As someone who also regularly abuses his ‘right to free speech’ as often as I do, I should be more tolerant of Elwood Watson, but I’m not.

I too use ‘strong’ language to make my point at times and they are often considered by some as condescending, demeaning, intentionally provocative or even just plain nasty. Big whoop.

Actually, I found myself in much agreement with what Elwood says… with many of the POINTS he makes when he Defended Higher Ed Against Cynical Politics…I really did.

But it is the CONCLUSIONS he draws that separate us. The mirror has TWO faces.

His more liberal (dare I say WOKE?) agenda is the result of his heredity, his environment, his educational environment and probably his eating and drinking habits as well. I daresay that describes how we all became who we are.

Yes, we are ALL products of our heredity and environment. I learned that from Dr Irion in Psych. 101 and he was well respected and recognized in his field. Students ‘fought’ to get into his lectures.

I also attended many other classes of higher education such as Accounting, Production, Math English, etc. and when I wasn’t day-dreaming I never noticed being subjected to ‘Social Engineering’ or ‘Wokeness training’. Motor Transportation taught us motor transportation, Math math, English English and (best of all) CO-ED DANCING FROM OTHER WORLDS taught us dancing!

We were NOT brainwashed to become ‘sheeple’ in the brave new world…period, end of report.

We did acquire our ‘social skills’ and appreciation of others in Dorms, The Student Union Building and bars where we did exchange new viewpoints with others not always like ourselves. We did it on our own rather than getting spoon-fed by our teachers.

Perhaps Elwood you and I have the same goals when it comes to the purpose of Higher-ED?

Perhaps we just go about it differently?

Speaking of Education and Educators, I recommend reading IMPRIMIS Vol 53, No.2 (Feb ’24). It contains Heather Mac Donald’s (Yale, Cambridge, Stanford, WSJ, L.A. Times…) article where she discusses race, education and more. YOU might come away with a different point of view.

Or you might talk to an MD I met at an Easter gathering who fears for the modern med student’s practice as a result of the revised curriculum being taught today in our Med Schools

The WORLD is in turmoil today and seeks workable solutions to its problems. It is probably BETTER to offer real solutions rather than to be another part of the problem.

Richard Phillips

New Iberia