Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth

Ben Shapiro couldn't have hit the nail more on the head. Currently a USC undergraduate, I had the unfortunate experience of taking a class called "Media and Society." The class was required to read a book entitled "The Five Biggest Lies Bush told us about Iraq" and listen to speakers like Arianna Huffington and the filmmakers of the left wing anti war/Bush administration documentary "Uncovered". I left this class so utterly disgusted that a communications course had turned out to be such a politically driven brainwashing session. The fact that universities throughout the country are promoting this sort of academia is sickening, and I am glad to see that someone has finally brought this problem to the surface..definitely a must read!

To all the reactionaries who gave critical reviews to "Brainwashed": 1) Shut Up! 2) Your review earns an "F." 3) You need to be re-educated, and explicitly show that you respect Shapiro's value system and his plea for diversity. Just kidding! :-) But how does it feel? :-).I have just one quick point. In "Brainwashed," Shapiro notes that professors consider the New York Times, LA Times, etc. "mainstream" rather than liberal. My experience as a student was that professors considered the NY Times too *conservative.* For research projects, we were told to compare coverage of NY Times, LA Times, Time, Newsweek, etc. to left wing journals -- to see (and write) how conservative the "so called mainstream press" is. When some students asked if we could compare the NY Times to conservative journals (National Review, etc.), we were told no... because "there is almost no difference." The difference, it was said, "is just a matter of degree... their philosophies and framing are the same.... NY Times says we should spend X on defense, and National Review says we should spend X + 5%." Pity the poor student who quotes the NY Times without explicitly challenging their "adherance to the status quo." And forty lashes and re-education to the student who references conservative journals. My suggestion: Read National Review, but keep it a secret... keep a copy of The Nation, put National Review *inside* of it, and read away.... Indiscreet "fronting" with The Nation cover may even raise your grades!! Well, hang in there folks!

As one other reviewer has observed this book has struck a few nerves here.One reviewer states that other philiosphies have been marginalized. That is the exact point of the book. ALL other philosphies are locked out except the leftist/socialist/statist philosophy.As another reviewer observed todays universities are more like the old "Soviet Union re-education camps" than places of learning or "testing pre-conceived beliefs."The wonderful and thoughtful review by Melisande Luna hits the point perfectly but where the review strays is the accusation of Shapiro being a conservative. I did not get that impression from his book at all, nor did Shapiro write anything to suggest that he was "right wing".If anything this book has a libertarian perspective - libetarians of course having the same root word as "liberal" So you could say that this book has a classical liberal perspective on the issue - which is the proper one to have in this forum. Liberal allowing the "liberty" to engage in discussions and explore in any direction - exactly what todays universities are lacking.

Interesting book. I finished it last night and this is an enjoyable read. Shapiro is funny and his points are well made. I myself have spent a few years going after a graduate degree and having had my first 4 years of college in Japan I was suprised with American universities.There is a review below from a someone from Buena Vista University who makes a good case against the observations in this book. I agree with M. Steel in his claims that this is the way colleges SHOULD work. Unfortunately they do not work like this. Instead of openness I have found the universities I attended in the USA ( 3 of them ) to be the exact opposite of openness. Instead of rejoicing in varied opinions, have the "wrong" opinion will get you flunked. There are no frank and open debates - there is "my way or the highway".We have campus "speech codes" which suppress debate, we have campus groups destroying flyers for speakers or campus clubs that are not "politically correct" and no debate is tolerated.I have seen speakers heckled and as one reviewer mentioned about a John Stossel 20/20 segment he was yelled down and not permitted to talk to students with the "wrong" opinion. All viewpoints are not explored only the "correct" ones.I would be inclined to agree with Steel on the points made if my experience had not been so different. I wa told flat out on several occasions by students and professions that I was no to mention certain things nor was I to ask certain questions.Based on my own first hand experiences I am inclined to accept Shapiros observations. I have heard thes from others and have seen it on 20/20. I have found that this is typical and not an exception.Nowhere have I ever seen free speech so suppressed and discouraged than in the American University system and this does not bode well for the future.Excellent book. Shold be read by all, and not just people who have college aged children I would encourage employers to note what having a university degree really means today. Maybe they already have based on the current high level of outsourcing seen today in American business. Perhaps employers are seeing the quality of American college graduates today and reacting accordingly.

I find it funny that the author of this book calls the leftwingers on college campuses liberals. Many of them would be deeply insulted to be called that. In fact, anybody right of Lenin or Mao would be considered a fanatic by many in this setting and I'm afraid I am just mildly exaggerating here by stating that. Nevertheless, this book is important because it exposes a very real phenomenon and problem on our college campuses today. Most colleges are indeed leftwing indoctrination facilities and pity the naive person that dares offer a mildly conservative opinion while enrolled in one. This dastardly act does not often go unpunished. The advice I would give to any young person entering college is simple. Rousseau and Marx are the only intellectual figures that matter to many of the professors you will encounter. If you keep this in mind you will no doubt earn high marks and avoid being labeled a fascist or a racist while under their tyranny. If you want to read a great work from the other side of the intellectual spectrum, I would suggest checking out Immanuel Kant's great essay entitled Idea for a Universal History from A Cosmopolitan Point of View. That essay sums up the kinda of thinking the right has in mind when they make policy better than any I can think of. Its a must read for any young person trying to get a balanced view of the political spectrum.