A vigorous minority can still wreak havoc, when the majority is too confused or scared to squelch them.
I know that USSR comparisons are overblown by right-wing media, so I mention this one advisedly. (Insert your eye-roll here.)
The Bolshevik Party was named for “bolshinstvo” (“the majority”) but in reality it was anything but. It was a small band of intellectuals who used shaming and intimidation to convert listless workers and illiterate peasants to accept its ideas, “or else.” We all know what happened after.
When my mother (a child of the ‘60s) told me not to worry about censorship on college campuses, she assured me these kids would snap out of it when they got older.
Well, the kids have gotten older, but they haven’t snapped out of it. They’ve only turned up the volume as they bring their illiberal ideas to more and more institutions.
I enjoyed this article and look forward to the next, but forgive me if I’m not reassured.
A vigorous minority can still wreak havoc, when the majority is too confused or scared to squelch them.
I know that USSR comparisons are overblown by right-wing media, so I mention this one advisedly. (Insert your eye-roll here.)
The Bolshevik Party was named for “bolshinstvo” (“the majority”) but in reality it was anything but. It was a small band of intellectuals who used shaming and intimidation to convert listless workers and illiterate peasants to accept its ideas, “or else.” We all know what happened after.
When my mother (a child of the ‘60s) told me not to worry about censorship on college campuses, she assured me these kids would snap out of it when they got older.
Well, the kids have gotten older, but they haven’t snapped out of it. They’ve only turned up the volume as they bring their illiberal ideas to more and more institutions.
I enjoyed this article and look forward to the next, but forgive me if I’m not reassured.
How have you determined that they haven't snapped out of it?