Since the New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof has been the butt of Scrapbook humor on -occasion—indeed, was once the subject of a Parody—it’s only fair that we give Mr. Kristof credit when credit is due. We’re referring, in this instance, to his recent Sunday Times column entitled “A Confession of Liberal Intolerance” (May 8), in which he lays out the sad facts about faculty politics in America’s colleges and universities.
Of course, when we say “faculty politics,” we’re not talking about tenure or jockeying for position within this or that department. We’re talking about the astonishing, and all too obvious, fact that America’s professoriate is predominantly, indeed overwhelmingly, left-wing—and -determined to keep it that way.
In his column, Kristof explains that “on Facebook recently I wondered aloud about whether universities stigmatize conservatives and undermine intellectual diversity.” Well, of course they do—and as Kristof quickly discovered, “the scornful reaction from my fellow liberals proved the point. . . . The scarcity of conservatives seems driven in part by discrimination.”
To readers of The Scrapbook, this is no surprise, and neither does it surprise a sadder but wiser Kristof. He makes the obvious point that institutions of higher learning are the one place in America where the clash of ideas should be especially welcome, not violently suppressed. And he makes the further point that the conservative intellectual tradition—personified by any number of people he identifies—has much to teach inquiring young minds.
The problem, of course, is what to do about it. As Kristof explains, left-wing professors are strongly disinclined to welcome people they abhor; and conservatives, in principle, disapprove of affirmative action for conserv-atives. The result is stalemate. The problem exists, but few faculty regard the absence of conservatives as a problem; and to make matters worse, the status quo discourages right-wing scholars from pursuing academic careers. Kristof offers no solution, except this pertinent thought:
The Scrapbook, as it were, could not have said it better, and we expect poor Kristof’s inbox is now -bulging with progressive anger and contempt. But full marks to Nicholas Kristof for speaking truth to power, for searching his own soul, and -taking a risk in embracing dissent.
