It's “Un-American” to Dissent
Since the events of 9/11 there has been a rather heated debate over dissenting opinions about the current Awar on terrorism,@ especially on college campuses. Recent opinions in the Los Angeles Times reflect this (commentary by Joel Beinin on Dec. 30, 2001 and Jan. 2, 2002 and rebuttal letters on Jan. 5, 2002), with much of the discussion being a response to the American Council of Trustees and Alumni claiming that university professors all over the country are in effect Abrainwashing@ gullible students with Aleftist@ perspectives. Such views are defined as Aanti-American.@ Too bad there is only anecdotal evidence to support such a claim, mostly from statements by a few college faculty taken out of context. What is occurring here is that just about any form of criticism, any negative statements about American foreign policies, is defined as Aanti-American@ (a rather old and useless phrase). If this were the case, then we would logically find America flooded with masses of left-wing college students and recent graduates, demonstrating against the current war efforts (in front of CNN headquarters, the Pentagon, the White House, etc.). What we find instead are relatively quiet campuses, no protests to speak of and an overwhelming support for the war on terrorism.
Despite the worries of many people, college students are not in fact being Abrainwashed@ (an overused term) with Aleftist@ rhetoric. When some faculty members (myself included) provide a dissenting opinion about American foreign policies or (in my field) a different view of crime (such as a focus on corporate crime and crimes of the American government) we are merely trying to balance the prevailing opinions and interpretations. To point out the negative things our country has done and to be criticized for it (with the label Aanti-American@) is like bringing to someone=s attention the battering husband and child abuser who is seen by the public as a Adecent, hard-working man who donates his time to charitable causes,@ etc. Yet we who dare challenge government policies (whether it be the current war on terrorism or other policies) are charged with Asiding with the enemy@ and/or justifying what these enemies have done. To dissent and challenge your government is a duty of a citizen, guaranteed by the Constitution. What is truly Aun-American,@ is to stand idly by and never question elected officials.
Written in January, 2002 and submitted to the Los Angeles Times, but never published.