The Guardian

I went inside a rightwing safe space to find out the truth about universities | Cas Mudde

With universities in an ‘existential crisis’, Turning Point USA sells a safe space for conservatives who have convinced themselves they are the embattled minority
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a forum dubbed the Generation Next Summit at the White House on March 22, 2018 in Washington, DC. The meeting brought together young Americans with members of the Trump administration to discuss the economy, tax reform and the opioid crisis. Kirk is founder of Turning Point USA, a right-wing nonprofit organization that since 2016 has maintained a watchlist of university professors that it alleges 'discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom.' (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Anyone who regularly reads a US newspaper knows that universities in this country are in an existential crisis. No, not because of decades of underfunding, or the partly related ballooning university administrations, but because of “postmodernism” and “safe spaces”. It is one of the few things conservatives and liberals agree on these days. The dominance of “fake courses” and “political correctness” is a major theme in conservative media, from Fox News to the Wall Street Journal, as well as liberal media like the New York Times and, yes, even the Guardian.

Almost all accounts of alleged censorship of “conservative voices” are based on events, as well as some “public Ivies”, notably the . But how bad is the situation in the “real America”, ie that vast space between the coasts that is sometimes, derogatively, referred to as “the flyover states”?

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Guardian

The Guardian8 min read
PinkPantheress: ‘I Don’t Think I’m Very Brandable. I Dress Weird. I’m Shy’
PinkPantheress no longer cares what people think of her. When she released her lo-fi breakout tracks Break it Off and Pain on TikTok in early 2021, aged just 19, she did so anonymously, partly out of fear of being judged. Now, almost three years late
The Guardian4 min read
The Golden Bachelor’s Older Singletons Have Saved A Franchise
Strange as it may sound, one of the hottest shows on TV this fall has been … an old dating series now catering, for once, to senior citizens. That would be The Golden Bachelor, a new spin-off of America’s pre-eminent dating series in which a 72-year-
The Guardian6 min readRobotics
Robot Dogs Have Unnerved And Angered The Public. So Why Is This Artist Teaching Them To Paint?
The artist is completely focused, a black oil crayon in her hand as she repeatedly draws a small circle on a vibrant teal canvas. She is unbothered by the three people closely observing her every movement, and doesn’t seem to register my entrance int

Related Books & Audiobooks