What I’d advise Katherine Timpf is to stop bemoaning that the University of Michigan protects people from being discriminated against for their race, gender, or sexual preference but not for their political leanings, and ask herself why it is that so many educated people of conscience no longer see her political party as a legitimate participant in the national debate.
Obviously, Ms. Timpf has a point. Michigan communications Prof. Susan J. Douglas came out and wrote an article about why it is completely understandable to “hate” Republicans. Presumably she teaches some Republicans, so how does this not create some kind of hostile environment? If she said it was just fine to hate blacks or men or Jews, we’d be outraged.
If you actually read her piece, you’ll realize that she is really lamenting the fact that the Republicans have become so filled with hate that they’ve polarized the country to the point that the left hates them right back. She isn’t saying that this is a good outcome or hoping that it continues. She’s just saying, “you started it.”
And that’s fine. We all wish there were still progressive Republicans who deal with facts and simply have different priorities than we do. But there aren’t any of those Republicans left.
Today, this is a party that is animated by religious fundamentalism, that rejects science, that is hostile to racial and ethnic minorities, that is hostile to women’s rights, that is hostile to gay rights, that tries to deny people the right to vote, that intensely dislikes intellectuals, artistic folks, secular people and religious minorities, and that aggressively promotes xenophobia.
Unless you’re a white guy who was born here and speaks English, this party hates you.
So, what happens is that the recipients of that hate stop behaving as if the GOP has a bunch of legitimate positions that ought to be politely debated. Their ideas are not seen as real enough or logical enough to be part of a proper education. “We’re debating public policy to address climate change here, buddy, and you’re denying it is even happening.” “We’re debating what would be sound policy on immigration, buddy, and you want to deport 12 million people and build alligator-filled moats along the border.” “We’re debating how best to stop the next Sandy Hook massacre, buddy, and you just introduced a bill to make it easier for mentally ill people to buy and carry semiautomatic rifles.”
So, Ms. Timpf, take a look at yourself and your movement. Take the log out of your own eye.
Your kids probably won’t get treated with respect at any respectable college.
That’s your fault, not the faculty’s.
