Liberalism on college campuses

[Colin Ex]

I'm currently attending a school in Michigan, and here are my observations on the setup here.

THe huge slathering and kvetching people do about college campuses being nothing but crazy liberals? Pretty damn inaccurate.

The extent of the liberalism of most people I've met is "Smoke a lot of bud and drink a lot of 151 on the weekends. And fuck some chick I met at a party." Not quite what I think of when I think of liberalism.

Socially, what do a lot of these college kids think? They slur gay people a lot; it's not "be quiet, please, art major." It's "fuckin' shut up, art fag." Many of them are pretty misogynist; everyone's a bitch, women who disagree with you are sluts, and so on.

I get the impression that not too many people know how to separate social liberalism (at least the drinking and smoking and fucking aspects of it) from everything else.

Just my two cents. This is a half-rant, because I had to listen to some people complain about how they haven't been around conservatives in so long and so on and didn't feel like starting shit, oi.

Peace action. Hope this makes some sense -- I've had an on and off headahce today.

-C

[jsw_81]

1. You're right

I've spent some time at the "liberal" University of Oregon, but there is a large contingent of rabid, right-wingers on campus. They even heckled the Democratic governor when he came to speak on campus and plastered pro-Bush and anti-choice crap all over the place. If that's what goes on at a liberal school, I don't even want to think about what might be going on at moderate or conservative schools.

[Supormom]

2. Every campus has its liberal and conservative programs.

The idea that all universities are liberal is just propaganda. To give you an example, most business schools are extremely conservative, even those at the most "liberal" universities. My alma mater, the University of Minnesota, included.

[worldgonekrazy]

6. Yeah, I never go near the Carlson School of Management

It seems like each and every person in that program is devoid of any ideals other than the love of money.

[denverbill]

11. Yes, how many business classes teach communist economic theory?

You would think if universities were really that leftist, that some trained communist economists would be sprouting up all over.

[Name removed]

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[SmileyBoy]

4. North Dakota State is pretty conservative among the males.

The females I've talked to are overwhelmingly liberal. Not many liberal males (like me) on campus.

[worldgonekrazy]

5. Yeah I go to the University of Minnesota and have noticed much the same

The conservatives whine and moan about how they are so mistreated on the "liberal campus," but the truth is that most students just don't give a fuck. Some of the holdover Profs from the 70s tried to generate an air of protest against the Iraq War, and bless them for trying, but it sank like a rock. Apathy and mean-spiritedness seem to be the norm these days on college campuses if you ask me.

[tigereye]

10. as an old lefty I have to say that I have met more

college students lately who have liberal views and interest in politics. Although, even when I was in colllege in the mid late seventies, there was still a lot of apathy. I hung out with the hard- core politicos, but most people were more interested in music, drugs and sex than aruging about politics and going to meetings and demos, so that hasn't changed I guess. Of course, you can enjoy all of those with your politics as well. :)

[worldgonekrazy]

23. I suppose there is a tendency to romanticize the past

I always think of the 70's as this decade of widespread unabashed liberalism, so it is interesting to hear (read) a first hand account of it. I had the misfortune of being born in the early 80's (God, what an awful decade!), so all I've got to go on for the most part is movies, music and such.

[Rich Hunt]

7. no sht

Absolutely, the conservatives' take on it is crap. What really cheeses them off is that students will be exposed to liberal and even radical ideas on college campuses ... and they want to control that.

Most of those liberal-to-radical ideas come from dead people and not live professors, BTW.

[HawkerHurricane]

12. A quote; I don't know from where...

"Liberals are happy if one reporter expresses thier views.
Conservatives are angry unless all reporters express thier views."

Change reporter to professor, and it's still true.

[LiberalFighter]

8. What do conservatives base their opinion that colleges are liberal?

Is it the professors that teach the courses?
If so what courses would provide the professors the means to brainwash the students?

English?
History?
Accounting?
Algebra?
Trig?
Political Science?

In reality, which courses would provide a means to force one's political views on the students? Would it be just a few select courses or a majority?

Personally, I feel that the only thing liberal about colleges is the fact that they offer Liberal Arts degrees.

[Nikia]

18. I laughed at a letter to the editor from the town newspaper

My alma mater had a Winter Solstice celebration. The campus Pagan group invited pagans from the surrounding community and there was a celebration that anyone was free, but obviously not required, to attend. The town newspaper wrote an article on it, which was fairly neutral.
A week later, there was a letter to the editor condemning the college for allowing the event to be held on their campus and said that this was proof that diversity education had gone to far in education.
I suppose this would be an example of thinking that the college was too liberal.
Really, all ideas, except bigotry, were tolerated at my college. Students started new groups that were usually approved for college funding, if they felt that existing clubs didn't express their ideas or interests. It was perfectly accetable to challenge professors in class. Most classes above the beginning level had free discussion. Upper level classes often consisted mostly of discussion. There was no brainwashing except that you should consider ideas different from your own.

[leftyandproud]

31. the sociology dept..

womens studies..
african studies..

bout a million other classes

overwhelmingly liberal professors in the sociology/humanities areas..

take the classes and enjoy...
just don't admit this to the pukes ;)

[Bill McBlueState]

9. at U. Toledo

where I was an undergrad, the biggest student group on campus was Campus Crusade for Christ.

gag.

Their members added a cult-like flavor to dorm life. There was the story of the couple who weren't kissing until they got married, or the girl who wanted her secular roommates to leave so she could have her Bible time. (heh- I know what *I* did when my roommates were elsewhere!)

Liberal, my ass.

As long as college continues to be seen as a path to making money, instead of a way to actually learn things, this'll continue.

[Nikia]

13. I went to a moderately liberal liberal arts college

In our first class required of all freshman, we read books with different points of view that were meant to help us challenge our belief systems. Most classes taught later on in our college careers were taught from that basis also. Our college president was always making speeches about how we were suppose to challenge our beliefs and look at things from different points of view.
The students were generally intellectuals and surveyed students were polled at studying an average of 22.5 hours per week. No one openly admitted being misogynist, racist, or xenophobic. There were both conservatives and liberals politically on our campus. There was a variety of religious groups also and students ranged from devoute Fundies to militant atheists. Students were generally tolerant though of each others beliefs. Most students and faculty were gay friendly. The Intervarsity chapter even wrote an editorial condemning an off campus group who came on campus and distibuted homophobic literature (basically saying that gays were going to hell).
If people on my alma mater's campus had been saying that they haven't been around conservatives for a while, I would probably say that they were relatively right (although I could have introduced them to some of the more conservative students and profs if they really wanted to hang out with such a person). The surrounding community is ridiculously conservative. The college is a relative island of liberalism.

[Devlzown]

14. Some people seem to think that boozing,

fornicating, doing drugs, and other examples of moral turpitude are solely the result of liberal influence on college campuses. That's why they're so shocked when conservatives get caught driving drunk with hookers in their cars and coke in their glove boxes.

[xchrom]

15. more evidence, that the sexual revolutio

wasn't for every body.

[Nite Owl]

16. I've got two sons in college

and you are pretty much right on. (My sons are indoctrinated!) I notice with their friends though if you bring the conversation around to the draft that's coming up if Bush gets in again the tone becomes very serious and they listen. Especially when you tell them that going to college means that you only get to finish the semester and it's not an out. The college kids I know are voting dem because Pot has a better chance of becoming legal.

[mot78]

17. This quote wouldn't be defined as Liberalism beyond the 700 Club types

"The extent of the liberalism of most people I've met is "Smoke a lot of bud and drink a lot of 151 on the weekends. And fuck some chick I met at a party." Not quite what I think of when I think of liberalism."

...IMO, both Liberal AND Conservative college students live that lifestyle in one way or another. Both Dean and * lived like that.

[OhioStateProgressive]

19. as a non traditional student I see what you say

at Ohio State University, it is mostly conservative, i find myself fighting debate battles in classes against entire classrooms (i can handle it)...but it is disheartening to truly feel the progressive culture void that is there

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

20. how is "drinking smoking and fucking" liberal?

?

[wuushew]

21. Because hedonism is antithetical to moral absolutism

or so a bible thumper would tell you.

[IowaBiker]

22. A lot of it is propaganda.

The right can't stand alone with support from the very rich, simply because there are not enough of them.

So, they need support from stupid people. In the old south, people who went out and up and got educated were considered, "uppity."

By sneering at the educated, the right makes friends with the stupid.

It's much easier, too, to stuff propaganda down the throat of a stupid person.

Just add label, and watch the frenzy.

--Brian

[mike_c]

24. come to humboldt state university...

...for real liberalism. http://www.humboldt.edu

[greekspeak]

25. Southwest Missouri State in Springfield, MO is conservative

I go to Florida State now. Most of my colleagues are liberal. I understan that the students are pretty conservative, but the profs seem to be pretty liberal.

[hellhathnofury]

28. My father went there...40 years ago.

[HEyHEY]

26. Yeah it should be "Shut the fuck up art student"

;-)

I never had to deal with that in university...lucky me. Good old Canada strikes again.

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

27. I went to two colleges in my time in the early 90's

Texas A&M - College Station, Texas (no jokes please, I've heard them all)

It is a former military school. The Army corps of cadets is pretty big there and I wound up in a lot of fights corps members who had an attitude.

Lots of drinking, in fact the two main watering holes are across the street from the campus. In case any Aggies are wondering, I stayed in Schumacher hall, right across the street from the Chicken.

Greeks are largely frowned upon. "rent a friend, join a frat." shirts were common.

I would say that 80-90% of the campus is conservative. Accounting profs were communist, calculus profs were evil incarnate.

Among all of that, there was a Gay and Lesbian Student Society on campus. Of course most of the pukes sneered at them, one GLSS student got sent to the hospital after he was attacked with an axe handle.

Good news for the ladies during that period was this....there were about 5 guys to every girl.

Bottom line, pretty much a liberal nightmare.

Stephen F. Austin - Nacogdoches, Texas

Greeks were VERY big here. Most people were pretty much happy to pass their finals, smoke some bud, get drunk and get laid. (the latter being easier than anything else).

There was an Army Corps here as well, but few members and very low key.

Profs seemed to be fairly split along the liberal/conservative line among the business professors.

The campus good mix of liberals and conservatives. I say a good mix because there just weren't that many hostile debates, everything stayed civil. I personally don't think anyone gave a shit about politics other than the hardcore politicos.

Everyone else was out drinking, getting laid and putting off reports so they could get laid some more.

Outside the campus was a different story. Nacogdoches (you can just call it Nac-a-nowhere) is smack in the middle of the Bible Belt. Step off campus and you will soon remember that you are in the deep South. 16K college students can only bring the town's average reading level up to 8th grade. Nacogdoches' population was around 14K. EVERYONE in that town has a drawl.

Bottom line - fairly liberal school for being in the Bible Belt in Texas and surrounded by Bible Bangers. One hell of a lot of fun to be had while you (try to) get your edumacation.

[NerdzRuleDaWorld]

29. I goto Purdue University

and most of the students are either apothetic or conservative. The local chapter of the College Republicans held an anti-affirmative action rally a few months ago, in which they had a bake sale where minority students were given discounts. I guess they thought that everyone would start protesting or something.

Of course, they wouldn't even recognize many groups as minorities, such as asians, arabs, or homosexuals. The group was later placed on probation for "financial impropriety" concerning their fundraising techniques.

[WindRavenX]

30. I go to Boston College

Pretty liberal, but damn, the conservative student paper- the Observer- is filled with right wing venom of the worst sort. It's borderline hate.
The professors are pretty much balanced- there are liberals, and yes, there are conservative professors. Got no problem with it.
But it goes to show you, by no means is the college "dominated" by the liberals...

[durutti]

32. You're absolutely right.

"Liberal universities" are largely myth. The myth serves the same purpose as the myth of the liberal media.