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posted by CoolHand on Monday August 29 2016, @01:42AM   Printer-friendly
from the it-takes-all-kinds dept.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/opinion/sunday/a-confession-of-liberal-intolerance.html?_r=0

WE progressives believe in diversity, and we want women, blacks, Latinos, gays and Muslims at the table — er, so long as they aren't conservatives. Universities are the bedrock of progressive values, but the one kind of diversity that universities disregard is ideological and religious. We're fine with people who don't look like us, as long as they think like us.

O.K., that's a little harsh. But consider George Yancey, a sociologist who is black and evangelical. "Outside of academia I faced more problems as a black," he told me. "But inside academia I face more problems as a Christian, and it is not even close."

I've been thinking about this because on Facebook recently I wondered aloud whether universities stigmatize conservatives and undermine intellectual diversity. The scornful reaction from my fellow liberals proved the point.

"Much of the 'conservative' worldview consists of ideas that are known empirically to be false," said Carmi. "The truth has a liberal slant," wrote Michelle. "Why stop there?" asked Steven. "How about we make faculties more diverse by hiring idiots?"

To me, the conversation illuminated primarily liberal arrogance — the implication that conservatives don't have anything significant to add to the discussion. My Facebook followers have incredible compassion for war victims in South Sudan, for kids who have been trafficked, even for abused chickens, but no obvious empathy for conservative scholars facing discrimination.

The stakes involve not just fairness to conservatives or evangelical Christians, not just whether progressives will be true to their own values, not just the benefits that come from diversity (and diversity of thought is arguably among the most important kinds), but also the quality of education itself. When perspectives are unrepresented in discussions, when some kinds of thinkers aren't at the table, classrooms become echo chambers rather than sounding boards — and we all lose.


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 29 2016, @04:05AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 29 2016, @04:05AM (#394444)

    Honestly, I'm more libertarian leaning than anything else.. I thought the summary raised a few good issues that would be interesting to discuss from an academic perspective and to see at least how different viewpoints can be heard, regardless of how one feels about them personally.

    I really didn't expect the outright hostility and downright aggressively unwelcoming tone in the comments, and it has opened my eyes to the fact that the poster here might actually be on to something. I'll look into this some more, as it actually dovetails with some of the research I'm doing..

    Anyways, thank you for the thoughts, I won't bother trying to have a conversation/debate, as none seems to be wanted...? (honestly, i don't really have a dog in this fight, i just wanted to talk about the issue), but wanted to than the submitter for the direction to look in.

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  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 29 2016, @04:46AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 29 2016, @04:46AM (#394463)

    honestly, i don't really have a dog in this fight, i just wanted to talk about the issue), but wanted to than the submitter for the direction to look in.

    Listen here, young man! We will have no thanning of submitters on this site! Take your ungodly perverse lust somewhere else!!!

  • (Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 29 2016, @07:16AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 29 2016, @07:16AM (#394510)

    I really didn't expect the outright hostility and downright aggressively unwelcoming tone in the comments, and it has opened my eyes to the fact that the poster here might actually be on to something.

    Sure. Or it might open your eyes to the poster's posting history in which he has regularly revealed himself to be dogmatic and unreasoning. No one who knows the guy can see this story as anything more than a passive-aggressive dig at people he considers his cultural enemies. The article itself is over 3 months old, which means he didn't happen across it while perusing the latest news. It was forwarded to him from someone else in his bubble as a "see, even liberals think liberals are phony hypocrites!"

    • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday August 29 2016, @12:41PM

      Which does not remotely preclude him or the author of TFA from being 100% correct. "I hate you so will disagree with anything you say" is about as far from rational thought as anyone you complain about on the other side.

      --
      My rights don't end where your fear begins.
    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday August 29 2016, @02:34PM

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday August 29 2016, @02:34PM (#394711) Journal

      I got your passive-aggressive swinging. Proggies, liberals, SJW's all know that passive-aggressive routine. They've studied it since puberty. Don't accuse me of being like you.

      There is nothing passive-aggressive about the post, or the article. It flat out states that liberals are closed minded, intolerant asses.

      Now, get off my lawn.