Blog
As usual, liberals dominate college commencement addresses
May 24, 2017
Lest anyone remain unsure of the political polarization expertly nurtured and promulgated by the left in the wake of the Trump victory, look no farther than America’s colleges and universities. Lauded as incubators of free speech and expression since the 1960s, campuses across the nation are failing to promote diverse opinions when viewpoints are conservative. An excellent case in point is U.C. Berkeley.
Widely regarded as the birthplace of the free speech movement, recent high-profile attempts to silence controversial ideas highlight just how narrow-minded higher education has become. In February, U.C. Berkeley had to cancel an appearance by right-wing commentator and Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos after 150 masked agitators violently protested and caused $100,000 in damage. Last month, U.C. Berkeley canceled an appearance by well known author and commentator Ann Coulter over fears of potentially violent protest and forced College Republicans to cancel an appearance by conservative writer David Horowitz.
Sadly, the “Free Speech” movement at Berkeley in the Sixties was not really about free speech, but about publicizing left-wing causes. As usual, when the left perceives it has little power in society, it champions “free speech,” but when it holds power, the left’s jackboot comes down hard on anyone who would disagree with them. By cancelling conservative speech out of fears of violence by the left, administrations are not only cravenly knuckling under to bullies, they are acting as the agents of those who want to silence any opposition. This action teaches students that violence trumps law, stifles intellectual growth, and denies young people a precious period of self-exploration and maturation–a time that will never come again–for the sake of a favored cause.