Indoctrinate University
Is there a place in the United States that will not allow free speech?
Sadly yes. They call them Universities.
See the film they don’t want you to see. See Indoctrinate U.
Speech codes. Censorship. Enforced political conformity. Hostility to diversity of opinion. Sensitivity training. We usually associate such things with the worst excesses of fascism and communism, not with the American universities that nurtured the free speech movement. But American higher education bears a disturbing resemblance to the totalitarian societies that are anathema to our nation’s ideal of liberty. Evan Coyne Maloney’s documentary film, Indoctrinate U, reveals the breathtaking institutional intolerance you won’t read about in the glossy marketing brochures of Harvard, Berkeley, Michigan, Yale, and hundreds of other American colleges and universities.
“When we think of going to college, we think of intellectual freedom. We imagine four years of exploring ideas through energetic, ongoing, critical thinking and debate,” Maloney said. “But the reality is very far from the ideal. What most of us don’t know is that American college students check their First Amendment rights and individual freedom at the door.”
June 4th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
The reviews are in:
“it’s going to leave a lot of people angry”
– Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit.com
“It’s a gripping hour-and-a-half, and the college administrators — and there are a lot of them — who call the cops on Evan rather than answer simple questions about matters of public record certainly give higher education a jackbooted-thug ambience. Even your dumber corporate PR people would know better, but they are used to a lot more public scrutiny than the folks who run colleges and universities.”
“I hope that the film gets a lot of attention. It certainly deserves it […]”
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“one of the most horrifying and hysterical documentaries I have ever seen”
– Ain’t It Cool News, On Brainwashing 101
“If any of the films shown at this festival are going to breakout and become huge mainstream hits, it’s either going to be Michael Moore Hates America or Brainwashing 101 [the short-form precursor to Indoctrinate U]. Directed by new, sharp-witted, gonzo-journalist Evan Maloney, 101 is an unbiased look at censorship and P.C. run amuck on college campuses. This is one of the most horrifying and hysterical documentaries I have ever seen.”
and much, much more
June 4th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
[…] people are talking about university indoctrination, but Smiley points out that you can’t be […]
June 5th, 2007 at 7:15 am
They are also checking their 2nd amendment rights at the door at most colleges and universities.
June 5th, 2007 at 9:20 am
Speech codes. Censorship. Enforced political conformity. Hostility to diversity of opinion. Sensitivity training.
Not only the worst excesses of fascism and communism, but the recipe for corporate America!
June 5th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
[…] I can neither agree with the position that Universities promote conformity because they are a Liberal tool of indoctrination nor the position that one simply chooses whether or not to be indoctrinated. The first can be […]
June 5th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Steven, your title for what I wrote is more than just a little misleading. You infer that what I wrote suggests a “Liberal Tool of Indoctrination”.
What I wrote was, “Is there a place in the United States that will not allow Free Speech? Sadly yes. They call them Universities.”
By silencing Free Speech and allowing only one position Universities do create an intellectual vacuum. However, your suggestion invokes a conspiracy from the University Administration which is not my point. Freedom of speech is protected by the U.S. Constitution. When University Administrators use their power to deny Free Speech do they do so because of ideological goals or because they simply lack the courage to allow both sides to speak?
How should people read your post? You begin the post with “Good for the right wing. They too, have figured out how to make the Michael Moore-style documentary.” Not much bias there. How open minded are you exactly? You post is another run of the mill apology basically dening that Universities deny Free Speech. You provide andecdotal examples to bolster your case but in the end you offer no real substance. While the Stalin touch is nice it is completely wasted and is a red herring.
When you write, “We need communities of people to help us work through the “invisisibles” of life that give what appears to us meaning, and those who have privileged access points in that world have the potential to abuse such things” all I can think of is that your entire post should be titled “It Takes a Village”.
Perhaps you should spend less time in the Ivory Tower and a little more time reading and understanding the Constition. There is no excuse for dening Free Speech on Univerty Campuses and in classrooms. I have to give your post an Incomplete. Bring it back when it’s finishded.
June 5th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Steven Maloney of the blog Cows and Graveyards has an interesting reply.
June 7th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Is there a place in the United States that will not allow free speech?
Lots of ’em. And if you put on an originalist / strict construction hat for a moment (which you libertarian types are supposed to like), you’ll see that speech is protected only from criminalization. As long as they don’t arrest you or fine you for what you say (or write), they’re well within their constitutional rights. You could probably even take it a step further and argue that as long as it’s not Congress authorizing the arresting/fining, it’s still constitutionally okay. Assuming, of course, you agree with Justice Thomas’ particular brand of originalism…
Move along, people, nothing to see.
(Of course, I don’t actually agree with what I just wrote, but then I’ve never claimed to be a originalist / strict constructionist, either…)