This is a paper that was assigned during the spring semester of 2005 at my university. The directions were no more complicated than ‘pick a thought provoking or controversial topic and write about it.’ I was originally planning to write about HIPAA. But this changed one night only a day or two before our topics were due; I was watching Whose Line Is It Anyway? on ABC Family. Whose Line is followed by a Christian news show. So once it was over, I got up to change the channel before the news started, but the main story caught my eye. I reference it a few times in the paper. It was what first turned me on to the topic of political harassment.

Enjoy the essay, please read and review. If you want to, I can’t stop you, but please don’t leave comments that do nothing but mindlessly bash me and my political mindset. Thanks.

The Invisible -Ism

Racism. Sexism. Ageism. As products of a non-discriminating society, we are all familiar with these, and other, harmful ‘isms.’ Our constitution and Bill of Rights preach the notion that all men are created equal, and that none should be discriminated against because of their race or gender. These amendments stretch to all aspects of our society, from the election of politicians, to the punishment of kindergarteners. American citizens are doing all they can to prove that their actions are based on what they would do if the lights were turned off. This is becoming more and more true in relation to all of the isms. But the fact still remains: there is no political-ism.

American campuses nationwide all shared a similar image as of last November, as John Kerry and Anti-Bush signs and stickers adorned doors, lawns, cars, and even students and teachers themselves. At Princeton University, a study by Dan Flynn calculated that for every 300 dollars that went to support John Kerry’s campaign, only one dollar went to President Bush (Strand). Even in years before, this image was true; in 2000, 80 of Ivy League professors voted Democrat while only 9 cast ballots for Bush (Jacoby). The majority of college professors have always been, and probably always will be, siding with the left-end of the political scale.

Not only are most professors liberal, but most of them aren’t afraid to show it. Students who speak and write about their right-wing beliefs are frequently given lower grades or verbally harassed by their teachers, as reported by countless journalists. Indeed, every single article I read for this paper discussed at least one student who has suffered this discrimination. Paul Strand of CBN alone mentions over 15 cases of this sort of political harassment. And based on these numbers, one must wonder: Are young conservatives the new closet gays?

It would seem so. Even professors must hide their beliefs, as many have been “forced to keep their political orientation to themselves until they achieved tenure” (Horowitz) and still others have lost their jobs completely over voicing their opinions. I have been lucky enough to have two conservative professors here at Arcadia. Neither of them, though, were active in voicing their opinions. One told me quietly after class that he liked the pro-Bush sticker I’d affixed to my schoolbag (it was eventually torn off) and the other simply smiled amidst black mourning clothes on November 5 and said she was in a good mood because of the election.

Personally, I too have felt this discrimination. I’ve not had my grades lowered for anything, but pins and stickers have been ruined or stolen, classmates have laughed at me for my opinions, and I have been called horrible names by liberals. Each time, I found myself a bit surprised. If a homosexual student were called a foul name, immediate action would be taken. However, not an eye is batted when ‘racist warmonger’ is hissed at a passing conservative.

Students nationwide are receiving this kind of foul treatment. In California, this happens quite often in the state’s many liberal schools. For example, at Foothill College (near San Francisco), one student was told to get psychological help after writing a pro-America essay. And a student was given an F on a paper defending capitalism while a friend got an A for writing about the benefits of socialism. With all this hostility towards conservative students, many may wonder why they don’t fight back. Truth is, sometimes they do. One student received a D on a paper about his views and complained to the dean of students. The professor then changed his mind, saying the D was a mistake and the student actually deserved an F (Strand).

Perhaps my information to this point seems to be slightly unfair. After all, not every professor on every college campus is a liberal. Indeed, at Cornell, there are 6 conservatives out of 172 faculty members and as many as 17 teaching at Stanford (Jacoby). So there are some conservative professors, just not many. David Horowitz, one of the most well-known speakers/essayists on the topic has spoken at 200 college campuses and not one has had a majority of conservatives. Although, he tells us, the University of South Dakota has a closer ratio than most others. Of course, South Dakota is a very strong Republican state, so that could have something to do with it.

One of the most interesting observations on this issue is one brought up by David Horowitz in his The Campus Blacklist: “The chief effect of this harassment is to discourage conservatives from pursuing academic careers.” I love this quote because it puts political harassment on par with a snowball effect. In the beginning, there were liberal professors who only treated conservatives moderately badly some of the time and as time went on, their treatment became worse and worse until it reached the level it is today. Any young conservative would be slightly ‘turned off’ to the idea of teaching. They may wonder how bad the liberals treat their colleagues based on how badly they treat their students. It is one of two things which persuades them to stay away from teaching; fear, or simply the belief that it’s not worth the grief.

Some young rightists, however, are only strengthened by this type of harassment. When Horowitz went to speak at the University of Missouri in Columbia, he was met by professors offering credit to students who appeared to protest and none to students who attended because they wanted to hear what he had to say. When he finally went to speak, accompanied by seven armed guards because of his “controversial” attitude, the audience gave him three standing ovations. He says “It is my distinct impression that since the war began, conservatives have become bolder in displaying their emotions.”

He couldn’t be more right. Conservatives have always been the more reserved of the political scale, standing back and watching as liberals constantly hold riots, protests, and other obnoxious displays of emotion. We have been strengthened by recent events, both in the world and in our own backyards. We’ve had enough harassment from our liberal friends and the war was almost a way to rub into their faces that conservatives have the right idea. After all, both Iraq and Afghanistan have undergone regime changes and are on the road to democracy. This is reason enough for any American to celebrate, especially conservatives, whose beliefs are proving worthwhile.

Now that we have made so much progress in the Middle East, perhaps we should move back home and fix our campuses and correct their false claim of “intellectual diversity” in classrooms. Most people don’t see classroom events as anything serious. After all, why bother with politics when women are being sexually harassed, when gays are being beaten up, and when minority races are subjected to verbal taunts? But the truth is, this is just as bad if not worse. People of a homosexual orientation have a certain belief (the belief that they are attracted to members of the same sex) which makes them different from those surrounding them. Conservative students are exactly the same; our various beliefs make us stick out like a sore thumb on our campuses unless we shut our mouths and don’t let anyone know our political affiliation. Does this not strongly resemble the battle fought by gays in their decision to ‘come out of the closet’ and let people know how they really feel? When a ‘gay-bashing’ occurs, people everywhere take notice and take action, ensuring other gays that this will not happen again (Sabia). When a student is called by a racial slur, campus administration promises to end harmful displays of racism. American citizens were raised on feelings that all are equal, regardless of various diversities. College campuses have taken multiple actions to ensure these diversities are honoured rather than ridiculed. Go to any school and you’ll find clubs and organizations dedicated to ethnic heritage, sexual orientation, etc. Very few schools have conservative clubs.

One school that does is Berkeley. And Berkeley is a clear example of why other schools don’t follow. Members of the club report that people (students, teachers, and strangers alike) walk by yelling taunts at them and that their club flyers are always found in the trash or with rude writing scrawled across them. At Stanford, a Republican organization has had similar problems. Democrat organizations hold meetings in virtually any unused classroom with no problems, but the Republican group is driven away from most places, told that permission to use that space has not been granted (Strand)

Graduate student Joseph Sabia discusses one specific event that happened to him at Cornell. After writing “a case study in liberal … abuse of the university,” he was attacked by email many times by liberal professors telling him to “give it a rest” and that his information and quotes were entirely invented and untruthful. In one of his most powerful paragraphs, he says:

Imagine that I was a gay student and I had brought up issues of bias against my college. Would I have a cabal of professors ganging up on me, calling me a liar and questioning my integrity? Of course not. I would be treated respectfully, and my questions would be taken seriously. But no. I am a conservative, so I get the scorched earth treatment. I am personally assaulted as a liar and portrayed as a zealot on a crusade. … What has happened to me is the reason why conservatives are scared to death to challenge their liberal professors. They are scared of the scorched earth treatment. Fear is what keeps Leftists in control.

These statements by Sabia were published online at , a website devoted to conservative issues and very strongly centered on this problem of political harassment. The site’s main writer is none other than David Horowitz, a “former Leftist-radical-turned-conservative firebrand” (Strand) with an impressive background in the civil rights movement. Having won prestigious awards for helping American blacks gain fair treatment, he is now dedicated to the same cause for conservative students.

I’m not about to say that this harassment happens everywhere or to everyone. But most of the country’s conservative university students have experienced it in someway, either personally or hearing it from friends. When I began writing this paper, I was a bit hesitant. After all, I’m a conservative student talking about harassment by liberal professors and this paper is being graded by a liberal professor. But that small worry lasted only a brief moment. Everything I’ve read recently has been about conservative students whose views are squashed down, so why would I allow myself to hold back on this topic? Besides, if I get any harsher criticism than I deserve, I will have proved my point in writing this.

I’d like to end with a final statement, the very opening of every campus speech by David Horowitz: “You can’t get a good education if they’re only telling you half the story. Even if you’re paying $23,520 a year.”

$23,520 is the current tuition of my school, Arcadia University

Works Cited

Horowitz, David. “The Campus Blacklist.” 18 Apr. 2003

Jacoby, Jeff. “Intellectual Diversity? Not on Campus.” The Boston Globe, reprinted . 4 December 2004.

Sabia, Joseph John . “Political Harassment at Cornell.” . 4

April 2003.

Strand, Paul. “The New Radicals: How Liberal Campuses Harass Conservatives.” CBN:

The Christian Broadcasting Network. February 2005.