Diversity at University
Indoctrinate U is a documentary put together by Evan Coyne Maloney, of On the Fence Films. The basic premise of the film is that universities all over the United States have become ideologically and demographically skewed in a way that threatens the campus free speech movement that arose during the 1960s. In the interest of full disclosure, I am partial to this message because I myself experienced some discomfort due to my world view in college. That’s not to say that I felt persecuted or attacked (usually) for my conservative philosophy, but I definitely felt like I was in the minority and learned when to keep my mouth shut, or when I needed to parrot a professor in order to pass a class. So the film reflects my beliefs. In any event, I think that the film has a good, strong message that will be more than merely palatable to anyone who is interested in education reform. Especially in the area of ideological conformity.
Far from functioning as bastions of serious thought and reasoned debate, Maloney found, campuses today operate as mental processing plants, doing more to tell students what to say and think than to teach them to think for themselves.
Some of you may have read my thoughts on diversity earlier. It may have come across that I also dislike the victimhood mentality that is so prevalent in America today. I feel like the emphasis on diversity (meaning certain different belief systems, nationalities, and skin colors) on today’s college campuses has created a bizarre counterintuitive atmosphere where classes and study programs nurture and further the idea of victimhood, and simultaneously act as segregationist havens. This documentary nails that point on the head and hammers it home. Read on for a quick review.
Indoctrinate U takes a look at topics like affirmative action, racism, double standards, definitions of key jargon terms, selective application of ridiculous speech codes, real consequences to students who present unpopular ideas, the statistical shift in political leanings of academia, and some pretty outrageous hypocrisy. It champions the notion that schools should be a place where politics are left at the classroom door, and where students should be free to choose their own stances on issues. (This is not to say that students are brain-dead, zombies who accept everything that is handed to them. I’m proof of that, I’d like to believe.)
It shows unacceptable behavior, like administrations requiring new courses, including hard science classes like physics and chemistry to develop a better understanding of race and gender issues. It shows hypersensitivity taken to an incredible level, where posting the title of a book about free market economics can land you in hot water. It shows the prevailing thought processes and stereotypical beliefs that cause students and faculty alike to try to disarm or invalidate different points of view by labeling the speaker with a negatively loaded classification. Fascist, racist, homophobic, bigoted, backwards, Nazi, etc. come up time and time again. It makes one see the wisdom in Godwin’s Law on the internet.
“In math, if you get the answer wrong, it’s wrong! It’s not 4, it’s 5. In sociology, you get the answer wrong and you’re a bad person.” – Sukhmani Singh Khalsa
The film is also honest and quite funny at times. The students we see either give sarcastic, but revealing criticism of the state of affairs on campus in interviews, or are involved in one of many protests. Two students’ stories especially angered me. Steve Hinkle, who was harassed by his school’s administration for months for posting a flier to a speaking event, and Sukhmani Singh Khalsa, who was attacked by a student run activities board for criticizing the lack of diversity in the roster of speakers that they brought to campus using fees. Both certainly seemed to have good heads on their shoulders.
“Nobody has a right to not be offended.” – Steve Hinkle
The attempt to curtail free speech on college campuses go so far as to apply even when the speaker….isn’t speaking about their beliefs at all. The story of a female professor whose husband was “outed” as a conservative is shocking. In short, she was removed as the head of the department, shuffled from office to office, and told she would never have been hired if people had know – and yet she was the highest rated professor in the department at the time. Legal action was the last resort, but for some it is the only way to pull out of the tailspin.
The interesting thing is that harassment like the story I just mentioned is not considered harassment. Rather, harassment has a subtly shifting definition that encompasses being offended by something which was not even intended to target you. When the existence of other ideas is offensive, I’d agree with Mr. Maloney that we have a big problem. When opposing ideologies meet, two things can happen. They can talk about it in a good, healthy debate, or one party can attempt to silence the other and remove the opposition entirely. I’m all for the debate.
Anyway, I’ve said my piece. It comes down to this: I think that college campuses in the States are places where people should be taught how to do, not how to think; how to analyze, not what the answer is; and how to express their opinions clearly, not how to be a “good” American. If you fear that your personal life, history, beliefs, or philosophy will negatively impact your grades, things still aren’t right. But, in the famous words of LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow, “Don’t take my word for it.”
The film is being sold online as a download (Mac and PC compatible) for about 10 bucks at the official site. I bought a copy after seeing the copy they sent me for review.It’s worth it. 
Customary Drivel, Media, Politics, Unsolicited Commentary, Video
