I spent a decent amount of time in academia. About a quarter of my adult life, in fact. My parents were academics, but since they were in the sciences and the worst excesses of academic groupthink had yet to rear their ugly head, I saw less sheer idiocy then than before I went to graduate school and began teaching at a small liberal arts college.
Things were pretty bad by the 1990s, but postmodernism was still new and exciting to liberal academics. Since then, DEI and Critical Theory have become the standard in the Humanities, and dominate even the sciences, where “diversity statements” are required to get hired as Physicists and biologists, and “indigenous knowledge” has risen to equal or even higher status than the scientific method.
Universities have become indoctrination factories, not just because they lean left, but because the very foundation of their epistemology is based on the principle that there is no “real world,” and all communication is power. The search for truth is a colonialist construction based on a desire to impose one’s will, and that’s it, and the will that must be imposed is that the West must be destroyed.
NPR CEO: “I think our reverence for the truth might have become a bit of a distraction that is preventing us from finding consensus and getting important things done.”pic.twitter.com/Fiq7uoyJxj
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) March 31, 2026
That’s why censorship is a key part of the university experience. Only certain things may be said because even the saying of ideas creates an evil reality that must be destroyed.
Academics have killed freedom of thought, but as David Burge points out, liberals wear the concepts behind respected institutions as skinsuits to reap the hard-won benefits that accrued to the institutions they have killed.
A perfect example is this: the Chair of a Political Science department at UCLA pushing to cancel Bari Weiss from speaking because she questions whether academic freedom at universities exists anymore.
And Part 2! pic.twitter.com/jvW3fnM5l6
— Stu Smith (@thestustustudio) March 31, 2026
Huh? Think about it. Let the concept sink in. Roll it around. Bask in the contradiction.
How dare you question whether we allow debate and contrasting views? The assertion is so ludicrous and harmful to our reputation that we must silence you!
Her response to accusations of stifling free speech?
Stifling the accuser’s speech.
No self-awareness. No sense of irony.
Welcome to academia. https://t.co/L0qVZ8SYac
— Shai Davidai (@ShaiDavidai) March 31, 2026
Freedom is slavery. Debate is oppression.
Of course, by the lights of Critical Theory, words only mean what one says they mean, so my freedom to define the world is constrained by your disagreement, so of course you must be silenced.
This reminds me of San Francisco State’s response to students driving Riley Gaines into a locked classroom with police protection, and the response of the institution to this hostage taking was…to praise the students who assaulted her. They were exercising free speech by attacking her, kidnapping her, and requiring police to rescue her from a mob.
🚨@SFSU sent the following email about the the @Riley_Gaines_ @TPUSA event🚨
“Dear SF State community,
Today, San Francisco State finds itself again at the center of a national discussion regarding freedom of speech and expression. Let me begin by saying clearly: the trans… pic.twitter.com/L6Q9OZkVvU
— David Llamas (@davidllamas_) April 8, 2023
Dear SF State community,
Today, San Francisco State finds itself again at the center of a national discussion regarding freedom of speech and expression. Let me begin by saying clearly: the trans community is welcome and belongs at San Francisco State University. Further, our community fiercely believes in unity, connection, care and compassion, and we value different ideas, even when they are not our own. SF State is regularly noted as one of the most diverse campuses in the United States—this is what makes us Gators, and this is what makes us great. Diversity promotes critical discussions, new understandings and enriches the academic experience. But we may also find ourselves exposed to divergent views and even views we find personally abhorrent. These encounters have sometimes led to discord, anger, confrontation and fear. We must meet this moment and unite with a shared value of learning.
Thank you to our students who participated peacefully in Thursday evening’s event. It took tremendous bravery to stand in a challenging space. I am proud of the moments where we listened and asked insightful questions. I am also proud of the moments when our students demonstrated the value of free speech and the right to protest peacefully. These issues do not go away, and these values are very much at our core.
This feels difficult because it is difficult. As you reflect, process, and begin to heal, please remember that there are people, resources and services available and ready to receive our Gator community, including faculty, staff members, coaches and mentors who are here to support you.
Campus resources are also available:
1Equity and Community Inclusion
1Counseling and Psychological Services
1Dean of Students Office
The well-being of the SF State campus community remains our priority.
Sincerely,
Jamillah Moore, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management”
This is what she was praising as “free speech” and “peaceful protest:”
The prisoners are running the asylum at SFSU…I was ambushed and physically hit twice by a man. This is proof that women need sex-protected spaces.
Still only further assures me I’m doing something right. When they want you silent, speak louder. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/uJW3x9RERf
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 7, 2023
You could do worse than to assume that anything an academic says should be taken to mean the reverse. Freedom is slavery. Free speech is censorship. Peaceful is violent. Men can be women.
Sounds like this.https://t.co/IpPE2F3acT
— James Lindsay, anti-Communist (@ConceptualJames) April 9, 2023
That’s the essence of postmodernism and Critical Theory: use words to recreate reality as you like it. Reality is a mere construction of the mind, and everything is a battle for power. There is no actual truth or justice. Just the war of us against you.
We are in the midst of an American Cultural Revolution. And while we are fighting back now, we still aren’t winning.
Editor’s note: If we thought our job in pushing back against the Academia/media/Democrat censorship complex was over with the election, think again. This is going to be a long fight. If you want to join the conversation in the comments — and support independent platforms — why not join our VIP Membership program? Choose VIP to support Hot Air and access our premium content, VIP Gold to extend your access to all Townhall Media platforms and participate in this show, or VIP Platinum to get access to even more content and discounts on merchandise. Use the promo code FIGHT to join or to upgrade your existing membership level today, and get 60% off!
