My alma mater Brandeis last night held a talk by '60s-radical-turned-conservative-pundit David Horowitz, at which he took the school to task for "promoting leftist ideology," especially in the Sociology and Peace And Conflict Studies departments.
Now I'm with Horowitz on those two points- after all, I remember the SOC and PACS people wandering around like brainwashed zombies. But as is his wont, Horowitz overreached, and his argument went off the rails.
In an exchange that I wish to God I had witnessed in person, legendary American Studies professor Jerry Cohen- like Horowitz a former '60s activist who turned rightward in his later years- took the guest speaker to task for his claim that there are no conservative professors at Brandeis, putting himself forward as one. What's especially interesting is that the first time I ever heard of Horowitz was when Cohen assigned one of his books in his popular class "The Sixties."
I can understand Cohen's indignation; Horowitz was merely giving the same speech he always gives at every college, regardless of whether it's true. And yes, all the "social justice" nonsense can get annoying, but things at 'deis aren't nearly as bad as the fascist-like "speech code" conditions at some universities.
Jaws has more; he actually got to have lunch the other day with the author of "Hating Whitey, and Other Progressive Causes."
Posted by Stephen Silver at March 31, 2004 06:01 PM