(By Josh Nass)
I am repulsed by the way the world of academia reacted to the news of the conflict that took place in Israel. It certainly would not be justified to contend that all academics are anti-Israel, nor would it be justified to claim that a majority are. But to those that are unfairly hostile toward Israel. To those that have been propagating to their students that Israel was in the wrong in this conflict. You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
As a young college aged activist, I have witnessed firsthand how liberalism has permeated the confines of the classroom. As a conservative, I have devoted much of my time toward combatting this bias. But as wrong as bias in the classroom may be, it pales in comparison to how absolutely reprehensible the expression of anti-Israel hate-mongering is. Much if not all of this hate-mongering is rooted in falsehoods, and that’s precisely why it must be put to an end. It is intellectual dishonesty that these academics are perpetuating. Such academics must be held liable, for they are doing nothing more than lying to their students.
During Operation Pillar of Defense, I received a number of phone calls from student activists around the country. One shared with me a story of an academic portraying Israel as the instigators of this conflict. Another shared that his professor dedicated time out of class to explain why it is that Israel is a human rights violating terrorist state. These stories all share one thing in common. The fact that they are patently false.
I’m not familiar with the backgrounds of these particular professors. But regardless, their utter ignorance about the conflict needs to be corrected. It is the responsibility of the executive boards of each of these respective schools to re-evaluate whether keeping such mouthpieces of anti-Israel bigotry aboard, is beneficial to the education of their students. But it is also incumbent upon the students, to bring such cases to the attention of those in executive positions at their particular schools. Without the transpiring of the aforementioned chain of events, there is no reason to believe such propagation of myths about Israel, will ever come to an end.
There is an ongoing debate in academia, as to whether professors should be sharing their personal and political views on the issues of the day, within the parameters of the classroom. There are those that don’t see any issue with academics sharing their views with their students, as long as it is made clear that these are opinions and not facts. Whatever your position may be on that particular philosophical question, we ought to be in full agreement that cloaking falsehoods as if they are facts, is wrong. It’s damaging to all students’ pursuit of the truth, and it certainly compromises the quality of their education.
If you are a student that has witnessed a similar situation to the ones I describe above, I urge you to take a stand. Don’t feel as if you have to stand up in class one day shouting down your professor; risking your future academic standing in that specific class. Rather, I ask that you contact your dean. Speak to fellow students and approach your headmaster together. Not because you have a political disagreement with your professor, but because you demand to receive an education that is rooted in fact. Not one laced with manufactured myths and falsehoods.
Josh Nass is a conservative talk radio host who frequently appears on HuffPost Live as well as MTV, NPR and Fox News.