Came across this piece a little earlier, thought it was interesting. Link below.

People have been arguing about whether the powers that be on university campuses in this country have sought to silence conservative voices since the 1950s - probably reasonably so. I think there have been plenty of examples true conservatives could point to, even recently, of lefty tendencies running amok. I'll withhold judgement (though I do feel like campus lefties gave rise to cancel culture, which MAGAtown has taken to a whole new level).

I hadn't read much about the programs in Florida. A few interesting underlying principles, and a few interesting characters involved. I don't have a problem with students learning (a lot) about Western civilization. It feels like there has been a lot of pushing and pulling from both sides recently. My own personal observation is that kids at the high school level aren't reading works I couldn't have fathomed not being taught a few short decades ago. Good thing or bad thing? I really don't have an informed perspective. Schools are more diverse I suppose. I can see the argument for exposing students to a well-rounded set of works that reach beyond the familiar. That said, there has been a lot of fantastic thought in this country and Western Europe that underpin a lot of our principles and institutions. Probably not one right answer.

Either way, it will be interesting to keep an eye on this one. I suppose the experiments at UF and other schools may come down to selection. Which students sign up, and which faculty members do they recruit. Hopefully they'll be able to keep the MAGA element out and we'll have something to learn from. If it does become a vehicle for MAGA self-segregation and indoctrination, probably something we really don't need. Hell, the MAGA community could use a refresh on the mid- late 20th Century, the Soviet Union and totalitarianism in the "modern" era. Maybe they'd be a little less enthusiastic about lining up with Vladimir Putin. We'll see where all of this goes.
[Post edited by Capital City Hoo at 04/16/2024 09:01AM]