22 January 2006
Ah, Yes. Conservatives Support Freedom of Speech, Right?
A "conservative alumni group" is targeting "liberal" and "radical" professors at UCLA.
The organisation, which calls itself the Bruin Alumni Association (suggesting an official connection with the school and/or the official UCLA alumni association, though none exists) is soliciting students to record lectures, offering $100 to students who hand over recordings that "prove" that professors are advocating a left-wing agenda.
The UCLA Chancellorcharacterised the organisation's program as "reprehensible", and has pointed out that what students are being asked to provide may violate school rules and even copyright laws.
According to Reuters:
"We are concerned solely with indoctrination, one-sided presentation of ideological controversies and unprofessional classroom behavior," says the site.
Which sounds good, except that his website, which says that the organisation is "dedicated to exposing UCLA's most radical professors", only mentions left-wingers.
I would be willing to bet that, in the long run, he won't see any right-wing ideologues, because from his point of view, extreme right-wing views are simply correct and teaching them cannot be indoctination.
I've noticed that extremists on both sides hold that sort of opinion -- rather like Spike Lee saying that he can't be racist, because he's black.
I know what i am -- what about you? ¶ 9:44 PM
The organisation, which calls itself the Bruin Alumni Association (suggesting an official connection with the school and/or the official UCLA alumni association, though none exists) is soliciting students to record lectures, offering $100 to students who hand over recordings that "prove" that professors are advocating a left-wing agenda.
The UCLA Chancellorcharacterised the organisation's program as "reprehensible", and has pointed out that what students are being asked to provide may violate school rules and even copyright laws.
According to Reuters:
News of the campaign prompted former Republican congressman James Rogan, who helped lead impeachment proceedings against former President Bill Clinton in the U.S. House of Representatives, to resign from the group's advisory board.Andrew Jones, the person behind the organisation, claims that he merely intends to "restore an atmosphere of respectful political discourse on campus", and that his organisation intends to expose academics who proselytize from either the right or the left...
"I am uncomfortable to say the least with this tactic," Rogan, now a lawyer in private practice in California, said in an e-mail resignation made public by the Los Angeles Times. "It places students in jeopardy of violating myriad regulations and laws.
"We are concerned solely with indoctrination, one-sided presentation of ideological controversies and unprofessional classroom behavior," says the site.
Which sounds good, except that his website, which says that the organisation is "dedicated to exposing UCLA's most radical professors", only mentions left-wingers.
I would be willing to bet that, in the long run, he won't see any right-wing ideologues, because from his point of view, extreme right-wing views are simply correct and teaching them cannot be indoctination.
I've noticed that extremists on both sides hold that sort of opinion -- rather like Spike Lee saying that he can't be racist, because he's black.
I know what i am -- what about you? ¶ 9:44 PM
