This fall, the University of California at Berkeley celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement.
For those not alive during this time, its fallout has proven to be a very mixed blessing on American campuses today.
In fairness, it did succeed in limiting some excesses of the university administration back then.
But, as is often the case, the baby was thrown out with the bath water.
The student radicals of the day grew older, but a few never truly grew up.
Some are now members of what Saul Bellow called the “Good Intensions Paving Company,” a play on the proverb “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
They believe that humans can be perfected if only some of the more reactionary members of the species would step aside and let those with [allegedly] more knowledge run the show.
Of course, these anointed ones usually work for some university or government entity and are always ready, willing and able to devise some new program or initiative.
These programs will cost money, but think of the dividends in human happiness or progress or equity or whatever the current goal du jour may be!
Besides, we can always tax the rich.
Many of the wealthy built businesses but, as everyone knows, they really didn’t build it themselves.
There’s an army of people at the university— any university— that must implement a program or initiative and file report after report to feed the government’s statistical grist mills.
Any HR representative will testify about the expansion of work in the profession.
What’s also troubling is the one-sidedness of some course offerings.
There is evidently only one way to think about American History, Political Science or any other course dealing with hot-button topics.
Woe betides anyone uttering a good word about the Robber Barons, the capitalists or the anti-Communists.
The thought control of UC Berkeley’s administration has been replaced by that of the Progressives.
Fortunately, saner influences are arising on campus today, which are blunting some of the excesses of the Good Intentions Paving Company.
The growth of Christian student groups, the increasingly moderate tone of some feminists, the growing dissatisfaction with groups that excessively play the “victim” card are all positive signs that today’s students are taking a more moderate approach toward social causes and politics.
As is often the case, Churchill is reported to have said it best. “If you’re not a liberal at twenty you have no heart. If you’re not a conservative at forty, you have no brain.”
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