J.D. Vance | The Universities are the Enemy | National Conservatism Conference II

J.D. Vance's keynote address at the second National Conservatism Conference, 11/02/21.

[musictomyears]

What he says is the definition of fascism. Attacking a whole category of people who have generated the very knowledge that makes society work, cure diseases, create and run machines and technology, understand the law and the importance of the rule of law and explore history and art as gifts to humanity.

This is not conservatism. This is fascism.

[bandasackie]

Before I went to university, I was making $15.00 an hour. I make $55.00 an hour after my university education.

[neilhollands]

“The professors are the enemy” sounds like something Mao would have said during the Chinese cultural revolution. Pointing out destructive and ineffective policies is a must. Passionate and respectful debate is needed. Demonizing people and groups of people always leads down a dark and counter-productive path.

[jcomm]

Universities train engineers, surgeons + many other valuable professionals. They help people change careers, learn languages, create new technologies, build & maintain infrastructure. They provide the opportunity for people from different backgrounds to learn about each other's experiences and exchange ideas. Universities aren't perfect but they are very vital.

[gianfrancobenetti-longhini]

I was very lucky having had fantastic professors in middle and high school in Nairobi, Kenya, and later at university in South Africa.
I include here what I had written on the behalf of one of them, being most unusual in the academic environment at that time, but I would say for now.

PRAISE TO A "TEACHER"

(The sixth and final year at the "Prince of Wales" boarding school, Nairobi, Kenya. Year 1957)

We waited for our "Literature" teacher at class time. When he finally arrived, he apologized for being late and he said he was in a meeting to explain a new idea of his. He told us that he had decided to stop teaching us the usual texts.
We were left speechless!
To our perplexities, instead of giving explanations, he asked two questions ...
At the rows to his right, he asked which of us knew Karl Marx …….
after the surprise, one asked where this person lived.
At the rows to his left, he asked who knew Adam Smith …...
one immediately asked if this guy was English or American.
Rubbing his chin, he just said "oh!"
Then he went on to tell us that he understood of our ignorance, despite of our intelligence.
He pointed out that by the end of the year, many of us would be going to university or other destinations, and we knew very little about the current situation in the world. (For example, that in the previous year there was an invasion of Budapest by Russian tanks.)
"My job will be to teach you how to learn on your own, and I will follow you throughout the term."
Then, pointing his finger at me, he said "John*, you will be the coordinator of your half and you will go to the library to research all about Karl Marx." Pointing his finger at Bill* on the left, he told him, that he will be the coordinator of the other half to research all about Adam Smith. Every week we should notify him about our results or problems.
In the fifth week, he checked if we had enough knowledge to present what we had found, and with our positive response, a new surprise arrived.
"You will have to convince the other group of the validity of what is proposed in YOUR research, compared to the OTHER."
I therefore asked him the question ... "How can we compare our research vs theirs if we don't know what the other is proposing?"
He just replied ... "John, you're on the right track, get busy, and let me know when you are ready!"
Our group, after another four weeks, advised that we were ready, while the other asked for the following week. (If they had spent that week to find the negative points proposed by K.M. (as we did for A.S.) the result would have certainly changed. Updated 2019)
The presentation was very interesting, having given a part, to each student in the group the task of presenting it, and Bill did the same.
The group won for the presentation for Karl Marx!
( Privately, I asked the teacher why he had chosen ME to propose Karl Marx, since after studying both ideas, I preferred those of Adam Smith. His reply was that he expected this of me, because I always used logic and not emotions as many do, and wished me not to change in the future. But we also learned from this teacher that one should always be open to listening to all the points made by others, and only then evaluate. )

[polyannamoonbeam]

Is it the University or who funds the University?

[gingerpickett]

Keeping conservative children out of universities is only going to make this worse. University leaders will hear fewer dissenting views, and trade workers will be overwhelmingly conservative. Having genuine conversations between people of different ideologies will be even harder, and it’s already hard enough. So hard that we had Jan 6 rioters at the Capitol and a shooter at a Trump rally. As a college student from a liberal family, I value the interactions I’ve had with conservative students. It would be a shame if they were all kept away by parents who are too afraid of universities to send their kids to one.

[sandravanek]

Going to a university is the springboard from which I figured how to learn on my own. Independent study. Private meditation.

[alexk]

Why am I seeing " Comments 8" and then find only 4 comments? Have 4 of the 8 been deleted already?

[evulclown]

Funny that Vance praised Universities and credited himself going to University as enabling him to pull himself out of poverty...

....But once he's able to climb that ladder and get on Trumps team, suddenly Universities are bad?
🤣🤣

[derekarnold]

Universities also teach critical thinking skills which is the antithesis of Authoritarian leaders.

[schott]

I'm 80 and just now lerning about our horrible history, as we keep doing horrible things around the world.

[jenfriesen]

For the love of America and the U.S. Constitution — VOTE BLUE 💙

[rocksnot]

Gosh, JD. Are you turning in your diplomas?

[KMY-gu]

Not even American, but I have to agree with everything he says about universities. This isn’t a problem exclusive to U.S. but many western countries

[clintonsooner]

For context, here is the full Richard Nixon quote: "Never forget, the press is the enemy. The establishment is the enemy; the professors are the enemy. Professors are the enemy. Write that on a blackboard 100 times and never forget it." Funny in the end, Nixon proved to be his own worst enemy.
Also, can't forget this gem from Vance on Facebook years ago: “I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler, ”
Welcome to American politics. 😦

[DrDivago]

I have been writing on the topic of the crisis of universities for about thirty years, published a book on the subject in 2005 and, in 2016, another one entitled "The Empty Campus." The fact that still today, despite all that is happening, there is no interest in such analyses is also a symptom of the problem/crisis. Best regards, Sergio Caldarella

[marcbentley]

Vance is dead on...I've been witnessing this sick trend in universities all my academic life. It has bled into most State institutions and now even corporate America.

[candycrested]

They don't wait for the University level, they start in Kindergarten, and even preschool.

[nancyjimeno]

Wait! Some of us are not the enemy, but we are under attack if our conservative views become known to our colleagues or the university administrators. Pray for us.