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CATEGORY: EDUCATION (7 MIN)
The American educational system stands upon a knife edge. No longer do its institutions shine like cities on a hill. Instead, career academics fundamentally undermine the quality of U.S. schools by focusing on political objectives rather than vocational excellence. Thankfully, some journalists, like Chris Rufo, work to expose this debacle.
Rufo, writing in a guest essay for The New York Times, makes the argument against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in universities around the nation. He doesn’t just try and make the conservative argument, though—he intends to convince liberals that their own programs have poisoned the root of American education.
Rufo argues that DEI programs do not even achieve their intended goals, referring to studies that show such initiatives don’t change people’s minds and actually instigated more racial conflict in some instances. He shows that DEI aims at limiting the range of acceptable ideas; a pursuit that contradicts the purpose of academia.
Rufo also answers common objections to DEI rollbacks, reminding readers that DEI administrators do not have unlimited First Amendment rights as public employees. He adds that when colleges stray from their intended mission, the state ought to rein them in.
Read Rufo’s entire piece here (guest link allows free access).
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Weekly Poll
RESULTS: 7/27/23
Last week, we asked: Do you think J. Robert Oppenheimer was a good American? 69.2% of respondents answered "yes" and 15.4% answered "no."
Should schools get rid of DEI programs?
[A] Yes
[B] No
[C] Unsure
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CATEGORY: EDUCATION (11 MIN)
Former competitors in high school speech and debate will remember the combination of teenage nerves, constant research, and highly questionable judging that made the experience what it was. But for today’s aspiring debaters, the most common trip-up isn’t a hyper-fast voice or shaky legs. It’s supporting the ideals of the Communist Manifesto.
Maya Bodnick, for the Substack Slow Boring, exposes the infiltration of critical theory and Marxism into high school debate. She explains arguments called “kritiks,” which ignore the substance of the other side’s points and instead try to show that their underlying assumptions are fundamentally flawed. Kritiks based on critical theory have become exceptionally popular in high school debate, especially at the highest levels.
Bodnick shows this by revealing the statements of judges at the 2023 Tournament of Champions. These judges told debaters their pre-round preferences, and the radical takes within include:
- “Before anything else, including being a debate judge, I am a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist…”
- “My literature knowledge is primarily concentrated in Marxism, Maoism, and proletarian feminism…”
- “I’ve almost exclusively read variations of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism…”
And what does a debater need to do to win a round? Appeal to the judge. In this case, that means arguing like a Marxist.
Read Bodnick’s full exposé right here.
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CATEGORY: PODCAST EPISODE
In this episode, Alexander Salter, professor of economics at Texas Tech University, joins the podcast to discuss:
- his new book, The Political Economy of Distributism
- how capitalism does or does not support the common good of society, and how the re-emergence of discourse about the common good in politics can be bolstered by returning to the distributist writers
- what Wilhelm Röpke contributed to both economic science and towards creating a “humane economy,” and why we need to read him today
Texts mentioned:
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ISI’s 70th Anniversary Gala &
Linda L. Bean Center Dedication
September 28th, 2023
This fall, join us at our 70th Anniversary Gala featuring Tucker Carlson, Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, and Linda Bean, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Together these are some of the most influential figures in America today.
We will also host a pre-event panel featuring longtime friends of ISI including Annette Kirk (Russell Kirk Center), Gene Meyer (The Federalist Society), Ed Feulner (The Heritage Foundation), and Dan McCarthy (ISI), discussing the 70th anniversary of three conservative classics: Russell Kirk’s The Conservative Mind, Leo Strauss’ Natural Right and History, and Robert Nisbet’s The Quest for Community.
We will have a lobster dinner in honor of Tucker and Linda’s mutual connection to the state of Maine, and seating will be limited to 150 guests. Our VIP ticket holders will have the chance to meet ISI trustees and event speakers in a private reception beforehand.
Reserve your tickets here!
Join us in Wilmington, DE >>>
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Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.
Is God Queer? UChicago’s Religious Studies Department Wants to Know via The Chicago Thinker
“The class, taught by Professor Olivia Bustion of the UChicago Divinity School, describes itself as asking a set of unconventional questions: ‘Can God be an ally in queer worldmaking? Is God queer? What does queerness have to do with Judaism, Christianity, or Islam?’”
Who decides admissions policy at Cornell? via The Cornell Review
“On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court announced an end to affirmative action in college admissions, and President Pollack promised that ‘Cornell will follow the law,’” but who decides how to implement the Court’s admonitions and will those requirements actually be honored?” |
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CATEGORY: CULTURE (5 MIN)
In this modern America full of aggressive argument and spicy hot takes, the most invisible quality may be the civility that once ruled the halls of debate. Our Founders certainly disagreed vehemently with one another (and occasionally overstepped the line), but many of them learned the rules of mannered discussion early in their lives and never forgot them.
For this week’s Intercollegiate Review archive, Gracy Olmstead urges Americans to return to civility—not just in official settings, but also in everyday life. She references a book called Building the Benedict Option by Leah Libresco as her object example of the reclamation of civil life.
Olmstead recounts Libresco’s personal anecdotes that model a civil existence. Libresco hosted people who had hotly debated issues on social media at her home, shared a meal with them, and continued the debate there with a spirit of kindness and the assistance of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Olmstead encourages social media users to follow this example and use the platform as a tool to instigate real discussion.
“Civility declines when we text and argue behind our phones. The only way to fix that is to step away from our screens and embrace real community once more,” Olmstead writes.
Read her full article here.
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Thought of the Day:
“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
- George Washington
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Join ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club
It’s never been easier for you to support our mission—and stay part of our community—with ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club!
For just $19.53 a month, you can join the fight and “pay it forward” by educating the next generation for ordered liberty.
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