OPINION (WASHINGTON TIMES) – The upheaval happening on college campuses today is no accident. It is the fruition of a long-standing trend towards Marxist indoctrination within our universities.
For decades, prestigious institutions such as Columbia, Harvard, New York, Yale, MIT, and Princeton have been favoring applicants who display the appropriate “social justice” opinions and hiring faculty who promote these ideals. They have solidified this mindset by pushing the language of identity and the “oppressed vs oppressor” narrative. Few have played a greater role in this transformation of education than a little known Brazilian educator named Paulo Freire.
Paulo Freire transformed modern day education by emphasizing the importance of political education. He believed that true education was not just about passing on facts and information, but rather about empowering individuals to challenge “oppressive systems” and work towards social change. Through his influential work, such as “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” Freire challenged traditional teaching methods and advocated for a more “participatory and democratic” approach to education that de-emphasized reading, writing and arithmetic in favor of encouraging students to become “agents of change in their communities.” He showed that education is a powerful tool for Marxist transformation. His impact on education continues to be felt worldwide.
Instead of fostering critical thinking and open-mindedness, his ideas have led to a narrow-minded and often destructive mentality in some students. This has far-reaching consequences, as seen in the current issue surrounding Israel and Palestine.
And let me tell you, my heart aches for the Jewish students who, in the year 2024, in America no less, are now living in fear on their own campuses. We have reached a point where Rabbi Elie Buechler of Columbia University has advised Jewish students to stay home because the university and the police cannot guarantee their safety.
How have American Jews found themselves caught up in this turmoil? It is no surprise, as the Left has labeled Israel as the “oppressor” in the narrative of the Middle East. And it seems to not matter that just one year ago, on October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and ruthlessly massacred 1,200 people, the majority of whom were innocent civilians, including women and children. But this is what happens when a simplistic “us vs them” ideology prevails and justifies any cruelty.
The version of Marxism that is now rampant on U.S. campuses has evolved from its original economic roots, first formulated by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 1848 Communist Manifesto. Katharine Cornell Gorka, and Mike Gonzalez have titled their latest book NextGen Marxism because what they see now has undergone a cultural transformation in Europe and has been further distorted here in America, with other elements such as race, sex and climate being added.