Mike Rowe Madness at Mizzou?

Mike Rowe

November 23 at 5:27pm · Edited · 

Off The Wall

Any thoughts on the madness at Mizzou? Is there any hope for the youth of today?

Frances P.

Hi Fran

There’s always hope, and I’ll prove it in a moment. But first, let me agree - it's madness to demand free speech, even as we demand silence from those who say things we don’t agree with. This kind of hypocrisy is unique to phonies and bullies everywhere, and while it’s disturbing to see it unfold at colleges and universities, it’s not uncommon, and certainly not unprecedented. However, this business at Smith is worse than Mizzou, and worth talking about.

In a nutshell, students at Smith College are barring journalists from covering their activities unless said journalists first pledge their loyalty to “the cause.” The administration appears to be supportive. https://reason.com/…/smith-college-students-say-journalists…

Like you Fran, many people are wondering why anyone would pay $60,000 in annual tuition to an institution with so little regard for the First Amendment. Others have wondered aloud why we should tolerate this level of dissimulation in our institutions of higher learning. The answer is easy - because we must. This is the great paradox of our democracy. In order to honor the flag, we must be free to burn it. Likewise, the freedom to educate our kids the best way we can must be accompanied by the freedom to brainwash them in the worst way possible. But of course, that doesn’t mean we should all have to pay for the brainwashing in question. That’s gotta stop, pronto.

This morning, Freddy sat down to gently remind his Fellow Americans that the 1.3 trillion dollars in outstanding student loans is money that belongs to us. We The People have made unlimited funds available to those who wish to attend college, because we’ve determined that college is a worthy social investment. 

But we seem to have forgotten that making unlimited amounts of money available to unlimited numbers of students has enabled universities to charge unlimited amounts of tuition. 

It’s also created an expectation among students that a job in their field of study will be waiting in their preferred zip code upon graduation. Shockingly, this hasn’t happened, and now, along with ultimatums for “friendly reportage,” the noisiest members of The Class of 2016 are demanding total debt forgiveness, a $15 minimum wage, and the immediate dismissal of those professors or administrators who dare to disagree. 

To your point Fran, it’s enough to make the casual observer weep for the future