Legislators' attempt to blackmail University of Wisconsin is un-American
Republican legislators have just reached a new low. Apparently they’re now spending their time scouring the University of Wisconsin course lists for titles they don’t like, such as "The Problem of Whiteness."
Let’s not dwell on the fact that a course title might not tell you everything about what students will learn in a semester of reading, writing and discussion. And let’s not spend too much time on the idea that students in majority-white Wisconsin might benefit from thinking for a few months about what race means and how it works.
Let’s focus instead on the shameless authoritarianism of elected officials. Suppressing academic speech isn’t a small thing. It’s a favorite tactic of authoritarian regimes. The Nazis burned books they saw as “Un-German.” The Soviets insisted that historians write only narratives that glorified Russian Communism. The Iranian government reviews every book before it decides whether or not it should be published. Authors banned in Iran include Plato and Kurt Vonnegut.
Countless Americans have lost their lives fighting these regimes. Why? Because we valued the freedoms our enemies did not. We believed that a free society does not close down discussion because some ideas are uncomfortable or challenging. A free society does not squelch debate and dissent. A free society welcomes a range of viewpoints and believes that we will all be wiser for having questioned our assumptions.
Read more: http://host.madison.com/ct/opinion/column/caroline-levine-legislators-attempt-to-blackmail-uw-is-un-american/article_2ca5a25d-28b8-58be-a5d3-1b8f538dec9d.html