Paul Craig Roberts – paulcraigroberts.org July 17, 2019
Georgetown University law professor Jonathan Turley notes that the University of California, once a bastion of free speech, now is opposed to it. The university now punishes people for opinions expressed outside the classroom and the university.
Not that long ago American universities emphasized tolerance of all views so that truth would not be obscured by dogmas. Little doubt this emphasis traced its heritage back to the Church’s interference in the scientific question whether the earth was the center of the solar system. In order to save their lives, astronomers were forced to renounce their findings and to assert the truth of dogmas that they knew to be wrong.
Today the same thing is happening in American universities, only the deadly controversies are over race and gender issues, not whether the sun revolves around the earth.
When I was a student liberal professors found Voltaire to be an exemplar of the correct attitude toward free speech. Voltaire quotes were used everywhere in the halls of learning:
“Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too.”
“I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it.”
“Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it.”
“Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one.”
“It is clear that the individual who persecutes a man, his brother, because he is not of the same opinion, is a monster.”
Today Voltaire is never heard from. Dogma has shoved aside tolerance and taken control of American universities in which Political Correctness, an ideology or religion in which emotional-based beliefs of certain “preferred” groups with aristocratic or Vatican privileges, such as black activists, abortionists, and sexual deviants, cannot be “offended” by facts or by someone’s contrary opinion.
The latest case of academic persecution is Laura Tanner, a doctoral candidate and teaching assistant in the Department of Feminist Studies at the Santa Barbara campus of the University of California, formerly a great university, now a cesspool of intolerance and Identity Politics.
Despite her feminist credentials, Tanner is under attack, not for what she said in the classroom, but for what she expressed in tweets. She expressed her opinion that “It’s not possible to be born in the wrong body.” Therefore a man in a man’s body cannot claim to be a woman. This exercise in plausible deductive reasoning resulted in Tanner being labeled “transphobic.”
A former student of Tanner’s, an academic terrorist—Kremina Youssef—seems set on destroying Tanner’s career prospects simply because Tanner expressed an opinion on Twitter with which Youssef disagrees. Students and alumni have taken the position that although Tanner excels in her teaching role, she should be fired for her “distressing” view on transgenderism. The fact that the vast majority of Americans do not find Tanner’s view distressing is considered irrelevant.
Laury Oaks, the chairperson of the Feminist Studies department, believes that a Title IX civil rights complaint can be filed against Tanner. The position taken by the intolerant freaks attempting to destroy Tanner for “distressing” a newly invented gender based on self-declaration is:
“We acknowledge that the gender binary, as it is commonly understood in the US, is rooted in the logics of colonialism, racism, and gendered domination, and that fighting transphobia is integral to resisting and healing from the harms that these systems create. The violence of transphobia, particularly transmisogyny, falls especially hard on communities of color and contributes to the exploitation, criminalization, and incarceration disproportionately experienced by black, brown, immigrant, and working class people. As queer students, students of color, and/or allies, our visions of feminist futures include and affirm people made invisible by and marginalized by the gender binary. In our classrooms, we are committed to holding space for trans students, including taking seriously trans students’ experiences, standpoints, and intellectual contributions.”
Note that among this collection of nonsense words there is space “in our classrooms” for transgender ideology, but no space outside the classroom for other views on the subject.
To see the undeniable total collapse of university education and the very pillars of Western civilization, ask yourself what Voltaire would have said about this. What is happening in American universities is far worse than Papal objections to astronomers’ findings. It seemed to the Church that the astronomers were contradicting the very basis of the Church’s religious teachings. But Tanner, who, unlike the Pope in those long ago days, is powerless to impose her views on anyone. Yet, the “transgender community” is determined to impose their views on everyone and to destroy the career of a young feminist. It looks like they will succeed.
Quote:When I went to university, we were told to question authority. Today, students are told to question their gender. ….
If the word ‘Freshman’ is offensive because it has the word ‘man’ in it and limits gender expression, what about the words woman/women/female – to name just three? Are we to stop using such words? And if so, could someone tell me what would be the alternative, acceptable words to use? After all, I want to be accepted and to be able to ‘man’ age being a politically correct hu ‘man’ being in this new world order that is becoming ‘man’ ifest-;)
It’s long past time for these mental retards to be incarcerated where they can receive the treatment they so clearly need in order to enable them to live a normal, healthy life as valuable members of society, rather than pander to their every whim at the height of their sickness.
Appeasement is no help in such obvious cases of mental derangement. They need help.
Unfortunately “the government” (or should that be the Rothschild-controlled “deep state”?) is now demonstrably insane and trying to force their delusions on everyone, telling us what we “must” believe, regardless of truth and common sense.
We have to find a way to disempower these lunatics and establish a government of, by and for the people, and there will need to be a method of removing anyone subsequently showing signs of disloyalty or insanity.
As a cis-gendered (aka as normal) heterosexual (also known as normal) woman, this whole transgender nonsense is what pushed me AWAY from support for LGBQT. It seems that the only “women” who matter these days are “women” with penises. How laughable that feminists are now being asked to deny and sacrifice their own rights for someone with a penis! You really can’t make this stuff up.
I used to be tolerant and even supported gay marriage. Because I believed that homosexuality was a birth defect — they were born that way and couldn’t help it, so why be mean and keep them from love if they couldn’t change? But, that isn’t what we are being told now — now everything is “fluid”. You can be a hundred different genders and sexual orientations within the space of 24 hours — anything goes! That is a CHOICE, not “born that way”. And if you have a choice, then I get to judge you. I don’t need to have sympathy and compassion for people who are choosing to do things. I might still have to tolerate it (as I am loathe to pass laws that make it illegal for people to do things in the privacy of their own bedroom — even if I think what they are doing is wrong), but I never have to accept it. Tolerance and acceptance are two very different things.
The LGBQT made a huge mistake in pushing the transgender ideology this far. Women are going to stop being allies in droves if they keep this up. Even gay people are going to be upset because this whole push of the idea that you have to be open to dating a trans person or you are “transphobic” is even too far for them. There have been a number of lesbian women who have gotten in trouble for stating that they don’t want to date a transwoman because they aren’t attracted to people with a penis. They are accused of transphobia for stating the obvious. The LGBQT community is shooting themselves in the foot and it is going to be funny to watch and see how “liberals” try to worm their way out of this one. Who will they support? Women — who make up half the population — or trans people at less than 2% of the population?
Voltaire was a freemason and a revolutionary of the worst kind. Voltaire swore an oath to destroy Christianity. It was in England when Voltaire swore to dedicate his life to this cause and he kept his word.
He was a forerunner of the so-called human rights, which were created in the course of the French Revolution and later cemented by the Communist Manifesto.
This emerging liberalism, socialism and communism over time destroyed the monarchies and replaced them with democracy, meaning the law of numbers.
In other words, through democracy, the secret societies and the Illuminati could continue to pursue their goals without being bothered, as they not only controlled and manipulated the states, but also enslaved them through the monetary system.
Voltaire is a very bad example of Mr Roberts free speech
In order to retain your rights everyone needs to sign every form as follows: “all rights reserved signature”