My twin daughters are freshman experiencing these exact issues…the one here on the east coast more so than the one out west. The one in my time zone called last night and ranted for an hour about the stupid people being “triggered” by facts like if you are inebriated in public, you might be a target for malfeasance. “I really like this college, but some of these girls say they hate America and then I ask them, oh yea? Where else have you lived to be so sure this place sucks?” The other daughter said last night that her room mate is doing “rush,” but called her mom to tell her she won’t join her mom’s old sorority because they are all “woke” and she is not interested in dealing with that stuff. Luckily, I sent them both the debate on the sexual revolution just in time as they both had to sit through orientation “consent” workshops. Finally, the very first thing the east coast twin was told by her RA was that if she wanted to have a different name or pronouns, they would keep it from her parents. My husband made his way to a Dean at one of the nice receptions to ask if these students were being told to follow the honor code and to lie to their parents… We’ve had an interesting two weeks. I hope my daughters will grow and change and make four friends and learn skills, but not join the “sheeple.” It will be a challenge for them.
We need more Mayas. Lots more. Knowing what I do about Barnard, you are a very very strong brave woman. I am curious if your studies included Thoreau or Emerson or others that my generation cut its teeth on and who were great influencers( little did we know they were or that there would be such a word 50 years later: LOL). SELF RELIANCE, MARCHING TO THE BEAT OF ONE'S OWN DRUM ETC. I hope these notions are kept alive and hopefully rekindled by young thinkers such as yourself. Best of luck in whatever you do and wherever you go.
It's worth pointing out that this highlights the proper use of pride. Often pride is simply egotism, self-importance, arrogance. Here it's what makes the author say "It would demean me to do this cowardly thing."
Yeah you pretty much nailed it. These days Colleges are full of the most obnoxious twerps we’ve seen thus far in American History. I told some college kids recently ( I have an M.S., i’m pro college education) that if they get a degree in something bogus paying it off themselves is part of being a grown up. You knew the cost you made the choice.....
Oh boy! The meltdown that ensued... I actually got hit with a pro-discrimination argument where a person started saying that equal treatment favors the already advantaged.
“If Spinoza were to reappear on campus today, he’d see a lot of people with different colored hair and tattoos and piercings who insist they are living their truth but are, in fact, unwitting prisoners of someone else’s.”
We just dropped our daughter off for 2nd year at her university. So far she hasn’t had to make a similar choice there.
4 years ago, while a sophomore in high school, students planned a walk out in response to the shooting in Parkland FLA. She asked me if she could skip school that day. I told her “You cannot skip but you can choose whether to participate in the walk out or stay in your seat.”
She was annoyed by the entire thing. It was very trendy to take up social justice causes of all kinds and make a show of it, especially on social media. Also, she started to notice peers getting rewarded for being well trained foot soldiers, in the form of likes, follows, and even college acceptance letters.
For her it wasn’t about being pro gun control or pro 2A. It was more about being 16 and not performing fake outrage over a serious and highly debated issue.
Several districts in the area made the news for doing walk outs. Even elementary schools were doing them.
The day arrived and she chose to stay in her seat, and a few others did as well. Those who walked out, stood outside with posters for about 10 mins, returned to the building and that was it. When she came home that day I asked her how she felt about her choice, she said “I feel I made the right choice for myself. What are we having for dinner tonight?”
Outstanding. Sad that this is what counts for bravery on college campuses today. The meme from a few years ago compared 18 years olds signing up for WWII in 1942 vs. "snowflakes" asking for their "safe spaces" and "trigger warnings" today. Go Maya Go!
I found myself after the 2008 economic meltdown in an industry that was turning to slag, and by 2011, after a divorce, a move, and a remarriage returning to school. I attended a mid-sized state university, and this is what I found.
The wokeness we see on a continual was not quite so actualized, but there was an accepted train of thought, particularly in the social sciences. The professors were in on a re-evaluation of American exceptionalism, and in class after class (with some exceptions), we were walked through just how appalling our predecessors were and how badly they treated the poor “victims” of their oppression, neatly eliding over advancing civilization that raised all boats AND some rather appalling behavior by indigenous tribes who gave rather as well as they got for a considerable length of time (actions which admittedly resulted in equally appalling behavior by the Side That Won). Women were always victims and must always be believed. 1 in 4 college women would be raped on campus. Racism was being redefined to include pretty much anything inconvenient to left indoctrination. And students with right leaning beliefs, coming in, learned quickly to stfu.
And then there was me. I was credentialing. I didn’t care about the social situation and I obviously did not live on campus. I am basically a libertarian, and I had a few thoughts in classes when this or that subject rolled out, and I had precisely no fucks to give. So I would chime in. Not seize the floor, but rather, usually, ask inconvenient questions. Some professors liked it. Some got a kick out of it. A few loathed it. And almost none of the other students caught the point. But some did. Some. And I’d watch them sit there, eyes bright, thinking. And when I was asked, by professor or student, to expand on an argument or explain my question, I would, but concisely. I wanted them to THINK about it, not deny it or accept what I said blindly.
I made a few friends, students and professors. I had some interesting discussions. And I like to think that the way I went about it was something pretty much anyone could use as a template in college these days and in these times.
These students sound more like the Chinese Communist youth during Mao’s cultural revolution. Are there “struggle sessions” in the quad? Are you given a dunce cap and publicly ridiculed as an “old roader”? No need to send you to a re-education camp, sounds like you are already in one.
I've now heard or read so many of these stories that the tread has worn smooth; so much about the importance of fighting college culture and so little about learning. And a course that's $700 per class? The next post Maya should write is to tell her audience not to bother with college at all and avoid the debt, or at least save Dad the account drain. These stories aren't uplifting anymore. They're just depressing.
Here is a lesson; I was one of seven children. As one of a gaggle you can really learn about people. You learn to recognize a "pecking order". You learn manipulation and preening and back-stabbing. You learn about property rights and WHY they are important. You learn that Solzhenitsyn was right and that there IS a line between right and wrong running down the middle of each human heart and that depending on the passion of the moment, you could come down on either side of it. I learned shame and honor and loyalty and betrayal all in the confines of one household; and you know what? The whole world looks familiar after that. Solomon said "there is nothing new under the sun" and he was right. I can spot manipulation from a mile away because I have done it. I can identity with betrayal because I have been on both sides. I can also spot genuine kindness and open-heartedness because, although rare, it is precious. When someone pressures me to do something like leave a classroom in obedience to them I KNOW the risks and rewards and consequences because if you are from a large family, power dynamics is instinctual. I never realized before the GIFT of such a microcosm, but I pity those who have to wait until college to learn these lessons. Good luck Maya, et al.
Aug 28, 2022·edited Aug 30, 2022Liked by Maya Sulkin
Go, Maya!
You speak truth and rare Common Sense.
My junior year at Barnard, in spring semester 1968, I crossed “the line” to go to class in Milbank. A young man (was he truly a Columbia student or an outsider?) screamed “scab” in my face and cursed me out with phrases I’d never even heard before. I’ve often wondered if he thought that was a way to convince someone of something. Of anything.
I’m not happy about Barnard or Columbia these days, but if I were there today, I’d most definitely seek you out as a friend. Thanks for giving me hope. I learn from you.
How did those idiots blobs expect to pass the class with Lee Bollinger if they didn’t show up? Would he have passed them because they had study guides? My guess is yes they expected that and most likely he did.
College has always been like this to some extent. Parroting is very important. I remember a freshman English class where the grad student “teacher” gave me a C on a paper about King Lear because it didn’t parrot what she believed. When I asked her why, and then argued a bit, she burst into tears. She’s now probably a retired tenured English professor who wears a mask and marches for the right to abortion up until the head is crowning, and maybe beyond.
We were taught as children about the courage of Audie Murphy, John Basilone and the Tuskegee Airmen. But this, my friends, is also what courage looks like. To stand for what you believe, when everyone else cowers. To stand up to the mob of conformist bullies. To stand up for virtue and truth when the mob screams lies and demands fealty. America needs more Maya Sulkins. And Douglas Murrays. And Bari Weiss's. America needs to find its voice. To stand for truth and the goodness of our nation. To stand against the lunacy that is the currency of the woke crowd. And to call it out for the destructive insanity it is. If you won't do that, you may be safe - for the moment. But you will live in eternal shame.
My twin daughters are freshman experiencing these exact issues…the one here on the east coast more so than the one out west. The one in my time zone called last night and ranted for an hour about the stupid people being “triggered” by facts like if you are inebriated in public, you might be a target for malfeasance. “I really like this college, but some of these girls say they hate America and then I ask them, oh yea? Where else have you lived to be so sure this place sucks?” The other daughter said last night that her room mate is doing “rush,” but called her mom to tell her she won’t join her mom’s old sorority because they are all “woke” and she is not interested in dealing with that stuff. Luckily, I sent them both the debate on the sexual revolution just in time as they both had to sit through orientation “consent” workshops. Finally, the very first thing the east coast twin was told by her RA was that if she wanted to have a different name or pronouns, they would keep it from her parents. My husband made his way to a Dean at one of the nice receptions to ask if these students were being told to follow the honor code and to lie to their parents… We’ve had an interesting two weeks. I hope my daughters will grow and change and make four friends and learn skills, but not join the “sheeple.” It will be a challenge for them.
We need more Mayas. Lots more. Knowing what I do about Barnard, you are a very very strong brave woman. I am curious if your studies included Thoreau or Emerson or others that my generation cut its teeth on and who were great influencers( little did we know they were or that there would be such a word 50 years later: LOL). SELF RELIANCE, MARCHING TO THE BEAT OF ONE'S OWN DRUM ETC. I hope these notions are kept alive and hopefully rekindled by young thinkers such as yourself. Best of luck in whatever you do and wherever you go.
Well said.
It's worth pointing out that this highlights the proper use of pride. Often pride is simply egotism, self-importance, arrogance. Here it's what makes the author say "It would demean me to do this cowardly thing."
Yeah you pretty much nailed it. These days Colleges are full of the most obnoxious twerps we’ve seen thus far in American History. I told some college kids recently ( I have an M.S., i’m pro college education) that if they get a degree in something bogus paying it off themselves is part of being a grown up. You knew the cost you made the choice.....
Oh boy! The meltdown that ensued... I actually got hit with a pro-discrimination argument where a person started saying that equal treatment favors the already advantaged.
Not a lot of thinking in College these days.
“If Spinoza were to reappear on campus today, he’d see a lot of people with different colored hair and tattoos and piercings who insist they are living their truth but are, in fact, unwitting prisoners of someone else’s.”
Amen sister!!!
Well done Maya.
We just dropped our daughter off for 2nd year at her university. So far she hasn’t had to make a similar choice there.
4 years ago, while a sophomore in high school, students planned a walk out in response to the shooting in Parkland FLA. She asked me if she could skip school that day. I told her “You cannot skip but you can choose whether to participate in the walk out or stay in your seat.”
She was annoyed by the entire thing. It was very trendy to take up social justice causes of all kinds and make a show of it, especially on social media. Also, she started to notice peers getting rewarded for being well trained foot soldiers, in the form of likes, follows, and even college acceptance letters.
For her it wasn’t about being pro gun control or pro 2A. It was more about being 16 and not performing fake outrage over a serious and highly debated issue.
Several districts in the area made the news for doing walk outs. Even elementary schools were doing them.
The day arrived and she chose to stay in her seat, and a few others did as well. Those who walked out, stood outside with posters for about 10 mins, returned to the building and that was it. When she came home that day I asked her how she felt about her choice, she said “I feel I made the right choice for myself. What are we having for dinner tonight?”
Outstanding. Sad that this is what counts for bravery on college campuses today. The meme from a few years ago compared 18 years olds signing up for WWII in 1942 vs. "snowflakes" asking for their "safe spaces" and "trigger warnings" today. Go Maya Go!
I found myself after the 2008 economic meltdown in an industry that was turning to slag, and by 2011, after a divorce, a move, and a remarriage returning to school. I attended a mid-sized state university, and this is what I found.
The wokeness we see on a continual was not quite so actualized, but there was an accepted train of thought, particularly in the social sciences. The professors were in on a re-evaluation of American exceptionalism, and in class after class (with some exceptions), we were walked through just how appalling our predecessors were and how badly they treated the poor “victims” of their oppression, neatly eliding over advancing civilization that raised all boats AND some rather appalling behavior by indigenous tribes who gave rather as well as they got for a considerable length of time (actions which admittedly resulted in equally appalling behavior by the Side That Won). Women were always victims and must always be believed. 1 in 4 college women would be raped on campus. Racism was being redefined to include pretty much anything inconvenient to left indoctrination. And students with right leaning beliefs, coming in, learned quickly to stfu.
And then there was me. I was credentialing. I didn’t care about the social situation and I obviously did not live on campus. I am basically a libertarian, and I had a few thoughts in classes when this or that subject rolled out, and I had precisely no fucks to give. So I would chime in. Not seize the floor, but rather, usually, ask inconvenient questions. Some professors liked it. Some got a kick out of it. A few loathed it. And almost none of the other students caught the point. But some did. Some. And I’d watch them sit there, eyes bright, thinking. And when I was asked, by professor or student, to expand on an argument or explain my question, I would, but concisely. I wanted them to THINK about it, not deny it or accept what I said blindly.
I made a few friends, students and professors. I had some interesting discussions. And I like to think that the way I went about it was something pretty much anyone could use as a template in college these days and in these times.
Best of luck in your next incarnation, Maya!
Hang tough Maya.
These students sound more like the Chinese Communist youth during Mao’s cultural revolution. Are there “struggle sessions” in the quad? Are you given a dunce cap and publicly ridiculed as an “old roader”? No need to send you to a re-education camp, sounds like you are already in one.
Bravo.
It's awfully surreal to hear that the ordinary act of going to class was an act of rebellion.
Hopefully more will follow your example.
I've now heard or read so many of these stories that the tread has worn smooth; so much about the importance of fighting college culture and so little about learning. And a course that's $700 per class? The next post Maya should write is to tell her audience not to bother with college at all and avoid the debt, or at least save Dad the account drain. These stories aren't uplifting anymore. They're just depressing.
Maya, you made my year. I work at a major university. Thank you. That is all.
Here is a lesson; I was one of seven children. As one of a gaggle you can really learn about people. You learn to recognize a "pecking order". You learn manipulation and preening and back-stabbing. You learn about property rights and WHY they are important. You learn that Solzhenitsyn was right and that there IS a line between right and wrong running down the middle of each human heart and that depending on the passion of the moment, you could come down on either side of it. I learned shame and honor and loyalty and betrayal all in the confines of one household; and you know what? The whole world looks familiar after that. Solomon said "there is nothing new under the sun" and he was right. I can spot manipulation from a mile away because I have done it. I can identity with betrayal because I have been on both sides. I can also spot genuine kindness and open-heartedness because, although rare, it is precious. When someone pressures me to do something like leave a classroom in obedience to them I KNOW the risks and rewards and consequences because if you are from a large family, power dynamics is instinctual. I never realized before the GIFT of such a microcosm, but I pity those who have to wait until college to learn these lessons. Good luck Maya, et al.
Go, Maya!
You speak truth and rare Common Sense.
My junior year at Barnard, in spring semester 1968, I crossed “the line” to go to class in Milbank. A young man (was he truly a Columbia student or an outsider?) screamed “scab” in my face and cursed me out with phrases I’d never even heard before. I’ve often wondered if he thought that was a way to convince someone of something. Of anything.
I’m not happy about Barnard or Columbia these days, but if I were there today, I’d most definitely seek you out as a friend. Thanks for giving me hope. I learn from you.
How did those idiots blobs expect to pass the class with Lee Bollinger if they didn’t show up? Would he have passed them because they had study guides? My guess is yes they expected that and most likely he did.
College has always been like this to some extent. Parroting is very important. I remember a freshman English class where the grad student “teacher” gave me a C on a paper about King Lear because it didn’t parrot what she believed. When I asked her why, and then argued a bit, she burst into tears. She’s now probably a retired tenured English professor who wears a mask and marches for the right to abortion up until the head is crowning, and maybe beyond.
We were taught as children about the courage of Audie Murphy, John Basilone and the Tuskegee Airmen. But this, my friends, is also what courage looks like. To stand for what you believe, when everyone else cowers. To stand up to the mob of conformist bullies. To stand up for virtue and truth when the mob screams lies and demands fealty. America needs more Maya Sulkins. And Douglas Murrays. And Bari Weiss's. America needs to find its voice. To stand for truth and the goodness of our nation. To stand against the lunacy that is the currency of the woke crowd. And to call it out for the destructive insanity it is. If you won't do that, you may be safe - for the moment. But you will live in eternal shame.