If you came to this blogpost looking for another example of CMC moving up in rankings or being mentioned alongside schools like Amherst and Williams, you came to the wrong place. Today, CMC’s compatriots are the University of Dallas and Hillsdale College (in Michigan); all three of us are “conservative liberal arts colleges.”
The article, published by Michael Lind at Salon, attributes Glenn Beck’s proclivity to call progressives Nazis and compare Obama to Hitler (as well as Jonah Goldberg’s well-known book “Liberal Fascism”) to the followers of Leo Strauss, a German-born political philosopher. Named explicitly were CMC Prof emeritus Harry Jaffa and current Gov Prof. Charles Kesler.
Lind blames the Straussian’s worldview, which (as he sees it) pits American ideals “universal human rights” against Progressive-era abuses like eugenics, which were associated with Nazism and fascism, and which sees little difference between the Progressives a century ago and today’s progressives, despite obvious changes in ideology.
While we at CMC can all be proud of our truly diverse intellectual faculty and student body, we might bristle at the notion that those outside the Claremont bubble associate us with less-diverse bastions of unchallenged conservatism like Hillsdale, where, according to the Princeton Review, “Alternative lifestyles are not an alternative” and which has the most conservative students of any college nationwide. (And, for that matter, we can be proud that we aren’t a stereotypically liberal school like many others.)
Other than the chalkboard, it’s difficult to draw any serious connection between Glenn Beck and education. The two things just don’t seem very compatible.
Glen Beck has less than a junior high school grasp of history and world affairs, a complete lack of honesty and integrity, and a total disregard for the intelligence of his audience. His presentation is full of unfounded conspiracy theories and when he is caught in a lie, which he often is, he just switches from being a “reporter” or “political commentator” to being an “entertainer.”
“and a total disregard for the intelligence of his audience”
I’m afraid I have to extend my statement. Glenn Beck embraces ignorance, which is why claiming that his audience is intelligent is problematic. Fox, in general, is designed, marketed, and pandered to the uneducated who get a sadistic kick out imagining harm done to others. Remember Wally George? There’s really no difference between them.
You’re right on the money with this post, keep it up!
Jeremy has again acted in an irresponsible fashion. We want to reach compromise while adhering to Sogun Politics as described by Kim Jong Il. If your side acts aggressively, we will surely respond with all our military force and the will of the KPA army will destroy you and everything you imperialist puppet-writers stand for.