Draining the Education Swamp

PROGRESSIVES CONTINUE CAMPAIGNING LONG AFTER ELECTIONS CONCLUDE, by Frank Vernuccio, 12/23/16

Hollywood has a firm ally in academia. As noted in Mark Davis’ study, “Upside Down,”

“A degraded education system and a poisoned culture make millions of Americans easy targets for indoctrination by the Left. A morally and intellectually malnourished generation soaks up liberal platitudes from television, on the internet, and the classroom.”

The stunning acts of academia’s sheer outrage against the results of the 2016 election, which proved a major disappointment to Progressives, are numerous. Consider the following examples: A CBS affiliate in Boston  reports that the Hampshire College Board of Trustees made a “decision to lower the U.S. flag on campus to half-staff in the wake of the presidential election–and then decided to remove the flag entirely after a wave of backlash.”

WND  noted that the Campus Reform publication found that Professors at the University of New Hampshire are calling for the expulsion of two students who counter protested an anti-Trump rally… While students were being harassed on some campuses for supporting the results of a fair election, other campuses were doubling down on their support for leftist extremism. The New York Times found that Progressive radical Cornel West is returning to teach at Harvard. West is renowned for making statements such as this quote from Open Democracy ‘The American Empire is more ripe for a counter-revolution. This is so primarily because of the deep xenophobic roots in the country and profound militaristic sentiments in the culture. Hence, progressive social momentums and chaotic social rebellions are more likely to reshape our priorities and gain some concessions from greedy elites and callous citizens.’

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has urged that “alumni and trustees of private colleges and universities organize committees for American education. They should insist that their schools require courses be taught without the usual extreme leftist bias of most professors, and that every one of their students graduates with a firm grounding in American history.” The former speaker’s advice is worthwhile, but the reality is the bias begins even before college.

Some high school teachers have inappropriately drafted their students into left-wing causes. The New York Post found that a group of maverick history teachers at elite Beacon HS in Manhattan let their kids skip class Tuesday to join a Trump Tower protest…Roughly 200 kids from the Hell’s Kitchen public school were granted hooky passes at 11 a.m. and joined students from across the city to disparage The Donald…Beacon parents were never alerted and only found out about the impromptu field trip from their kids, according to sources…Chancellor Carmen Fariña sent a sympathetic note to teachers and administrators Monday. ‘The outcome of the presidential election has left many youth and adult members of our community feeling confused or anxious,” Fariña said. “Undocumented immigrants and their families, LGBTQ students and staff, Muslims, and members of other religious, racial, or ethnic groups may be feeling particularly vulnerable during this time.”

Centrist and conservative Americans tend to reduce the level of their attention, time and energy directed towards political endeavors following the conclusion of the election cycle, whether they win or lose.  Their progressive counterparts, however, through popular culture and education, recognize no such cease-fire. As a result of decades of skillful manipulation of public opinion through entertainment and education, many Americans, particularly the young, have had an inadequate grounding in any opinions, arguments or facts other than what they have gleaned from left-leaning professors and performers.

The situation is growing even more one-sided as many social media giants increasingly seek to minimize any material that doesn’t subscribe to progressive orthodoxy. The opportunity to reach substantial portions of the public who have had only limited exposure to a broader range of opinion is becoming quite limited. Unless centrists and conservatives grasp that far more is required than just engaging in periodic political campaigns, the United States will become a far different nation, one with a culture and a set of beliefs substantially different from what they prefer.

Originally published on New York Analysis of Policy and Government.

http://affluentinvestor.com/2016/12/progressives-continue-campaigning-long-elections-conclude/