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

The modern American university is the most totalitarian and elitist institution in the world.

Muahhahahahahahhahaha...aint it the truth...

[Victoria Delsoul]

Instead, let us resurrect the green peace symbol of the late 1960s and burn it. Let us organize sit-ins to block the classrooms of the anti-American professors. Let us throw pigs’ blood on the steps of the administration buildings. In short, let us utilize every strategy they developed in the 1960s to attain their power until they cave to our demands.

LOL! pretty good!

[BigJohn44]

Extraordinary and gripping humor and sarcasm. Just plain excellent.

The ivory tower professorate is radical and out of step with society so that someone will pay attention. Otherwise, the bespecled, sanctimonious weasels who "teach" at universities would have no relevance at all.

[onyx]

Strip all professors of tenure.

[xm177e2]

This is a great satire.

The next piece I'm waiting for is "Muslims have to understand why they are so hated by the world"

[Cold Heat]

Bump-o-outstanding!

[fini]

I'm saving this article!

[calebcar]

A professor at a New Mexico university tells his class, "Anyone who blows up the Pentagon has my vote," and finds himself the target of death threats. A professor at a Texas university expresses similar sympathies for the murderers of Sept. 11 and is similarly targeted.

Bad tactics. Didnt these people read The Godfather. Never threaten.

[Joe Boucher]

Shakespere was wrong. When the Taliban took control the first thing they did was hunt down and kill all the college professors. NOw in some cases I could agree with that.