A big part of the “progressive” campaign for control over society is to frighten people into believing that non-progressives are a terrible threat. That’s why they keep ranting about fascism’s constant, looming presence in America. It’s imaginary, but serves their purposes.

A few weeks ago, The Chronicle of Higher Education published an absurd essay by Yale professor Jason Stanley in which he argued that whereas higher education used to be a bulwark against fascism, deplorable Republican politicians are trying to change it so that our colleges will aid and abet their terrible agenda. Along the way, Stanley takes a nasty jab at my organization, the Martin Center.


My latest article is a rejoinder to Stanley.

When he writes about “fascism,” he means right-wing nationalism and turns a blind eye to the vastly more prevalent sort of authoritarianism that Jonah Goldberg calls “liberal fascism.” Almost no one associated in any way with higher education has the slightest sympathy for nationalistic fascism. It has no voice and the “threat” of a conservative political takeover is just laughable.

He writes that we need a bulwark against fascism, and on that point I agree with him. But the true bulwark against fascism (and all other forms of authoritarianism) is the philosophy of classical liberalism: individual rights, private property, limited government under the rule of law. Too bad that hordes of Stanley’s friends in higher education have been tearing away at classical liberalism for most of the last century.


As for his smear of the Martin Center, it’s just silly. We supposedly are in league with fascism because when former NC governor Pat McCrory ridiculed some UNC courses, we “backed him up.” Too bad Stanley didn’t bother to check his facts. We did not support McCrory then and have always opposed the politicization of the curriculum.


And then it gets even sillier. Stanley notes that we have sometimes said good things about schools with a Great Books curriculum and goes off on a pathetic tangent, claiming that teaching such a curriculum is actually part of a white supremacist plot.

“Progressives” seldom let facts get in the way of a good scare story.