Free speech, once a central value of liberalism, has been claimed by conservatives
writes
The Economist.
Charles Murray … was left to worry about academic freedom and to note that many
of his assailants resembled figures from “a film of brownshirt
rallies”. Middlebury’s agitators might ask themselves how a man whose
work they decry as racist acquired the right to compare them to
fascists. Students everywhere should wonder how free speech, a central
liberal value, is instead becoming the banner of conservatives.
This prompting the
Conservative Political Action Conference (
CPAC) to be mentioned in
a subsequent issue of The London weekly:
All-a-muddle at Middlebury
At the Conservative
Political Action Conference in 2013, Charles Murray recommended, to the
disappointment of his conservative colleagues, that Republicans should
accept the legalisation of gay marriage and abortion. Charges of racism
regarding his book, “The Bell Curve”, are still a matter of debate.
Undaunted by these facts, students at Mr Murray’s lecture at Middlebury
College harangued him by accusing him of being homophobic and sexist as
well as racist (“Blue on blue”,
March 11th). No need to bother with specifics when a stereotype is
handy. It is an article of liberal faith that racism, sexism and
homophobia are comorbidities. That is all the impassioned objectors need
to know.
MARGARET MCGIRR
Greenwich, Connecticut
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