November 20, 2004 by s.z.

I Think I'll Go Back to College Here's part of a CBN transcript of an interview Pat Robertson did with Jim Nelson Black, author of "Freefall of the American University: How Our Colleges are Corrupting the Minds and Morals of the Next Generation", ROBERTSON: What are they teaching at these secular universities? I was watching a couple of interviews with Tom Wolfe, who’s written a book essentially on the sexual morality and other things about the current crop of college students. What are they teaching?  BLACK: Well, basically, what they are not teaching are the things you and I learned at college. They are not teaching freshman English nor American history, nor basic mathematics and science. They are teaching radical courses about sexuality, and benign courses on vampires and the undead. That is actually the name of one course. Well, I can guess why they might not teach basic math or science at universities anymore (the students already covered the basics in high school).  And maybe they replaced those general surveys of English for freshman in favor of more specialized units in literature and writing skills.  But I can only assume that they did away with American history because the faculty and administration of all American colleges are all commies.  (If any of you are currently a college student and you find that your school is teaching even one course in American history, you should report it to the college accreditation board, so your school can be decertified for failing to follow the party line.) In any case, I am very disappointed that we had to learn from a stranger that remedial math has been replaced by Radical Sexuality.  How did Ben Shapiro and Dr. Mike Adams happen to fall down on the job so badly.  Why are they even AT college if they can't whine about something as basic as this? However, Pat just can't get over the vampires. ROBERTSON: Teaching them about vampires! That’s ridiculous. A college course? [...] ROBERTSON: Vampires…  BLACK: It is in the book. I could give you the name of it. It is a major university like Cornell that is teaching a course like that.  ROBERTSON: Why would anybody in higher education want to teach children about vampires? I mean, vampires. Pat, maybe because it could be used it to introduce students to studies in folklore, literature, sociology, cinema. etc.  Perhaps because the kids would think it's fun, and might enjoy a break from all their serious core classes.  Or maybe because the professor needs some red, young blood.  Lots of reasons.  But, of course, the REAL cause for clucking is that sexual revolution which is all the rage these days (some think it may be linked to that newly invented "birth control pill" which you may have heard about).  ROBERTSON: And what about this whole sexual revolution that seems to be so prevalent in college? [...] ROBERTSON: I am totally shocked. You know, again, Tom Wolfe. He is a pretty good author. He said these girls have these diaries with codes, and they rate the guy they are having sex with, and put code letters down as to what kind of stuff they did while they were hooking up.  BLACK: Right. Tom Wolfe's novel could be a documentary, it is so close to the facts. He spent four years getting information to write that novel and it is shockingly true. If you think it is just fiction, think again. You may have read about Wolfe's book at TBogg (and at the Corner, as described here).  But now that we know that it's a documentary, I guess we should all read it for ourselves, so we can be totally shocked (and titillated), like Mr. Robertson. 4:31:48 AM

Who Said It? Yesterday's Mystery Guest was Dr. (of Physiology) Laura Schlessinger.  She recently wrote in her NewsMax column that Mrs. Gotti and the Osbournes should be charged with child abuse for letting their teens be on reality TV.  It seems odd that Dr. Laura neglected to mention that she has done her own fair share of child exploitation, but I guess it's another example of that "do as I say, not as I did" wisdom that Dr. L. is so famous for.  Julia, the Coldest Tasting Blogger on the Internet (you can catch her frosty cold flavor at Sisyphus Shrugged) was the first to identify Dr. Laura as our Mystery Hypocrite.  Thorlac, the Coldest Tasting Commenter With Less Calories on the Internet, was a close second.  Kudos to both.   And an honorable mention to Dr. (of Intellectualism) Sadly, No!, for suspecting that it might be Kathie Lee Gifford.   We would also like to award a postdated honorable mention to WKD, for suggesting "Satan, Prince of Lies" when the real answer was "Ann Coulter, Queen of the Damned Wingnuts." So, for them, here's a bonus Dr. Laura quote from the same Newsmax column: I long for my future grandchildren to be able to turn on their televisions to see a parent lovingly pointing out the realities of life to their child (who probably got him/herself into some sort of pickle at school) in a way which inspires my grandchildren to trust and feel admiration and comfort with their parents – like I saw with Leave it to Beaver. Hey, it's better than the kid seeing his mother's beaver on the internet -- because then young Deryk would be so traumatized that those grandchildren Laura is so counting on will never be conceived.  (Maybe Frederick will spare a moment from BeatBushBlog to repost the link to Laura's photos so that everyone can join Deryk in swearing off all attraction to women.) Anyway, speaking of radio "pesonalities," which one said the following in a column suggesting candidates for William Safire's spot at the NY Times? James Lileks. Admittedly, this would be a bold and unexpected choice. It would also be brilliant. Lileks is the best funny-serious writer out there, and though he will curse me for saying so, he could be the Maureen Dowd of the center-right, only funny. Downside: The annual Hummels column. [...] Mark Steyn. He's the best columnist working today, period. The four above would probably acknowledge this, and his limitless output is just staggering. If the Times wanted to be the best of the best, they'd do whatever it took to get Steyn's byline twice a week. 3:21:21 AM

An Ann Anecdote  From a Maryland Beachcomber story about "Hollywood Stars" who have been seen on local beaches: Rehoboth Beach music teacher and musician Walt Hetfield said he's seen other famous faces from the stage while performing at Sydney's. He said he once joked through the microphone that a loud bar patron bore an uncanny resemblance to conservative political author Ann Coulter only to find out it was really her. Ann Coulter was a "loud bar patron" whom a comic tried to heckle into shutting up?  I am shocked, SHOCKED!!! Okay, okay, this was a "dog bites man" story, since we would have only been amazed if Ann hadn't been drunk and obnoxious while visiting Rehobeth Beach.  So let's see if we can find something a little more newsworthy. How about about this part of Wednesday night's "Scarborough Country" transcript, where Ann is explaining why that ABC promo with Nicolette Sheridan in the locker room was bad for children, but Saving Private Ryan was okay? COULTER: I think there‘s an enormous difference between violence and smut, sexual content, nudity.  Violence, that‘s been around since “Punch and Judy,” since cowboys and Indians movies.  And people understand they are watching a movie, they are not watching an actual person be killed.  BUCHANAN:  Right.  COULTER:  It‘s not real blood.  They‘re not real bullets.  When you see, for example, nudity on TV, that‘s a real nude woman.  (CROSSTALK) BUCHANAN:  All right.  COULTER:  This is specifically corrupting and degrading and things that I think children shouldn‘t see, but it‘s not so bad for children to see violence. It's not so bad for children to see violence because violence is one of our traditional values, going back to old English puppet shows about wife beating.  However, no one had ever seen a woman's bare upper back until this week, so nudity must be bad.  See, seeing Nicolette's back could corrupt the boys who stay up to watch football, because it teaches them that "Desperate Housewives" might be more fun to watch than the Dallas Cowboys. Also, TV violence is okay, because kids know it's fake, but real semi-clad women are bad, because they are actual women, right there in the living room with the children.  Or something. In any case, Ann, who admits that she looks like "some kind of dominatrix dressed in tasteful Chanel black leather" on the cover of her new book, is an odd choice to be the new "Republican Values" spokesman for moral wholesomeness.  IMHO.  2:30:46 AM