‘Author and educator, Dr. Kevin Donnelly, has spoken out vehemently against what he perceives as the insidious influence of cancel culture and cultural Marxism on Australian society.
In a new interview in Brisbane, Dr. Donnelly delved into the themes of his latest book, “Cancel Culture: And The Left’s Long March.”
A native of Melburnian, Dr. Donnelly reflected on Labor’s Joan Kirner era and her socialist agenda in education, which he witnessed firsthand.
He highlighted Kirner’s push for the overthrow of traditional educational values in favour of a socialist paradigm, advocating for equality of outcomes over competition and meritocracy.
Drawing on his extensive research, Dr. Donnelly elaborated on the concept of the Long March through the institutions, popularised by German activist Rudi Dutschke, wherein Marxist academics sought to instill cultural Marxism in Western societies.
His book explores the roots of cancel culture, political correctness, and t modern form “wokeness,” decrying their corrosive effects on various facets of society.
Expressing his dismay at the current state of affairs, Dr. Donnelly lamented the pervasive influence of cancel culture, particularly its impact on the youth.
He recounted distressing scenes of young children succumbing to fear-induced despair over climate change, attributing such sentiments to the toxic environment fostered by cancel culture.
Moreover, Dr. Donnelly underscored the concerning rise in youth suicide, self-harm, and other mental health issues in Australia, attributing them to a lack of moral and spiritual grounding.
“The pro-Israel group, Students Supporting Israel (SSI) was recently suspended as a campus group by the University of Manitoba after inviting Palestinian peace activist Bassem Eid to speak on campus. Eid, who rejects Palestinian terrorism and speaks fairly about Israel, caused “discomfort” among members of the anti-Israel campus group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter at the university. SJP subsequently lodged a complaint against SSI with the university, which promptly shut SSI down. Less than six months ago, this would have been an Orwellian scenario. But post-October 7 – which saw the largest massacre, rape, mutilation and hostage-taking of Jews since the Holocaust – this scenario is unfortunately a reality for Jewish students, faculty and staff on Canadian college campuses.” For full article https://canarymission.org/campaign/Canadian_Faculty_Support_Hamas
If you are old enough, you probably remember Michael Milken’s first professional life as a Titan of industry. He built great enterprises in a hurry, at risk, and at mostly profit to the investors. He was a force of nature. In his second professional life, after being prosecuted for financial misdeeds in the ’80s—he has since been pardoned by President Trump—he has focused on philanthropy. He is still a force of nature and has probably done as much in the war on cancer as anyone alive. He remains what he was, active and effective regarding every good thing. Having followed Michael’s career for years, I met him for the first time this month when I took part in an education panel he hosted in Florida. The panel consisted mostly of college presidents, and the question before us had to do with why elite colleges have gone bad. The cause of these colleges going bad is very deep, but it is mostly this: they no longer understand their purpose as the pursuit of truth. Instead, they see it as training their students to be revolutionaries. The search for the truth is a hard discipline at any level. At the highest level, it requires a lifetime. The classics say it requires even courage. One must focus upon each thing that is studied and attempt to hold these things together in one’s mind. Being trained to be a revolutionary requires different virtues. First, the student must think he can perfect the world and think he knows how. Second, he must learn to comply. These seem opposite, but they are inextricable. Revolution today is made easy by the view that the standards of perfect and imperfect, of good and bad, are completely subjective. Each of us decides what things mean. Each of us has a right to ouropinions, whatever they are. This way of thinking does not make young people thoughtful; it makes them adamant. Some others are bored into passivity. Gaining strength by declaring that opinions hold no value doesn’t create a forceful revolution. And who wants a limp revolution? So asserting the holiness of the cause is essential. But it can’t be a genuinely holy cause because holy things are uncreated. The cause needs to be created by men, and it’s even better if it’s implausible or fantastical. If it lacks coherence and is built on ignorance, then its followers can be certain that it is uniquely their own. Recently, the rising cause on college campuses has been support for the terrorist group Hamas. It identifies the murdered Jews of last October, and not the murderers themselves, as evil. This is a grave matter not only for elite colleges, but for our nation. We are the most successful and longest-enduring free republic in human history. We have a constitution to protect our freedom, but our practices under that constitution have become warped. The cause of the warping is closely related to why elite colleges have gone bad. The Constitution aims to protect our liberties under the “laws of nature and of nature’s God.” These laws are proclaimed in the first sentence of the most beautiful political document ever written, the Declaration of Independence. Abraham Lincoln, arguing against slavery, called these laws the “father of all moral principle in us.” Our elite colleges and many others have repudiated these laws. They recognize no laws above us, written in nature or ordained by God, to command what we do. They teach that we can remake the world as we please. This teaching is the basis of the American form of totalitarianism: scientific, comprehensive, ever advancing. It is evil. Read 1984. Much of the blame for this madness has come upon Harvard, the oldest and most elite college in America. One must condemn what Harvard has become, but also one should wish Harvard well. It is an old institution that has been great, and there is still some greatness in it. It must return to its old purposes if it is to save its freedom and recover its interest in the truth. To read more about the causes of the decline of education, read the “1915 General Declaration of Principles”bythe American Association of University Professors, of which John Dewey was founder and president. Also instructive is an article I wrote years ago titled “Why the GOP is Flunking Higher Education” and an exchange about it I had with former president of Boston University John Silber.
‘In September 2022, Christian parents Nigel and Sally Rowe won a commitment from the government to reform guidance for schools on transgender issues.
They were the first parents to expose transgender ideology in primary schools as they objected to 6-year-olds being allowed to socially transition in their sons’ Church of England Primary School.
Expert evidence was submitted to support the Rowes’ position, and the Department for Education (DfE) decided to settle the case rather than allow their challenge to go to court.
The government has now brought out its draft guidance on gender questioning children and has opened up a consultation on the guidance. This is a very important consultation which we would encourage you to respond to.
The guidance affects teachers, pupils and parents and will set the standard for what teachers and pupils are allowed to do. It is a significant step forward in protecting freedom of speech and in telling schools that they do not have to allow children to socially transition. However, the government still needs to be held to account and there are important areas where the guidance should be improved.’https://christianconcern.com/action/protect-christians-and-children-in-schools-from-trans-ideology/
The following is an email received from Hillsdale College.
Revenge of the NerdsThis may seem curious, but we think it is good—also fun. Hillsdale College has become superb at teaching mathematics. Of course, we are well-known for teaching the humanities: history, politics, literature, economics, philosophy, theology––all these and more. But math? In the next two years Hillsdale College expects to have the largest percentage of graduates in math areas in the country. This year, 38 students will, we predict, graduate who major in math or applied mathematics, which is about 11.5% of the graduating class. Similarly, next school year it looks like math majors will comprise about 10.9% of the graduating class (notice the digits beyond the decimal points; mathematicians, painfully precise, suggested we add more). Typically, the top 5 colleges with the most math and applied mathematics majors include the likes of Amherst, Williams, Macalester, Pomona, Carleton, Swarthmore, and Harvey Mudd. In 2020 and 2021, Hillsdale ranked in the top 10. This year we expect to come in first. Look at the numbers below: 2019-2020:Amherst College had 10.6% of its graduates in math fields for 1st nationallyMacalester College: 9.9%, 2nd nationallyHillsdale College: 7.2%, 8th nationally 2020-2021:Amherst College: 10.7%, 1st nationallyWilliams College: 10.4%, 2nd nationallyHillsdale College: 7.5%, 10th nationally 2021-2022Hillsdale College: 9.5%, expected to be 4th nationally 2022-2023 (last academic year):Hillsdale College, 8.7%, expected to be 8th nationally 2023-2024 (current academic year):Hillsdale College, projects 11.5%, expected to be 1st nationally 2024-2025 (next academic year):Hillsdale College, projects 10.9%, expected to be 1st nationally We think mathematics is the purist of languages and the key to understanding the natural world, the sciences of which (chemistry, biology, and physics) are also strong here. We are therefore proud to have built a superb—and also popular—mathematics program. Also, we discover from experience that neither math majors nor math faculty are particularly nerdy. This is, I suppose, a sort of reverse revenge of the nerds.
Since October 8, more than 15 aggressive pro-Hamas protests have wracked Philly, with the organizers vowing not to stop until their "demands are met." Who are the leaders of this movement calling for the genocide of Jews? NEW REPORT https://t.co/RI1ybamdAkpic.twitter.com/nGzymLgcML
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