The Activism And The Demise Of The American University Rant

     Ah yes, academe, college, and university.  Professors and students searching for truth, wisdom, and that ever elusive and perhaps mythical, “higher plane.”  The expansion of the mind amid ivy-covered brick and stone buildings nestled so far away from the humdrum and mundane.  These are special places where the best and the brightest of our nation’s youth can spend four to six to eight years honing their intellect and sharpening their ability to think critically, independently, and creatively.  Out of such institutions will emerge our nation’s leaders, movers, and shakers.  Those who successfully navigate the rigors of higher education can in many ways be called America’s elite who will take their rightful place as decision and policy makers in virtually any field of endeavor you can possibly imagine.  Many of our business leaders hail from this milieu.  Our future political and social elites come from the same background.  Those who take on the weighty and crucial task of educating our young likewise come from the hallowed halls of academia.  At the university will be learned and absorbed the so-called wisdom of the ages.  Eager-faced and bright-eyed students will be taught the collective wisdom of those who have come before and will be steeped in the history of the nation and the world.  They will be taught the various philosophies that have guided and shaped so much of human development, progress and achievement.  They will be exposed to the latest in science, mathematics, engineering, technology, and more.  By the end of their tenure in the hallowed halls, they will emerge as not merely average citizens but rather as a group that will lead the nation to new heights of progress, enlightenment, success, and excellence.  They will carry the torch passed down to them by previous generations.  They will in turn be expected to guide, nurture, and nourish future Americans who will carry on the time-honored traditions of our nation’s great past.

     Yeah, don’t that sound grand?  Doesn’t that sound ever-so hopeful, idealistic, and full of promise?  Well like pretty much everything else, once you dig just below the surface the image and the PR proves to be more than just a bit tarnished, jaded, and misleading.  The fact is that more and more of our college and university students emerge from academe literally unemployable and dismally unprepared to deal with the realities and stresses of the real world.  We seem to be educating an entire generation of what might accurately be termed emotional cripples who are woefully incapable of stepping into the adult world that awaits them.  For the past dozen or so years, about half of college graduating classes cannot find employment and those who do cannot find jobs in any way related to what they learned in those ivy-covered towers.  How many times have we heard story after story about college grads winding up flipping burgers at the fast food emporium in town?  How many of us have encountered recipients of four year college degrees stocking shelves at the local grocery store or the Home Depot?  Well, of course, you respond.  Given the pathetic state of our economy, what the Hell did you expect?  Well, okay.  Perhaps that’s part of it – but it’s only a very small part.  In fact, those college and university grads who can’t find employment related to their major fields of study have themselves to blame.  If one takes up a major in, say, Art History then you will almost certainly be under or unemployed.  If one’s major concentration is English Literature, Renaissance Philosophy, or American History the same outcome is pretty much guaranteed.

     You see, it’s really about choices and making the wrong ones certainly has consequences.  If we compare employability between those who chose a major in the Liberal Arts and those who majored in what has been termed the STEM Fields (science, technology, engineering, math) it is the latter group that finds jobs more quickly and almost always related to their major fields of study.  Choices, like elections, have consequences.  Unfortunately, the trend among far too many so-called “Millennials” is to move back home and live in Mommy and Daddy’s basement and not, mind you, for just a brief stint.  It’s increasingly becoming a permanent arrangement.  These “kids” are simply not prepared to compete in the adult world and are seemingly extending their adolescence permanently.  As adults, they are a fairly useless lot and as future national leaders they are far worse than useless.  They will be under and unemployed far into the foreseeable future and too many of them will lead lives of utter dependency for the things in life that they want and need.

     When Mom and Pop finally stop dispensing the “goodies”, the government will step in and become the surrogate parents.  In an ever increasing socialist state, these college graduates, these children of privilege, will learn the unmitigated joys of completely subsidized lives.  They will learn the wondrous benefits of food stamps, welfare checks, and “free” healthcare.  They will be schooled in the fine art of Entitlement Expectations and will be taught that the country owes them whatever they demand while they are expected to give back nothing in return save for voting for that political party that best represents what I have termed the Santa Clause Syndrome.  It’s damned hard to win when your opponent is a jovial fat guy in a red suit sporting a bushy white beard who is giving away the fucking store!  The problem here is that never before in our nation’s past could we have envisioned America’s educated class thinking or behaving in this manner.  These folks, our nation’s elite, have never, ever, needed this kind of coddling and we have never associated them with that “gimme” mentality so prevalent in our society.  Hand-outs were for those “others” but not for our college and university graduates who used to attend the halls of higher learning in part so that their earning power over their working life times would be enhanced over and above those who chose another path.

     The apparent trend at our halls of higher learning in today’s America is to produce unproductive citizens without the necessary skills to become active, successful members of a competitive society.  They are trained in nothing particularly useful but instead are steeped in the philosophy of “feel goodism” and instant gratification.  Our college and university attendees are apparently learning nothing that will stand them in good stead after graduation.  They are taught that life in America is unfair and that the United States is the world’s leading source of evil, racism, and exploitation of the world’s poor, oppressed, and weak.  This is what far too many of those attending college learn and by the time they graduate it has become their mantra.  They leave the university after having been thoroughly brainwashed rather than properly educated.  They graduate having been taught nothing but disdain and hatred for the country that has allowed them the privilege of extending their childhoods well into their twenties and beyond.  They come out of college completely pliable and malleable as opposed to independent-minded and clear-thinking.  They are far too easily led and swayed while thinking critically is something that is totally beyond their ken or ability.

     The reason for this is abundantly clear, unmistakable, and not open to doubt or debate.  The reason is Liberalism and the Liberals who overwhelmingly dominate every aspect of virtually all of our institutions of so-called higher learning.  Liberalism is the major theme and constant running through all avenues of higher education in America and this has been the case since at least the 1960’s.  This is when our universities became radicalized, revolutionized, and thoroughly anti-American in both tone and timber.  Liberals, in fact, have dominated all levels of America’s educational system from pre-K right on through college and university.  Our schools have become hotbeds of anti-Americanism at all levels and our students have become thoroughly indoctrinated in much the same way as were students in the old Soviet Union.  The good that this country has done for the world is almost completely ignored and we are invariably presented as the world’s worst oppressor and aggressor.  According to the professorial class, there is nothing positive or uplifting about our country and certainly nothing worthy of praise or emulation.  It is anything but surprising, then, that by the time the LFE (Liberal Fucking Elite) has completed brainwashing our youth, they graduate completely devoid of any and all notions of patriotism, nationalism, or gratitude.

     There has also, it seems, been a precipitous decrease in the ability of our college youth to focus or stay on track.  There seems to be a loss of the ability to concentrate.  Completing tasks and fulfilling goals, especially those that are deemed relatively long-term, is proving far too difficult and arduous for an ever increasing percentage of those who attend college and university in present-day America.  Commitment and persistence, once valued character traits, have been overshadowed by a pronounced here and now mentality coupled with a huge and unhealthy dose of, “feel goodism.”  Instant gratification has become the motto and watch-word of an entire generation of America’s youth who have apparently lost the ability to think in the long range.  This is perhaps embodied most clearly in the current level of “protest” movements that seem to be raging across college “campi” everywhere in the United States.  It seems that our college and university students are indeed in a rage about almost anything and everything that even slightly or mildly offends them.  It also appears that there is literally nothing under the sun that doesn’t offend them.  Our youth have been transformed into what might aptly be termed “rage-aholics” and they nurture their anger to the virtual exclusion of all else including their academic studies and responsibilities.

     Their angst is apparently all-consuming and has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with preparing them to become useful and productive citizens.  Their bellicosity and belligerence is directed at any and all forms of perceived or imagined injustice or unfairness anywhere they can be found or fabricated.  You will find our college youth marching, screaming, stomping, and holding their breath until blue in the face.  When they finally exhale, they take to mindless shouting and screaming over whatever happens to be perceived as the latest injustice de jure.  They are so busy protesting that attending class and completing assignments no longer seems to matter.  They refer to themselves as activists and so diligently pursue that calling that they end up activating themselves right out of school.  They fail out and drop out much to the displeasure of parents who shelled out tens upon tens upon tens of thousands of dollars so that their little darlings could avail themselves of a fine higher education supposedly reserved for only the best and brightest among us.  I’m also quite sure that Mom and Pop shelled out all that “coinage” so that their privileged offspring would land a job somewhere that could be parlayed into a lucrative career that might one day lead to financial independence.

     Apparently, not so much anymore.  Activism and protesting are now at the forefront of the college and university experience while academic rigor and excellence has taken a decidedly back seat.  After all, it’s certainly easier and much more mindless taking to the streets and “activating” rather than taking to the library and studying.  The latter takes intellectual effort, concentration, and dedication to purpose.  The former takes no thought or introspection and is the epitome of hedonistic mindlessness.  These so-called protest movements are populated by those who are easily swayed and mislead and are guided by demagogues who by far and away put the sleaziest of politicians to shame.  Our youth are being used – as youth and inexperience often are – by cynical and sinister forces that are by no means altruistic nor are they sincere in their efforts.  They are modern-day rabble rousers who merely take advantage of young minds and hearts who simply have not lived long enough or experienced enough to make consistently rational, thoughtful, or sagacious decisions regarding their own lives let alone the future of the nation.

     Well then, if you’re a young kid going off to college and probably leaving home for the first time what protest and activist choices await?  What movements, causes, and issues can you take up and champion while guzzling down as many “brewskies” as you can manage before puking all over your Air Jordans?  Indeed, what kind of activist-protestor will you be?  Will you take to the streets to vent your displeasure at life’s inequities?  Will you engage in peaceful civil disobedience a la Martin Luther King or will you become a rock and bottle thrower vis-à-vis Malcolm X?  Will you loot, burn, and destroy public and private property or rather engage in the time-honored and nonviolent sit down strikes that hearken back to the 1960’s?  So many, many choices and so very little time!  Once these weighty decisions have been made, with what specific protest movement or movements will you donate your time and energy to?  After all, at some point the old economic conundrum of opportunity costs will inevitably kick in.  What to do, what to do?

     The choices here can literally make one dizzy-giddy.  Let’s see, how about that old favorite of Racist America, especially if you’re a white, middle class child of privilege?  That’s always a good one.  If the racism track is not your particular forte, how about the related and exciting possibility of White Privilege and the guilt trip associated with it?  Then, of course, there is the up and comer known as income inequality.  Just think of the possibilities that exist in this genre.  There is always the field of Social Justice which pretty much encompasses every form of inequity and injustice imaginable.  We can climb onto the Gay Rights Activism Bandwagon and champion the cause of the lesbian, gay, transgender, cross-dresser, go both ways, and go all ways crowd.  We must, of course, not forget the entire Anthropomorphic Global Warming Hucksters – uh, I mean activists.  Nor can we ignore the ever present Animal Rights Advocates.  The Environmentalist – Save the Earth mob also has much to offer when it comes to mindless blather and dither.  The choices are virtually endless but none of them has anything at all to do with academic excellence, productivity, or getting value for the bucks that Mommy and Daddy shelled out.  Now, of course, strategy, tactics, and logistics come into play.  Do we pick one cause and stay with it exclusively?  Do we pick two or three of our favorites and spread our time, energy, and effort equally among them?  Perhaps we could concentrate on a different protest movement for each month of the year.  Yeah, and here you thought this whole activist thing was such a simple deal.  Think again, Skippy!

     If you don’t think all of this protesting-activism comes at a significant cost to our young agitators then you’d better become more familiar with the rigors, pitfalls, and hazards associated with such activities.  Protesting, marching, hooting, and hollering are physically, emotionally, and psychologically exhausting.  Those of us not directly involved with the “movement” can’t possibility be expected to understand or comprehend the toll exacted upon those whose lives are given over to the so-called greater good.  A piece entitled, “Liberal Activism is Giving Students Panic Attacks, Depression, Failing Grades (http://reason.blog),” notes that, “It’s exhausting work being offended all the time.”  I wonder what it’s like being angry, pissed off, and peeved all the time, twenty-four seven, three sixty five?  That’s just gotta be a damned tough row to hoe.  The article goes on to inform that at Brown University student protestors suffer, “from suicidal thoughts, sleepless nights, panic attacks, and failing grades as a result of their advocacy.”  One young fellow who would not allow his real name to be used in print explained that, “There are people breaking down, dropping out of classes and failing classes because of the activism work they are taking on.”

 

     Activism work?  Does activism now qualify as some kind of genuine, bone fide employment?  Where does one go to become qualified in the “work” of activism?  Perhaps there are degrees offered in this field or possibly an internship or two.  This same fellow who insisted on anonymity has chosen to specialize in confronting, “issues of racism and diversity.”  How nice for the young lad.  Maybe he would be better served by confronting such issues as biology, economics, and American history.  I can absolutely guarantee you that the young rabble-rouser insisted on remaining anonymous for fear that Mom and Dad would find out what he was really doing at dear old Brown U for which they were forking over $62,000 per anum for an undergraduate degree.  They’d immediately pull the plug on that nonsense and the poor, little spoiled shit would have to go home and attend the local community college or, even worse, get a fucking job!

     This guy’s role as a student activist has apparently taken quite a toll on his mental, physical, and emotional health.  In fact he says, “My grades dropped dramatically.  My health completely changed.  I lost weight.  I’m on antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills right now.”  Yeah, another drugged-out, pill-popping loser using his “activism” as an excuse for poor grades and a refusal to take his responsibilities seriously.  I wonder if there’s any guilt over the fact that he’s wasting a sixty grand per year university education?  That’s roughly a quarter million dollars of Mom and Dad’s money if the schmuck ever does manage to graduate.  The author of the piece maintains that, “I don’t begrudge students choosing activism over classes.  If that’s what they want to spend their time on, fine.”  The writer goes on to quote a piece from the National Review which suggests, “that students struggling to balance their mental and emotional needs with the demands of their coursework might consider giving up on school entirely.  One doesn’t need a degree to be a full time activist, after all.”  Exactly right.  Be a full time activist or a full time student and do either of them well.  That’s far better than doing a half-assed job at both!

     In a similar vein, a piece entitled, “Brown University Proves That Leftist Activism Makes Kids Mentally Ill and Morally Stupid (http://dailywire.com),” explains that, “Brown’s students are now undergoing a severe hardship: they had to work so hard on leftist activism that school burdens became too much.”  Yeah, that’s really so sad isn’t it?  My heart goes out to these whiney, spoiled little brats who are so put upon and stressed that they undoubtedly have difficulty walking and chewing gum at the same time.  I guess multi-tasking isn’t for the weak of heart and mind.  The author continues that, “the parents of these dolts should be ashamed they’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to turn their teenagers into useless members of society more focused on feeling microaggressed than learning life skills.”  He advises that the, “purpose of a university is not to provide a forum for your teenage angst.  It is to receive an education.  That education is not secondary to your activism.  If you want to be an activist first, go sleep in a park and poop on police cars like the rest of the members of Occupy Wall Street.  If you want to be a student, shut up and learn about perspectives with which you may not agree.”  I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that the author of this piece has not yet embraced the ideology-idiocy of political correctness which has thoroughly infected and corrupted so many of America’s colleges and universities.  How’s that for a wild stab in the dark?

     The problem identified at Brown University, as well as far too many others, does not merely affect our institutions of higher learning.  There are ramifications here that are far reaching and ranging and are severely and detrimentally impacting the entire nation.  The attitudes and actions evinced by students at good old Brown University border on the pathologically self-centered and narcissistic.  These folks seem to believe that the world revolves around them and their over inflated egos.  To be angry and incensed at virtually everything and anything smacks of nothing more than an out of control sense of “me-ism.”  It’s all about me and my hurt feelings.  It’s all about me and my outraged and outrageous sense of inequity and unfairness.  I am, in fact, the center of the universe and have been utterly victimized by societal forces and trends not of my making.  I am the ultimate and quintessential victim and the world must take care of me, assuage my more than hurt feelings, and repair my delicate and decimated sense of self-esteem.  Oh, woe is me, woe is me.  However am I expected to cope not to mention thrive in such a hostile and cruel environment?  This attitude and mindset are both pathetic and nauseating and yet they seem to be ascendant everywhere in our institutions of higher education.  We are witnessing far too many emotional basket cases out there who can’t seem to handle the “rigors” of a completely sheltered and cocooned life of academia.  When these pathetic creatures, these over-grown and spoiled children, hit the real world or more accurately, when the real world slams them full in the face, they are simply not equipped to handle it.

     One of the central purposes and most important goals of any educational system at any time and place is to prepare the younger generation to effectively lead society when the older folks can no longer do so.  It is a natural and normal transition.  Sadly and tragically, this no longer appears to be the case.  Our young folks seem anything but ready and prepared to lead our country especially at a time when such leadership seems desperately needed.  In this regard, our universities have failed to successfully carry out their most crucial societal role and this can only hurt our country.  The author of the piece notes that, “The students aren’t learning anything but the self-righteousness of self-declared victimhood.  Brown is a private university, so it’s parents who bear the burden, not taxpayers.  But our universities are creating an entire generation of morally and psychologically ill students thanks to their kowtowing to the squeakiest, saddest wheels.”  Additionally, “A campus culture devoted to policing speech and punishing speakers is likely to engender patterns of thought that are surprisingly similar to those long identified by cognitive behavioral therapists as causes of depression and anxiety.  The new protectiveness may be teaching students to think pathologically.”  He’s right, you know.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see in the not too distant future course offerings like, “Creative Pathology 101,” or perhaps, “Advanced Pathological Thinking and Behavior.”  The author concludes by noting that, “We’ll all be paying the freight for these self-appointed victims who wallow in their victimhood, to the detriment of society and the country.”

     An article entitled, “Four Roles of Activists (www.turningthetide.org)” attempts to provide student activists with a rationale for their activities and behavior but nowhere in it can be found any emphasis on the “student” aspects of university rabble rousing.  The article focuses on teaching our young folks how to be successful activists, agitators, and protestors but it does not at all emphasize the responsibilities those young folks have toward succeeding academically and intellectually.  The piece literally treats “activism” as something akin to a genuine, bone fide field of endeavor to be taken at least as seriously as more traditional fields of study that lead to constructive and productive professions and careers that actually make positive contributions towards our nation’s future success and progress.  The author begins by advising that activists, “need to be seen as responsible citizens in order to win respect, acceptance and legitimacy from the majority of ordinary citizens who must be won over for movements to succeed.”  Do you notice the unabashed hypocrisy here?  Note the emphasis on the, “need to be seen as responsible citizens.”  Need to be seen?

 

     In effect, then, the activist doesn’t really have to be an actual, bone fide responsible citizen as long as they are perceived as being so. This guy has managed to out Machiavelli old Machiavelli.  In The Prince, Machiavelli maintained that the ruler didn’t really have to be good or wise or kind so long as the people being governed could be hoodwinked into believing it.  This is the absolute height of cynicism, arrogance, and scorn which are hallmarks of the Liberalism that dominates our university and college campuses in today’s America.  Liberals constitute the most intolerant segment of our society and it is their false vision of our future that drives them and their conspicuously mindless, non-thinking followers.  They can’t tolerate views and policies that deviate even slightly from their own.  Those that dare to disagree with them are vehemently and sometimes even violently silenced and their freedom of speech is thoroughly destroyed.  Go to the student union at virtually any of our colleges and universities and dare to disagree with the latest Liberal orthodoxy.  It could be the current lies about so-called man-made global warming or catastrophic climate change.  It could be race relations between black and white or the current nonsense over income inequality.  It doesn’t matter.  Open your mouth and you will be literally shouted down, forced off the campus, and barred from ever returning.  If you feel this is an exaggeration, go ahead and try it.  I have.

     Additionally, the piece explains that the effective activist says, “yes to society’s core values, assuming that these are morally acceptable.”  Well, there’s quite the statement for you.  Who in the end are the arbiters of whether or not society’s core values are acceptable?  Liberals, of course.  Do you think that these societal saboteurs find America’s core values morally acceptable?  Not on your life!  Let’s see, one of our nation’s most basic values has always been a very limited federal government that will only minimally intrude upon the lives of citizens.  All you need to do is read the Constitution and more specifically the Tenth Amendment to verify this fact.  Do you think the Liberal activists and their campus cohorts agree that this American value is morally acceptable?  These socialists want and demand the exact opposite.  In their warped and twisted view, they want government to solve all of life’s problems and pitfalls real or imagined.  You see, the normal, average American citizen is deemed incapable of functioning on his own, taking charge of his own life, and setting his own goals and priorities.  Only government can do that.

 

     That pesky problem of racism?  Look to government for solutions.  Sexism?  The same.  Income inequality?  Just go whining to Big Brother and presto – problem solved!  The ravages of global warming and catastrophic climate change?  Once again, call in the Feds.  Does that sound like a limited and less intrusive central government to you?  Yeah, me either.  How about other rock-solid American core values like self-reliance and rugged individualism which have helped the United States become the most powerful, wealthy, freest, and most generous nation in planetary history?  Do you think the Liberal Scum who have so effectively brainwashed our youth find these core values morally acceptable?  Absolutely not.  Liberalism, you must understand, requires no real thought, action, or effective solutions.  It only requires noise but it never solves problems because it can’t.  It’s all symbolism over substance, bullshit over brass, if you will.  As long as you make the right noises about, say, racism and inequality you are greatly admired.  You don’t actually need to do anything to solve any problems but rather just sound as though you care deeply.  The same is true for such bogus and made-up horrors as income inequality, rising sea levels, and the ravages of Carbon Dioxide none of which, in fact, is even slightly problematic.  Liberalism maintains that you really don’t have to give a rat’s ass about any or all of them as long as you sound like you do.  As long as you come across as a “true believer”, you are instantly lauded and lionized as one who is filled with compassion for the fate of humanity but you don’t actually have to accomplish anything real or substantive.  This mindset is ideal for controlling and molding our impressionable and gullible youth who are always, it seems, on a never ending journey of self-discovery.  They want to be needed and useful and Liberalism provides the grand illusion that they are.  It doesn’t matter that it is dishonest, bogus, and spurious so long as it gives our young scholars that warm glow of “feel goodism” about themselves and their endeavors.

     Where, then, can a young, idealistic, save-the-world, end-the-injustice, and give-peace-a-chance type go to receive a post-high school degree that will further develop and refine the nascent narcissism with which so many of our youth seem so infected?  Are there really institutions of higher education out there that actually award academic degrees in the field of activism?  Of course there are and no, I’m not making this up.  Perhaps a good place to start would be to contact an outfit called Freedom Connector (http://connect.freedomworks.org), which outlines how one can obtain a degree in, “activism.”  This organization explains that, “The Freedom Works University degree in activism provides students with the tools they need to become an effective activist.”  Additionally, “Courses examine important topics such as working on the campaign trail, attending town hall meetings, and networking with fellow activists.”  Do you believe this shit?!?!  You want to be an activist?  Get off your sorry ass and get out there and activate!  Why do you need a degree in, “activism?”  You really want to establish your bone fides as an authentic activist?  Go out there and get yourself arrested a few times and perhaps you can get some cooperative cop to bust your head open with a Billy Club or Black Jack.  That’s the way to get yourself established in a career of Activism.  By the way, it’s also a sure-fire, fool-proof way to get “lucky” with some wide-eyed, eager to please female activist!  The Freedom Connector piece continues that upon, “completion students will know the basics of grassroots politics and campaigning, and have a better understanding of how to make a difference at every level of politics, from local government to the White House.”  Wow, so that’s how our current Activist-in-Chief got hooked up!

     Freedom Connector offers such courses as, “Mastering Activism With Freedom Connector (ACTV 101).  This course helps the student find other, “activists, events, and groups in your area to discussing and sharing the most important issues facing the nation with activists all across the country.”  Once you have completed this class, “you will be ready to put the power of political activism where it belongs – in your own hands.”  Talk about activist utopia –well I guess!  Yet another course, Activist Involvement: Common Core (ISSU 101), deals with the, “new, nationalized curriculum known as the Common Core State Standards.”  Indeed students, “will learn about the back-door deals that were necessary for special interest groups, and what they can do to get involved in their local communities to fight back.”  Man, why didn’t they have this kind of neat stuff when I was young all those decades ago?

     Not to be outdone, the Ivory Tower types at Northeastern University actually offer their youthful charges a minor in Social Activism.  Pretty damned exciting, don’t you think?  A promotional piece entitled, “Social Activism (http://www.northeastern.edu),” explains that students who, “minor in social activism will learn a variety of perspectives and practical approaches to social activism.”  Students, “interested in activism will have opportunities to explore social movements, advocacy, and citizenship in a wide array of situations.  These opportunities arise from the wealth of advocacy organizations in Boston; the access Northeastern University students have to co-op experiences nationally and internationally; and Northeastern University’s Service Learning Program.”  Sounds like just the ticket for a budding young rabble rouser.  Northeastern U, of course, offers the prerequisite course work for success in a career of activism.  Introductory classes include such weighty examples as: Social Problems; Environment and Society; and Social Movements.  On the Intermediate/Advanced level we find such offerings as: Global Human Rights – A Social and Economic Perspective; Interest Groups and Public Policy; Environmental Activism and Movements; and Class, Power, and Social Change.  Additionally, we note the category of, “Service Learning.”  This includes such favorites as: Advocacy Workshop; Social Policy, Advocacy, and Activism; and, of course, Politics of Poverty.  Yeah, there’s an education for you that’s certainly well worth the exorbitant cost to Mommy and Daddy!

     No matter where I look, our institutions of higher education seem less concerned with educating our nation’s youth but instead are far more interested in their radicalization.  The more I delve into the topic of activism at our country’s colleges and universities the more uneasy and less sanguine I become about America’s future and role in the world.  I can’t help but notice an unmistakable current of anti-Americanism running throughout these institutions.  This is disturbing in the extreme for at none of the aforementioned colleges and universities have I detected anything even remotely resembling notions of pride in country, patriotism, or nationalism.  The folks at these places seem to loathe and despise the United States as historically founded and presently constituted.  It is an unmistakable undercurrent that is present at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Given the fact that all these courses are taught by full-blown unabashed Liberals and are attended by Liberal Wannabees this conclusion cannot be avoided.

     A descriptive piece entitled, “Law 10160-Public Interest Advocacy (http://courses.scu.edu),” provides insight here.  This Southern Cross University course, “explores the theory and practice of community activism and social change with an emphasis on the intersection of law with those areas of social engagement and provides students with a broad based introduction to the skills and techniques necessary to bring about useful social change in a highly corporatized and technocratic society.”  This certainly sounds like something that a young person might want to explore.  He or she might be intrigued by such notions as, “useful social change,” and a, “highly corporatized and technocratic society.”  But just what the FUCK does this mean?  SCU is not specific as to the meaning or purpose of this course of study, so let’s analyze it for a moment.  This course emphasizes social change as though it is something new and unique in the American experience.  Social change has always been with us because society is always evolving, developing, and changing.  Change is a constant because without it we atrophy, stagnate, and eventually die.  Change is the ability to adapt to the world around us and is, in fact, a necessary survival skill and instinct.

     Yet the dunderheads at SCU seem to think they have discovered a uniquely new and even radical concept here.  The egg-headed mopes who advocate social change give away their motives and their end game when they tell us they want to “change” our highly corporatized and technocratic society.  They loathe and despise anything to do with the corporate world or corporations because that smacks of Capitalism and every good Liberal will drone on endlessly and mindlessly about the evils of Capitalism and corporatism.  They, as did one Mr. Karl Marx, view Capitalism as an oppressor of mankind – especially the mankind of the working variety.  Our Liberal saboteurs, especially at the college and university level, ardently believe that Capitalism is an enemy to be defeated and any nation that has Capitalism as its main socio-economic engine is also an enemy to be destroyed.  This is not really open to interpretation but instead can be proven by simply listening to what is being said and taught about Capitalism on virtually any campus in the country.  It is always referred to in the negative and presented as a destroyer of freedom and an oppressor of the masses.  Capitalism is always presented as evil and since the United States is easily the most Capitalist country on the planet, then it too is evil.  The illogic and dishonesty here is both profound and profane.  Those who go the “activist” route are never taught the unmistakable and undeniable truths about Capitalism and the unparalleled benefits it brings to mankind – especially working mankind.  Our system of Capitalism has created more wealth and prosperity than any other in history.  Capitalism has enabled the average citizen in today’s America to live better and longer than the wealthy classes of yore.  Capitalism has caused unheard of and undreamed of advances in all fields of endeavor to the ultimate betterment of human kind. Capitalism has brought more happiness and freedom in the world than any other economic system.  The young folks at our colleges and universities are never taught this.  They are brainwashed into believing that somehow or some way Capitalism has enslaved the masses and benefitted only those at the very top of society.

     The other focus of the course in question, changing our highly technocratic society, is equally antithetical to Capitalism and by extension to the United States.  For whatever reason, the folks who dreamed up this course of study appear to be against technological innovation and progress.  The march of technology cannot be ignored or denied and those who insist upon doing so are reminiscent of the Luddites of old who literally raged against the machine.  Technology in the hands and minds of the wrong people can certainly be a dangerous thing but that is not the fault of technology.  Technological advances have over the years have been an overwhelmingly positive force in the world and has, in fact, been at the forefront of lifting more of the planet’s population out of poverty than at any time in history.  It is Capitalism, of course, that has allowed technology to develop and advance and to positively impact the lives of billions.  You like your refrigerator and air conditioner?  Thank Capitalism and technology.  You like the variety of food and drink available at your local grocery store?  Thank Capitalism and technology.

 

     You appreciate your new automobile or the airliners that can transport you anywhere in the world?  Thank Capitalism and technology.  Your I-Phone and computer?  Life-saving medicines and medical procedures?  Longer lives and more leisure time?  Labor saving devices like washing machines and dryers?  Once again, thank Capitalism and technology.  Yet these farcical assholes at good old SCU would deny all of this and insist that progress is somehow a negative.  Well, if you’re a Liberal Puke at some Ivory Tower Institute poisoning the minds of literally generations of young Americans, this is the end-game.  Turn our youth against the ideas and ideals of progress and paint a picture of a Capitalist America as a world-wide scourge and enemy of mankind.  They can do this, in part, by offering such weighty and provocative courses that include: Activism, Advocacy, and the Practice of Democracy; Building Successful Social Movements; Strategies in the Art of Advocacy; Direct Action, Protest, and Your Rights; Digital Activism; and Empowerment and Personal Sustainability.  Yeah, these and other courses like them all over the country will certainly prepare America’s youth to succeed out there in the real world and be prepared to receive the mantle of leadership when it comes time to pass that torch.  I’m tellin’ ya folks, we’re in some seriously deep shit here!

     Still not convinced that our college and university youth are being fed a constant diet of anti-Capitalism and anti-Americanism?  You should be aware, then, that this is a particular focus of virtually every Liberal Scum-Dog in the country and these are the saboteurs who have controlled our educational system for at least half a century.  They are unrelenting in their hatred, disdain, and contempt for the United States and the institutions and traditions that made it great.  It’s really difficult for most Americans to grasp that concept.  Here we have the prospect, for the most part, of native-born American citizens emerging from the halls of higher learning having been taught that their own country is evil incarnate and must be radically, permanently, and fundamentally transformed.  I am constantly amazed (although I shouldn’t be anymore) that these folks don’t recognize or appreciate how very blessed they are to have been born in the United States and by virtue of that accident of birth are the freest people on the planet.  They are so free in fact that they can advocate and demonstrate for the very destruction of this greatest of all nations.  They fail to appreciate that every year millions upon millions of foreigners try to emigrate here permanently because they recognize the marvelous benefits that accrue to people who can call themselves Americans. These ungrateful, anti-American twits can’t understand or fathom the reality that if this place was so bad and so horrid the world’s “huddled mases” wouldn’t be clamoring to get here and stay here.  These total absolute assholes simply don’t get the relatively basic idea that it is our Capitalist system that has created the highest standard of living in the history of history. They refuse to admit that under our system, no dream or desire cannot be achieved if one is willing to work hard enough to make it a reality.  They don’t get the elemental fact that in America, as nowhere else in the world, failure is almost always self-imposed and that the limits placed on the individual are placed there by themselves.

     A piece entitled, “Activism Classes at University of Michigan Teaches Capitalism Should Be Overthrown (http://thecollegefix.com),” informs us that in a course called Organizational Studies a text entitled Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution is required reading.  This tome informs students, “that capitalism should be overthrown – claiming capitalism means waste, poverty, ecological degradation, dispossession, inequality, exploitation, imperialism, war, and violence.”  This drivel is absolutely outrageous in that none of the above is even close to accurate.  I firmly believe that those who teach this utter bilge are more than aware that they are lying through their teeth.  The fact that they are lying to a captive audience of extremely naïve, inexperienced, and gullible youth compounds and exacerbates their “crime.”  The text blames, “the global slump we are living through on capitalism.  It is the predictable manifestation of a crisis prone economic system rooted in production for profit rather than for human need.”  The anti-Capitalist propaganda continues that, “For the sake of human development and ecological sanity it needs to be overthrown.”  Don’t these fools get it?  Capitalism has done more to fulfill human need than any other system in history.  This is simply a fact and only those who want to destroy our country would view Capitalism in such a negative manner.  The textbook further, “describes capitalism as morally perverse, and defines it as a profit-driven economic system rooted in inequality, exploitation, dispossession and environmental destruction.”  Would you want your young son or daughter being taught this wrong-headed Bullshit?  Well, if your young ‘uns are attending college or university in present-day America this is exactly what is being shoved down their throats!

     The same kind of drivel can be found at universities situated across the pond in merry old England.  The University of Leeds, for example, offers a Masters Degree in, “Activism and Social Change (http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk),” which, “brings together the worlds of academia and social struggle,” and fights against, “social and ecological injustice, and for a more equal, just society.”  Additionally, “We engage students in a questioning of the fairness and sustainability of the current capitalist world order and explore empowering ideas and examples of how to challenge the status quo.”  Challenging the status quo?  That’s simply Liberal-Speak for completely destroying Capitalism – the greatest wealth-creator known to man – and for turning the United States of America into just one more Third World Shithole where everyone is equal:  equally poor; equally unhealthy; equally unfree; and equally miserable!  That’s what the LFE who control the educational system in our country most ardently want, desire, and need.  Furthermore this course offers, “an overview of global social movement struggles with particular reference to anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism.”  It really can’t get more clear than this.  These anti-Americans want our nation brought to its knees and they are not at all shy about declaring their intentions.

     Not all of these college and university courses that preach the destruction of Capitalism and the United States will come out and tell you that forthrightly, directly, and honestly.  This is standard operating procedure for Liberalism and the Liberal Pukes among us who champion its cause.  They lie, dissemble, mislead, and obfuscate.  They can’t and won’t tell the truth because that would expose them and their ideals for who and what they really are.  Most Americans, I  believe, if properly informed are still able to deal with a threat once it has been exposed.  A piece entitled, “Environmental Justice (http://www.snre.umich.edu),” is illustrative here.  The University of Michigan is home to the School of Natural Resources and Environment.  Whenever you see the term environment coupled with justice, red lights, bells, and whistles should go off in your head.  This is no more than a catch-phrase for anti-Americanism and anti-Capitalism.  Topics of study offered in the SNRE’s curriculum concentrate on, “pollution, exposure to hazardous waste, poverty, urban affairs, spatial analysis, climate change, biodiversity conservation, common-pool resources, food security, social movement dynamics, water policy, public health, conscientious consumerism, institutional design, and business and environment.

     Wow, that’s quite a list that is apparently in dire need of our immediate attention.  Hey, no problem.  If addressing these “challenges” is what floats your boat, then go for it.  It’s amazing to me, however, that no matter what the problem the solution always – always – involves the destruction of Capitalism and the fundamental transformation of the United States.  When you hear or read the above-mentioned words and phrases you are being confronted with Liberal Speak and Liberals, by definition, loathe and despise their own country.  Some of the courses offered here include: How to Save the Planet; Environmental Crimes; and the ever popular Environmental Justice.  Other offerings along the same vein include: Justice Issues in Conservation & Sustainability; Public Opinion and the Environment; Political Ecology, Environmental Security, and Conflict; and Poverty, Environment, and Inequality.  Is it any wonder that so many of our college grads leave the hallowed halls completely and totally unemployable and unprepared for the adult challenges that await them in the real world?

   

     This kind of hucksterism and dishonesty is now what passes for a legitimate course of study at far too many of America’s colleges and universities.  Generations of young Americans reach early adulthood schooled and thoroughly steeped in an anti-Americanism that they carry with them for the rest of their lives.  What we learn in our formative years tends to stay with us well into our maturity.  These young folks who will one day lead our nation have been completely brainwashed by Liberalism which is nothing more than an authoritarian and totalitarian philosophy that disdains and despises emphasis on the individual and self-reliance.  Instead, those who advocate Liberalism favor giving over all the power that exists to an ever more powerful, intrusive, and centralized federal government that will control every and all aspects of the lives of the citizenry.  This is not the United States envisioned by our Founders nor is it the country that most of us grew up in and have learned to love and cherish.

Much Luv Y’all and Have a Great Day!

The Fifth Horseman

(Dr. David M. Rich, Ph.D.)