Author says P.C. is like McCarthyism

Describing "the growing intellectual intolerance on campus," author Charles Sykes spoke before an audience of about 20 people last night in Houston Hall. Sykes described how universities have become more concerned about appearing to be politically correct than in providing a quality education. The author of Profscam discussed the growing movement toward emphasizing diversity at all costs, and said that it has begun to interfere with the freedom to hold intellectual discussions at universities. "In the name of diversity, universities have become less diverse," Sykes said. Sykes spoke of his concern that the U.S. is becoming a "culture of forbidden questions," asserting that some issues can no longer be discussed in public. One of the reasons for such intolerance, Sykes said, is the emergence of a "thought police" on most U.S. campuses which enforce "gag rules" and prevents certain views from being expressed. College curricula have in some cases been affected by the intolerant attitudes, he said, adding that the political correctness movement has caused an increase in the study of different cultures and caused "dislevelment of liberal arts." He criticized this trend, saying that the study of other cultures does not help students learn essential skills. Sykes illustrated his point by citing the case at the University of Texas where a writing course was changed into a course on racism and sexism. Sykes argued that education has become more politicized in recent years. He called the politics of the professors a "New McCarthyism" and said that professors who do not hold views that are seen as politically correct are in danger of being reprimanded by college administrations. He said that the "average university president is not an ideologue, but an opportunist." Reaction to the speech was very favorable, as most people in attendance said they agreed with Sikes' views and came to learn more about the issue of political correctness on campuses. Howard Levene, an Engineering sophomore, described the speech as "excellent" and added that he "held great respect" for Sykes. Wharton junior Todd Rosentover said he thought the speech was stimulating, explaining that Sykes' view that "political correctness is a worse phenomenon than McCarthyism" was something to think about.

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