Dhimmitude at Stanford University
Stanford Review reporter Tristan Abbey has an in-depth investigative piece on how his university quashed speaking invitations to Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (before he became Pope). It’s a maddening, emblematic look at the reign of p.c. and dhimmitude in the ivory tower–and reconfirmation of The Diversity Myth exposed at Stanford 12 years ago by David Sacks and Peter Thiel. The more things change…
he wind of freedom blows, our university motto declares, but perhaps only until someone gets offended.
A three-month investigation by the Stanford Review has discovered that university organizations declined to invite two high-profile intellectuals—Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before his inauguration as Pope Benedict XVI—after consultation with faculty and students who objected to their views.
The thinkBIG Conference considered inviting Hirsi Ali, the Somali-born Dutch feminist critic of Islam, to speak on the subject of “Violence Against Women.” Conference organizers sought the advice of the Muslim Student Awareness Network (MSAN), which advised against the invitation. The conference nixed the invite shortly thereafter.
A conference representative confirmed off the record that thinkBIG was trying to avoid “controversy” by not inviting Hirsi Ali. On the record, thinkBIG denied that pressure from MSAN killed the idea.
This is the second time in as many years that an invitation to Hirsi Ali has been nixed. The Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies considered inviting her in 2006, but decided against it, citing security and speaker costs.
During 2000-01, the head of the Stanford Presidential Lectures on the Humanities and Arts suggested inviting Cardinal Ratzinger. Opposition arose from “liberal Catholic quarters,” according to one senior faculty member, and the idea was dropped.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the professor said that these were examples “of a speaker who counts as ‘conservative’ whose invitation was aborted.”
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Let me get this straight, It’s a controversy to talk against the abuse of women? It’s attitudes like that that have O.J. walking our streets.
Academics truly think they are smarter than the rest of us. Those people are the easiest to fool.
Lets not let someone speak out against this scum just turn a blind eye, oh then be surprised when it happens in you’re neighborhood and scream foul.
Woman are Gods greatest and most beautiful creation on earth and should be protected vigilantly.
I wonder what Hillary would have to say about this…
“thinkSCARED”
Hillary, all those women are lying. My Husband didn’t sexually assault any of the accusers.”
OT-
OK, Enough, I sure wish it was Michelle going up against KP, the replacement may be a swell gal she’s cute, possibly smart but please we need you in there Michelle to put things right. I dont really mean this direspectful but a candy stripers view just doesnt cut the mustard. I’m sad the way all that BS turned out and am totally on you’re side but you are sorely missed on those segments.
Maybe Stanford should “put some ice on that”…
They should put “Catholic” in quotes because there is no such thing as a “liberal Catholic.” Liberal “Catholics” usually are those who have lost their faith but try to remain in the Church to change it. A true Catholic is always a conservative, in the sense that the term “conservative” has today.
The first time I saw Ayaan Hirsi Ali was on Fox she is a very intelligent women and I might add beautiful too. To bad for Stanford they missed out on a women that knows what shes talking about, she herself has been threatened with death for speaking out against Islam and has to travel with body guards and I am not Catholic but I’m sure they missed out on a very enlightening talk from the current Pope also. They obviously don’t fit in to the liberal frame work of Stanford. For a bunch of college edumecated folks they sure are maroons.
Methinks the “wind of freedom” at Stanford is, in actuality, no more than fart.
Gutless pandering to the perpetually “offended” in the name of political “correctness” is no different Than Nazi book burning: it is cowardly, and demonstrates that the PC dhimmis have no defensible response to the speakers. Speech repression is the first act of tyrants, propagandists and bullies (we’ll discuss the NYTimes later!). How different is this than what China tries to do with the internet?
Any student (or worse, professor, since they should know better) that goes along with this, and does not demand to hear opposing or “offensive” speech is a coward and wasting their mommy and daddy’s tuition money. They aren’t learning anything.
Stanford University’s loss, no doubt.
This is the standard MO for liberals. Say you’re offended, and silence those you disagree with.
Repeat as necessary until “diversity” (of everything except though) is achieved.
I am sick and tired of people who claim to be so “tolerant” and “progressive” reverting to the tactics my classmate and I used on the playground as kindergarteners.
Didn’t someone write Michelle and claim the “adults” would soon be running the country? Funny – I don’t see any adults here. Just whiny, spoiled brats.
It’s academia. I can’t say I am surprised.
Michelle, for what it’s worth, I agree with AJ. You are sorely missed as the conservative counter-voice going up against Kirsten Powers and others. I miss seeing you guest hosting too.
I have watched some of the others and they just yell and argue with the guests, whereas you debated facts with them. *sigh*
Any possibility of seeing you behind the anchor desk anytime soon?
#5 No…thinkS”CAIR”ED Just a minor adjustment.
More outrageous proof of our Institutions of Higher
EducationIndoctrination in action. I sure am glad I never went to one of our “Prestigious” universities. I am not sure I could have retained any semblance of sanity among such people. Winds of change indeed.As a Stanford alumnus, I’ve been pretty embarrassed since the school administration overruled a student vote against funding the racist and MEChA with mandatory student fees, and then hired Stanford Dean of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid Richard “Taliban” Shaw from Yale. I am no longer a contributor.
And now this. Ah, for the good old days, before PC went amuck, when the football team was proudly called “Indians” and Prince Lightfoot did his victory dance at games.
(Some progress on the MEChA issue.)
I’m sure that was no pun intended.
Yup, Stanford running sCAIRed.
dhimmi weenies.
Academic dhimmi weenies.
*yawn*
No wonder the online degree programs are surging the way they are.
It’s amazing more he!! isn’t raised over this, especially with the presence of the Hoover Institution there. Guess they’re gonna roll over dead too.
Although it’s been 40 years since I was a college student, I still remember the insular fantasyland of the campus walled off from the real world, and that was when academic standards were higher than they are now. Most graduates soon readjust to the real world of earning a living and put these shenanigans in their proper perspective.
College campuses have always been a bastion of social group think, disguised as exhortation to individual expression…so long as your individual expression conforms to the masses. This is just the newest wrapping paper on an age-old fallacy.
Per Stanford:
’nuff siad.
Since when does Stanford want to avoid controversy?
It’s diversity of thought they want to avoid. Diversity in race, color and gender are all welcome as long as everyone thinks alike and differences are only skin deep. Conservative thought is in the minority on campus, so you would thing they would want to increase diversity by inviting more conservative speech. But that won’t happen because Conservatives are now the “target”.
For people who support “free speech” as long as it agrees with them, I wonder how they would fare under a government that really restricts free speech, like some of their friends do in their own countries. Maybe some of them should take a trip abroad, or continue to be like many people who think the world is exactly like the U.S., as portrayed by the MSM.
“When Fascism comes to America, it’ll call itself ‘anti-Fascism.’”
Pre-emptively silencing speech at Stanford is another great example of how modern-day liberalism is a formula for turning formerly liberal values upside down and inside out.
“Free speech” means speech that is either pre-approved by those in authority, or speech that doesn’t upset the sensibilities of liberals.
The “open marketplace of ideas” means denying some the opportunity to participate in the guise of “avoiding controversy.”
“Diversity” means pre-emptive and punitive efforts at pre-emptive thought-control.
“Affirmative Action” means “two-wrongs-make-a-right” reverse racism.
“National security” means treating implaccable ideological enemies like perfectly reasonable people, and letting them run wild.
“Domestic tranquility” means disarming the citizenry.
“The pursuit of happiness” means an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality toward anyone who challenges your point of view.
You get the idea.
Today’s liberals seem to think of freedom of expression like an onion: They want to peel away the parts of it that make “offend” them or force them to entertain unwanted thoughts; but instead of revealing itself, “Freedom of Speech and Assembly” simply vanishes.
Our freedoms won’t die with a bang, but a whimper. It’s the Liberal Way.
regulus-
you nailed higher public ed right on.
Fortunately alot of vets are going back to school and we are doing our best to shake things up a little. Especially in the sociology, psychology and english departments!
These departments would make marx proud to be red.
GSP
Ultimately, these institutions are subject to the laws of the free market beyond their ivory towers. So what is the value of a degree from Stanford on the open marketplace today? If I were a hiring manager and an applicant put on their résumé that they graduated from UC Berkley, I’d know that they have zero education in critical thinking and give it a pass. This nonsense at Stanford (et al) will continue until companies realize that graduates are as ignorant and unskilled coming out of Stanford as they were going in and quit hiring them. Only when Alumni Associations start to feel the pinch will pressure be brought to bear to shake things up.
Of course! The Pope stands against the core beliefs of selfish liberals, and as for the other Ms. Ali, well, Californians don’t like it when you cross Muslim men. We are supposed to fear them!
Only problem is, I don’t.