JEDEDIAH: FORMER NEW YORK TIMES
OPINION EDITOR BARRY WISE WEISS
INVESTIGATING.
WILL: SHE WRITES THE MOST
IMPORTANT CONSEQUENCE OF THE
WOKE IDEOLOGY ISN’T A LESSER
ENGLISH CURRICULUM, IT’S THAT
THE IDEOLOGY CHANGED CHILDREN’S
SELF CONCEPTION.
ROBERT GEORGE IS A FOUNDING
MEMBER OF THE ACME ACADEMIC FREE
ALLIANCE AND JOINS US NOW.
WE’RE GOING TO GET TO THAT
ALLIANCE IN A MOMENT.
IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT.
BUT LET ME READ ONE MORE PORTION
OF THE OP-ED AND GET YOUR
RESPONSE.
SHE SAID CHILDREN LEARN HOW THE
NEW RULES OF THE WOKE WORK.
THE IDEA OF LYING IN ORDER TO
PLEASE A TEACHER SEEMS LIKE A
PHENOMENON FROM THE SOWF SOVIET
UNION.
THE HIGH SCHOOLERS SAY THEY DO
VERSIONS OF THIS INCLUDING
PARROTING VIEWS THAT THEY DON’T
AGREE IN ASSIGNMENTS SO THEIR
GRADES DON’T SUFFER.
IS THIS SOMETHING WE SEE?
>> IT’S SOMETHING WE SEE AND
IT’S SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE
DEEPLY, DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT.
THERE IS ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN
THE WORLD BETWEEN EDUCATION AND
INDOCTRINATION.
INDOCTRINATION IS THE VERY
ANTI-THESIS OF EDUCATION.
THAT’S WHAT SHE HAS PUT HER
FINGER ON.
SOME OF THE BEST SCHOOLS IN THE
NATION, BOTH PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND
PRIVATE SCHOOLS, THE MOST ELITE
PRIVATE SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY THE
MOST ELITE PRIVATE SCHOOLS,
STUDENTS ARE FORBIDEN FROM
SAYING WHAT THEY TRULY BELIEVE,
EITHER FORMALLY OR BY INFORMAL
PRESSURE BY PEERS AND TEACHERS
AND A SOMETIMES THEY’RE FORCED
TO SAY THINGS THEY DON’T
BELIEVE.
WELL, THIS IS SIMPLY NOT
EDUCATION.
FOR EDUCATION TO OCCUR WE NEED
AN ATMOSPHERE OF FREEDOM, NOT AN
ATMOSPHERE OF FEAR AND
INTOLERANCE.
JEDEDIAH: I WORKED IN ONE OF
THOSE ELITE PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND
IT WAS MIND-BLOWING SOME OF WHAT
I SAW UP CLOSE, VERY MUCH
MIRRORS WHAT BARRY WEISS IS
EXPRESSING.
YOU’VE BEEN TEACHING AT
PRINCETON FOR 36 YEARS.
SO WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN
COLLEGE CLASSROOMS?
ARE YOU SEEING THE SAME
PHENOMENON BLEED OVER FROM HIGH
SCHOOL TO COLLEGE?
>> WE ARE.
INDEED, STUDENTS ARE COMING IN
NOWADAYS SEEING THIS IN THE LAST
FIVE YEARS, REALLY, IN VERY MANY
CASES WITH THEIR HEADS STUFFED
FILL WITH IDEOLOGY.
THEY’RE NOT CONSIDERING OR EVEN
INTERESTED IN CONSIDERING THE
BEST THAT IS TO BE SAID ON THE
COMPETING SIDES OF THE QUESTIONS
WHICH IS THE ESSENCE OF
EDUCATION, CONSIDERING THE
ARGUMENTS ON THE COMPETING SIDES
AND PART OF THE JOB NOW OF A
UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR WHICH HAS
ALWAYS BEEN PART OF THE JOB BUT
IT’S MORE URGENT NOW IS TO OPEN
STUDENTS’ MINDS.
THE TROUBLE IS A LOT OF STUDENTS
ARE ENGAGING IN SELF CENSORSHIP.
EVEN WHEN THEY BEGIN IN THEIR
HEARTS AND MINDS TO QUESTION THE
ESTABLISHEDESTABLISH ORTHODOXY’S
THE FUNDAMENTALIST RELIGION,
WHEN THEY BEGIN TO QUESTION THEY
FEAR SAYING OUT LOUD WHAT
THEY’RE BELIEVING IN THEIR MINDS
AND HEARTS AND THAT KIND OF SELF
CENSORSHIP IS EXTREMELY DAMAGING
TO EDUCATION.
PETE: THE SELF-CENSORSHIP MIGHT
BE THE END OF THE LINE FOR
CENSORSHIP, BUT OTHER STUDENTS
ARE LOOKING TO CENSOR OTHER
PEOPLE, INCLUDING PROFESSORS, A
PROFESSOR SURROUNDED BY STUDENTS
BEING HECKLED AND MANY ARE
LOSING THEIR JOBS OVER THESE
SORT OF MOB OUTRAGE INCIDENTS.
YOU’RE WORKING ON THE ACADEMIC
FREEDOM ALLIANCE WHICH IS HOPING
TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESISH ZEUS
THE ACADEMIC FREEDOM ALLIANCE
WHICH LAUNCHED THIS WEEK AND I’M
VERY EXCITED ABOUT BEGINS WITH
200 PROFESSORS FROM UNIVERSITIES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND OF ALL
DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW FROM
THE LEFT TO THE CENTER TO THE
RIGHT, PROFESSORS WHO ARE JOINED
TOGETHER BELIEVING WE’VE GOT TO
DO SOMETHING TO FIGHT BACK
AGAINST THIS CLIMATE OF FEAR AND
INTOLERANCE WHICH IS UNDERMINING
THE MISSION OF UNIVERSITY AS
SCHOLARLY AND TEACHING
INSTITUTIONS AND WHAT WE’RE
DOING IS VOWING TO FIGHT WITH
EACH OTHER, TO STAND WITH EACH
OTHER, TO TREAT AN ATTACK ON ONE
AS AN ATTACK ON ALL NOT ONLY OF
FOR THE SAFETY OF OURSELVES AS
INDIVIDUAL PROFESSORS WHO NEED
TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK OUR MINDS
AND TEACH AS WE SEE HIT FIT IN T
CLASSROOM BUT ALSO FOR THE SAKE
OF EDUCATION AS A WHOLE.
PETE: IMAGINE THAT, PROFESSORS
HAVING TO FIGHT TO PROFESS.
THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE DOING, FULL
CONFESSION, A PROFESSOR OF MINE
AT PRESCRIPTION TON AND ONE OF
THE -- PRINCETON AND ONE OF THE