The College Fix

Mark Agather, a leader within the Montana Tea Party movement, shares his recent experience dealing with a UC Berkeley student:

Sometimes it is hard to believe what’s going on in our world. For example, I had a call from a 31-year-old male who was attending UC Berkeley who wanted to talk to a person involved with the Tea Party. He apparently found my name on the internet. To my knowledge, he wasn’t doing any sort of formal research, but he was very reserved relative to his purpose. However it was soon apparent he did not want a true dialogue, but rather a validation of the preconceived prejudices he had learned from his professors at that university. The conversation ended up confirming the huge bias existing in our university system today.

Our discussion quickly established the built-in misconceptions this gentlemen had been taught, such as the Tea Party equaled racism, that it was for big business, and finally that its members promoted anarchy. The caller was startled when I told him it was quite the opposite, in that liberals today are for big business, are the most intolerant of opposing viewpoints, and who are working toward their own form of fascism.

The caller was shocked when I pointed out that he was a parrot unthinkingly expressing not his well-thought-out viewpoints but instead those of his professors from the “bubble land” of the university he was attending. I stated it was apparent that he was not exposed to any conservative thought or philosophies and as such he could not develop any true perspective. He laughed and said “Of course not! Conservative professors and lecturers are not allowed at UC Berkeley.” Most frightening was the fact that he thought this was fine and the way it should be. This should give us all pause.

People, the prejudice and discrimination in our country’s university system against conservatives in general and against the Tea Party in particular is well-known, widespread, virulent, and ultimately anti-American. Our university system in Montana is infected as well. If we allow it to continue we will be left with a generation of college students who will be indoctrinated in a liberal agenda which promotes the notion that discrimination and prejudice against conservatives is justifiable and even preferred. For the sake of our students, our country, as well as our universities, such trends should be stopped.

This originally appeared as an op-ed in The Daily Interlake on Saturday and was republished in its entirety with permission from its author.

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