Liberals are insufferable. I should know. If they're not careful, they can make themselves cross-eyed from looking down their noses at everyone else. Being on the side of the angels most of the time can, over time, cause liberals to see themselves as morally superior. Naturally, that leads to a sense that those who espouse a contradictory stance are inferior beings. Liberals see themselves as the well educated, urbane, well-dressed guardians of the culture. Liberals know which fork to use for each course, which wine goes with what meat and which pre-school will most likely lead their brilliant offspring to the ivies. They see conservatives as the unwashed denizens of fly-over states. For those misguided souls forks are irrelevant when eating McDonald's French fries: PBR goes well with everything, including Count Chocula and pre-school is the lady down the street who watches kids for $2.00 an hour while you work at Walmart. Face it, liberals never think of the mega-rich Koch Brothers as the poster boys for right-wingers. It's more likely Larry the Cable Guy.
However, recent events at America's institutions of higher learning have put a lie to the notion that liberals are always the best and the brightest. The actions of several universities have caused the elbow-patched jackets of the liberal elite to appear a bit frayed. Within the last few weeks, invitations to commencement speakers at three universities have been unceremoniously withdrawn.
At Smith College, student and faculty protest caused the school to rescind a speaking invitation to IMF Chairman Christine Legarde. (Seriously Ms. Legarde wears white hair with more style than anyone you have ever seen.)
It seems that some folks at this Massachusetts institution of higher learning feel that they can learn nothing from the woman who controls the world's checkbook. Apparently, they object to the monetary policies of the IMF and, rather than listen to her thoughts and theories, the guardians of political correctness at Smith relented and withdrew the invite. Considering the esoteric nature of world capitalism, it's refreshing to discover that any college student body is passionate about something besides each other and football. (At UConn. substitute basketball.) Nevertheless, denying Ms. Legarde the opportunity to address the graduating seniors because of the decisions made where she works is small-minded and pejorative; actions truly unbecoming a group who professes a larger world view.
Meanwhile, a bit further east in the leafy suburbs of Boston, Brandeis University was busy taking in the welcome mat for Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Ms. Hirsi Ali is a Somalia born Dutch citizen who is famous for attacking Islam's treatment of women. She has lived with death threats from the Muslim world since she collaborated with Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh on a film exposing the quaint Islamic traditions of honor killings and female genital mutilation. (Van Gogh was murdered by a Muslim attacker in 2004.)
She has traveled extensively in the single pursuit of justice for Muslim women who live in virtual slavery at the hands of their husbands and families. Apparently the plight of women in the Muslim world is less important to the community of scholars at Brandeis than the potential offense to Islam that her speech might present. Wouldn't want to offend a murderous band of crazy people who think drive-by shooting is an acceptable form of political speech. Wow! If I were a member of a religion that treated women like chattel, I wouldn't want to be reminded either. No wonder Howard University invited P Diddy to speak.
And finally we have Rutgers University in sunny New Brunswick, New Jersey. As the state university, Rutgers is expected to act a tad less capriciously that the private institutions mentioned above. After all the state's governor is trying to be President. How would it look if they can't even get the commencement right? Well, first they invited Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State, to address the senior class. What...too soon? I guess so. Having been part of the cabal that bullshitted the country into two wars, the students of New Jersey said "fugetaboutit". (There's actually a correct spelling for that.) Sec. Rice, showing a grace under fire that was absent from her turn at State, bowed out.
Next on deck was Eric LeGrand, a Rutgers football player who was paralyzed while making a tackle in 2010. He was invited to speak by the school president Dr. Robert Barchi. A week later he was cashiered by the athletic director (well, she left a voice mail) saying that LeGrand had been bumped by former governor Thomas Kean. Ouch! Fifteen yards for unnecessary roughness. Time for some traffic problems in New Brunswick.
This just in... Haverford College in Pennsylvania has withdrawn a commencement invitation to Robert Birgeneau, former president at UC Berkley in response to student disapproval. Seriously? The man who ran the Cooperstown of liberalism wasn't politically correct enough for Haverford?
Naturally we expect college students to protest. That's what they do. And it's usually the uber-liberals who take offense over everything including the racist segregation of the salt and pepper in the student union. What is troubling is the lack of spine that is evident among the adults who run these institutions. In past years, student protests were met with the indifference they deserved. Student revolt was the price you pay for having 15,000 fairly bright people on your campus with too much free time. Participation in student rebellions are often the only way some kids can get laid. Students expect to be ignored. It fuels their rage and makes them feel righteous.
I was frankly a bit embarrassed that my own beloved alma mater Fordham University, invited Tito Martinez, former NY Yankee first baseman to address the graduation class. True, Martinez has an Olympic Gold Medal and four World Series rings. He was a fan fav and apparently an all-around good guy. Still the selection comes up a bit short in the prestige department. OK I'm a snob but it's a good school and I would have liked to see Michael Bloomberg or Hillary C. (Hey, she lives right up the street, right?) That said I suspect the faculty senate felt they had little to fear from an invitation to a Cuban-American first baseman. Any protest is likely to come from the few campus supporters of the Boston Red Sox and who would listen to them...especially in the Bronx?
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