Prager Joins the Party

As if worried that fellow lunatic Michael Barone might receive the honor for the silliest attack on universities in recent memory, Dennis Prager steps in with his own worthy pretender to the title.

His jumping off point is the recent “editorial” in the Colorado State University student newspaper that said, in its entirety, “Taser this -- F*** Bush.” Mentally healthy people look at such incidents and see an unsurprising instance of college students showing poor judgment. For Prager, by contrast, this editorial tells us something profound about the rottenness of modern universities.

Prager's essay is too insignificnat to merit a point by point response. I will merely comment that it is difficult to take seriously someone who writes

It cannot be stated often enough that our universities generally are run by fools who are breeding a generation of fools.

early in his essay, but then turns around and complains that

In light of the feelings-based anti-intellectualism that permeates the left, it is surreal that the left routinely accuses those who criticize the low state of our universities as “anti-intellectual.” It is so clearly a form of projection. Those of us who lament the state of our universities are protectors of the intellect;

later in his essay. Prager responds to the juvenile rantings of a few students at Colorado State by penning a hate-filled rant full of ridiculous over-genarilizations. Not exactly the best approach when trying to persuade people of the high level of rigor on the American right.

Actually, there was one other thing in Prager's essay that caught my eye:

First, the “editorial” itself: It was purely a tantrum, the likes of which we associate with little children. But the editor, David McSwane, is a child; and his editorial board, which unanimously supported the four-word “editorial,” is composed of children. Indeed, immaturity is a major feature of college life. (Emphasis Added)

Immaturity a major feature of college life? Ya think? Of course college students are frequently immature and often show poor judgment. That's hardly a new development in academe.