Kristof: My Liberal 'Confession'

Progressives have a 'blind spot' on diversity toward conservatives
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted May 8, 2016 11:38 AM CDT
Kristof: My Liberal 'Confession'
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Those on the left talk a good game about the importance of diversity, but they often reveal themselves to be hypocrites on the subject. This sentiment comes not from the right but from liberal columnist Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times. In his piece headlined "A Confession of Liberal Intolerance," Kristof calls out his fellow progressives for their disdain of conservatives in academia. The columnist says his suspicions were confirmed when he raised the question on Facebook and was met by a barrage of comments from liberals along the lines of this one: "Much of the ‘conservative’ worldview consists of ideas that are known empirically to be false."

Kristof runs through stats showing how difficult it is for conservative professors to find teaching jobs, adding that "this liberal bias on campuses creates liberal privilege." The whole notion of "ideological diversity" in academia "seems a liberal blind spot," he writes, one that's overdue for a long look. The idea that conservatives or evangelical Christians have nothing of value to add is both arrogant and misguided, writes Kristof, and he sums up the view thusly: "We’re fine with people who don’t look like us, as long as they think like us." Click for the full column. (More liberals stories.)

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