Time magazine has produced a fairly long piece on the growth of conservatism on college campuses. Though better than I expected, it's still got plenty of tired stereotypes, like assuming that certain college students' principled opposition to racial preferences, or to abortion, necessarily places them on the political "right".
But my overriding thought upon finishing it was to wonder how Time could purport to cover this topic with no reference whatsoever to David Horowitz. Not only is Horowitz a conservative intellectual icon, but he has a high profile on college campuses as a speaker and academic freedom activist. His Students for Academic Freedom is a force for focusing attention on the issue of academic diversity on American college campuses, and taking positive steps to create an environment on campuses in which noone's speech is marginalized or intimidated.
Horowitz's issues, from opposition to reparations for slavery, to the "Campus Blacklist", have made him a lightning rod for left-liberal attacks. His willingness to take the debate to the campus, and win, has forced the academic left to look in the mirror, especially at the skin-deep nature of their diversity. That is why he is opposed so furiously by campus leftists and faculty, and wrongly portrayed by them as an extremist and a divisive ideologue.
His exclusion by Time can only be intentional. Their article is weaker for their unwillingness to acknowledge his influence.
Posted by dan at August 27, 2004 03:02 PM