[compulsion] tool of the new tolerance

Ruthie Malhotra

Years ago, in the Academic Days, I had to attend a teachers' conference, I think in Newark, can't remember. The highlight was going to be a young girl who'd been making big waves over student's rights and she'd become some sort of cause celebre in her own lunchtime.

Typical male, when I first saw her diminutive figure on the other side of the auditorium in her smart jacket, I thought, "Hmmm. Nice." Then the assessment was progressively revised downwards as she clearly had an adoring entourage who were hanging on every utterance and I couldn't help but think:

"Hey, hang on a minute - she's 17 if she's a day. Bright- yes, able to communicate - reputedly, physically attractive - undoubtedly but she's still a kid. A kid with an idea but still a kid. Oh well, let's listen to her."

Well, it was appalling. She strode to the stage like royalty, waited till someone adjusted the mike downwards and then launched into such an incoherent torrent of invective against all teachers, all heads, all parents - in fact any with the temerity to harbour a difference of opinion with her but the worst of it was that she was virtually inarticulate with rage.

Two years ago, over here, I was privately teaching a very similar young lady. As I zeroed in on her weakness - numbers and kept asking her questions, she first went red, then exploded, flinging her pen across the room and sitting rigidly, staring straight ahead. She'd come to me with a reputation as a star.

What was the connection? Apart from lack of self control, it was a sort of trouble making penchant. I think it hardly mattered what the cause was - if there was a cause, she was the one at hand to act without respect no matter how august the personage. If it was someone in authority, this was red rag to a bull.

So to America. The clarion call from the Front Page announced:

When Ruth Malhotra told her college professor she planned to miss a class to attend a conservative political conference, the professor wasn't happy. You're just going to fail my class," she said the instructor told her.

What Ms Malhotra skipped over was the provocative tone in her voice as she "told", not "asked" the professor for leave. Actually she did highlight, for the world, an appalling state of affairs in colleges of higher learning - just ask Norman Geras about the infestation of socialists and political correctness in universities today - it's pretty dire, as Sisu brought to our attention.

The conservatives in congress got to hear about it and:

They have proposed a measure that would encourage colleges to present dissenting sources and viewpoints in the classroom and to promote intellectual pluralism in selecting outside speakers and financing student activities.

Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House subcommittee in charge of the reauthorization bill, said the proposals are designed to send a message to liberal academic officials: "You're using the school in many cases to brainwash and not to educate."

No arguments there. On campus, there's no choice - it's enforced by the thought police. You don't accept the indecency - you fail your course, as Ms Malhotra did. You refuse to admit that gays can be "married" and they incarcerate you. You dare speak of old values and you're labelled a nazi [they do love invoking that word, don't they?]

College administrators counter that the legislation marks an unprecedented and unjustified attempt by Congress to control college curricula.

Natch.

Now admittedly, Ruthie was a little madam, a little provocateur with an acid tongue and the ability to send her targets apoplectic and further to this, she was actually lapping up the notoriety and when I went to her site, she offered her e-mail and told us to "contact me - go on - you know you want to."

Her pronouncements on the gay pretence at marriage and on abortion were designed to get the lefties up in arms - just read the web denunciations of Nazi Fascist Ruthie.

These same people who write these generally misspelt and ungrammatical denunciations are the very ones preaching the religion of tolerance and respect of course. Calm measured language and argument versus hysteria, they argue. Such as this threat to our Ruthie:

This Valentine’s Day, you cannot attack gay marriage. It is about love and you are about hate.

This Valentine’s Day, you cannot condemn a woman’s choice. It is about love and you are about hate.

This Valentine’ Day, you cannot protest the Vagina Monologues. It is about love and you are about hate.

No, this Valentine’s Day, you will be Raped. Sex is about love and through it you will experience hate. I cannot wait.

Nice people, the tolerant left.

Now, on the Vagina Monologues, a play that has been trotted around 650 campuses for the kids to enforcedly view, Debra Rae has this to say:

Since then, the Monologues have become all the rage on campuses around the world with dozens of professors, administrators, and students participating as cast. In order to promote this Obie-winning play, women's studies representatives parade around college campuses in six-foot-tall costumes of women's private parts.

The central issue which Ruthie raised was the compulsion. When admins and staff exhort kids to attend such things, then something is deeply sicko. Young people will always be less offended by things the older generation finds reprehensible so the issue isn't shock. It's the compulsion the so-called tolerant free-thinkers love to utilize to impose their way without the slightest awareness of what they're actually doing.

Except of course for the deep cynicism of those who know full well and are laughing up their sleeves. Welcome to the decade where, on a clear day, you can see the decency bar lowered.

The appropriately named Faust, who has Harvard in thrall