We Must Never Forget That Genocide Begins With Groupthink
At least in the United States we have institutions intended to protect us from the dangers of runaway propaganda and vilification campaigns. These include a free and open press and institutions of higher education that are supposed to challenge conformity of thought and promote the free exchange of ideas. But these institutions are now dangerously compromised. Our media’s bias has been obvious and well-documented for decades.
The universities are no better, and getting much worse. Whole generations have been infected with groupthink on college campuses, where they have been conditioned to shout down speakers because “hate.” They have been intellectually kneecapped by a corps of radical elites. In a recent National Review Online article, Stanley Kurtz gave an excellent rundown of the hostile takeover of higher education that’s been in the works for generations.
There’s a Confluence of Dangerous Trends
The inability of so many college students to think and to reason has reached critical mass. It is very dangerous to social stability. What happens at the university has huge ramifications for society at large. Just consider this short list of what we are seeing today in academia, the media, and popular culture to view a rising tide of intolerance to differing viewpoints.
At least in the United States we have institutions intended to protect us from the dangers of runaway propaganda and vilification campaigns. These include a free and open press and institutions of higher education that are supposed to challenge conformity of thought and promote the free exchange of ideas. But these institutions are now dangerously compromised. Our media’s bias has been obvious and well-documented for decades.
The universities are no better, and getting much worse. Whole generations have been infected with groupthink on college campuses, where they have been conditioned to shout down speakers because “hate.” They have been intellectually kneecapped by a corps of radical elites. In a recent National Review Online article, Stanley Kurtz gave an excellent rundown of the hostile takeover of higher education that’s been in the works for generations.
There’s a Confluence of Dangerous Trends
The inability of so many college students to think and to reason has reached critical mass. It is very dangerous to social stability. What happens at the university has huge ramifications for society at large. Just consider this short list of what we are seeing today in academia, the media, and popular culture to view a rising tide of intolerance to differing viewpoints.
- Mob mobilization to promote an anti-speech movement (under the guise of “anti-hate”).
- Mob mobilization to shut down local police forces (under the guise of “Black lives matter”).
- A call for re-education to enforce conformity of thought, from agitator Bill Ayers in 1969 to Wellesley College students in 2017 (under the guise of anti-fascism).
- A rising tide of “my way or die” jihadism that sees itself engaged in total war against perceived enemies (under the guise of religion, in this case Islam).
- Cult behavior in a society that is woefully ignorant about how cults operate and unaware of how susceptible we are to coercive thought reform.
- The cultivation of ignorance in K-12 and higher education that cuts off information about history and civics (under the guise of multi-culturalism).
- The erasure of Western Civilization—i.e., the study of universal human experiences and ideas—from education.
- Heightened vilification campaigns (excessive use of epithets such as “hater,” “bigot,” or “phobic” to demonize perceived political opponents).
- Forced self-criticism at colleges (under the guise of “white privilege”).
- The huge leap in social distrust in the General Social Survey, indicating higher levels of social polarization than ever.
- Scapegoating on a grand scale.
- The corruption of language.
- Growing contempt for the ideal of a virtuous society.