Yep, it had to happen one day.   A tenured, long time (25 years) college professor who actually isn't suffering from Liberal Brain Damage (LBD) decides to speak out from his small corner of the ivory tower. 

I teach in a small private university and have finally decided to publish a few thoughts of my own about many things,  both in and out of Academics.  Hopefully along the way we can share some insights as well.

First, some stereotyping of the various professorial groups on a campus.

In Academe, a fancy way of saying "us intellectuals at college campuses"  (also called "The Academy" ) we are supposed to  Pursue Truth.   That is what that academic freedom, and hence tenure, is supposed to allow professors to do openly.  By actively taking an idea or thought and tearing it apart, dissecting it into component bits and then reassembling it into a valid whole, we can approach The Truth.

Unfortunately, Political Correctness kills that on many college campuses.

Hard Sciences:
 It is easy to be a Mathematician, since Mathematics starts with a foundation that forms its "truths" and by agreement, things must be shown to be true based on those fundamentals.   Or Physics, where it is possible to one day agree that you can't go faster than the speed of light, but be open to the possibility that perhaps, because of some new insight into the nature of the universe, decide there might be a way around that.

Soft Sciences:
In the Softer (Social, Humanities) Sciences it isn't so easy.  Dealing with feelings, group dynamics, cultural differences, along with the basic mindset of Social and Humanities-type professors, leads to a harder path to the truth.  More like Poker, often cited as a "game of imperfect information",  those on the softer side of the Academy are often more conflicted on their Truth.   It is often a science of statistics and emotions rather than one of probabilities and evaluation. 

Business:
The faculty in Business schools are somewhere between the two.  Some things are pretty cut and dry, such as elements of Accounting.  But other areas, such as Management, are not.  Typically though, they aren't very involved in the Academy, being a fairly recent addition to any campus.  The spreadsheet, in one form or another, forms the basis of their Truth.

Fine Arts:
The faculty in Fine Arts have a whole different outlook on the universe in general.  They seek their truth in their pursuit of Dance, Music, Theater and are often consumed with their pursuits to express feelings.  Generally apolitical, they are rarely involved unless it affects their particular discipline.  Seeking the perfect emotional experience is how they pursue their Truth.

So how did The Academy get so Liberal?  I'm sure there is a doctoral dissertation in that, but based on my own imperfect information, I'd have to say it is because the politics of the university are more important to the individuals on the softer side of the academy.   So they tend to be the ones who run the faculty assemblies.  Who are the de-facto leaders as a result.   And the result of that is an Academy more concerned with social and political aspects than of seeking Truth, since it is harder to define in their intellectual arena. 

Yeah, I know.   Too simple, right?   I'm sure it is.  These professors are actually often very nice people, though it is true some are pretty nasty.    But once in that role, they had sway in what a university would cover.   And over time, it lead down that slippery slope.   What once would have been a cherished, intellectually challenging, emotionally charged subject of debate is now "hushed up."    The pursuit of Truth has become squashed, particularily in the Soft Sciences.

Frankly, I'm tired of it all.  I'd much rather know what someone is thinking and discussed openly rather than to have those same thoughts buried and never brought out into the light for examination.  I know I've learned things and changed my opinions because of that very process. 

But unfortunately, Political Correctness on college and university campuses has killed that debate.  It has been replaced with what I call "The Culture of the Ostrich" ...  stick your head in the sand and ignore it.  Maybe it will just "go away."  

But as we see in our news every day, these things don't just go away.   Time to serve the ostrich up for dinner and start looking around and talking about things that make us uncomfortable.