The political bias in our universities is structural. As has been documented repeatedly, the political leaning of North American professors and administrators is firmly left, far left, and extreme left. The numbers are remarkable: “Published in Econ Journal Watch last month, the study looks at faculty voter registration at 40 leading universities and finds that, out of 7,243 professors, Democrats outnumber Republicans 3,623 to 314, or by a ratio of 11 1/2 to 1.” Other studies show similar results: “Focusing specifically on social psychology academics, a 2014 study found that “[b]y 2006 … the ratio of Democrats to Republicans had climbed to more than 11:1.” The six authors, all from different universities and members of the Heterodox Academy, also said, by 2012, “that for every politically conservative social psychologist in academia there are about 14 liberal psychologists” according to Arthur C. Brooks. Academy member Steven Pinker described the study as “one of the most important papers in the recent history of the social sciences.”
This structural bias is not an accident. As I have seen first hand, candidates applying for jobs are vetted subtly or overtly for their political views, and anyone not holding strong leftist views, radical feminist views, and anti-capitalist, anti-West views, is not hired. Not only must candidates hold these views, but must engage in activism on their behalf, a requirement that has now become formalized as a necessity for being hired. At UCLA, applicants for faculty posts “must document their contributions to “equity, diversity and inclusion.” For decades American universities have advantaged minority candidates for faculty posts on the basis of a motivated misreading of “affirmative action,” and Canadian universities now favor minority candidates on the basis of “diversity.” Students know that they must express leftist views in their essays, or risk getting poor grades and letters of reference. Everyone knows what is acceptable and what is not.
No comments:
Post a Comment