Vilifying Republicans as anti-education vigilantes, University of Central Florida (UCF) English professor Barry Mauer slammed campus carry as a part of the conservative plot to destroy higher education: “The right wing doesn't want people to be educated. It wants them to be educated, but not in the ways that involve critical thinking, solidarity, citizenship,” he said.
Conservative watchdog Campus Reform reached out to Mauer for clarification of his remarks. In response, they received a six-page dissertation in which he asserts that the “right-wing worldview is best summed up by Western film star John Wayne, and that right-wingers are steeped in fantasy and looking to prove themselves by establishing dominance through violence.”
These shocking comments are not unique. The current shift from diversification of ideas to hateful indoctrination continues to manifest itself in academia. Mauer’s shocking argument that campus carry is really a Republican plot to prevent people from becoming educated perfectly describes the liberal proselytization both inside and outside of the classroom that continues to critically wound higher education.
