Meet Dartmouth Prof Mugged by Reality

Joseph Farah
Tue, 28 Jun 2016 21:00:00 -0700
Opinion

Regular readers of this column will not be surprised to learn that I was once a radical leftist, a revolutionary, supporter of the Black Panthers, a commie.

But by 25, I had begun to see the light. First, I transitioned briefly to liberalism, then, in 1981 I was Reaganized.

It did not happen quickly enough for me to bring myself to vote for him in November 1980. I actually voted a second time for Jimmy Carter, though I recognized he was a disaster long before while I waited endlessly in gas lines.
Updated: Wed Jun 29, 2016

Regular readers of this column will not be surprised to learn that I was once a radical leftist, a revolutionary, supporter of the Black Panthers, a commie.

But by 25, I had begun to see the light. First, I transitioned briefly to liberalism, then, in 1981 I was Reaganized.

It did not happen quickly enough for me to bring myself to vote for him in November 1980. I actually voted a second time for Jimmy Carter, though I recognized he was a disaster long before while I waited endlessly in gas lines.

But immediately after Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in November 1980, I wanted to learn what made this guy tick. So I set out to learn about him. I read his favorite books and periodicals. And I came to the conclusion that it all made perfect sense.

Then, at his swearing in as president in January 1981, I watched in amazement as the American hostages who were held captive in Iran for 444 days were released. I concluded the terrorists in Tehran were afraid of this old cowboy.

Then, in the years that followed, I watched his so-called "voodoo economics" (that's how George H.W. Bush, his Republican establishment primary opponent in the 1980, had characterized them) work just as Reagan said they would.

The 1980s were great times, mostly because of the great accomplishments and determination of one well-placed man.

As strange as it seems, that's how easy it was for me to go from revolutionary to Reaganite, though I should say that an earlier encounter with Jesus opened me up to this different worldview.

For some people, it seems, the transition is not quite that easy.

I thought of this while reading about University of Massachusetts Dartmouth professor Jack Stauder in TheCollegeFix.com — a wonderful website facilitated by college students.

It seems Stauder, who had been friendly to Marxism in his younger years, had to visit some 110 countries for research in cultural anthropology to come to the same conclusion I did at 25.

"I gradually became disenchanted with Marxism by visiting many of the countries that had tried to shape their societies to conform to its doctrines," he said. "I was disillusioned by the realities I saw in ... socialist countries — the USSR, Eastern Europe, China, Cuba, etc. I came to recognize that socialism doesn't work, and that its 'revolutionary' imposition inevitably leads to cruelty, injustice and the loss of freedom."

I, too, had witnessed "the cruelty, injustice and the loss of freedom" of the left.

It was everywhere.

While a part of it, I thought I was fighting for freedom. Then I realized I was fighting against it.

I didn't have to visit 110 countries. I could simply read about them to recognize the inherent disaster socialism of any kind represented.

But, I must say, my college education didn't help. It was more like I changed in spite of it.

Perhaps that's why it took Stauder longer to see the light. As he puts it, academic institutions are breeding grounds for leftist ideals. Witness the Bernie Sanders phenomenon in 2016.

"People seem to feel the need to believe in something, and when intellectuals abandon traditional religion, as most have done, they tend to seek substitutes," he said.

Stauder is part of my generation. He said the campus movements against the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s inspired his initial interest in leftist political ideals, and he soon began identifying as a Marxist and a radical. I did that in high school.

Here's the thing about what we euphemistically refer to as "progressives." They're not progressing at all. They are regressing. They are incapable of seeing truth, seeing reality, seeing what works and what doesn't — at least until they are able to divorce themselves from this religion, this cult-like ideology, this embrace of Satanic blindness.

The entire culture is now a captive to it.

All the major institutions embrace it openly, willingly, without reservation. They have become its incubators, its brainwashing factories, its weapons of mass deception.

Anyway, it was nice to learn of one elite professor who escaped its clutches. May his kind prosper and multiply.

To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.