Welcome to the new American university! A place where your ideas, beliefs and questions should be left at the door because what your professor says should be taken as the Gospel truth. Wait… doesn’t something seem wrong with this picture? This is America, the land of the free, right?! Shouldn’t universities be promoting different thoughts and viewpoints, encouraging diverse discussion and debate? Does this homogeneous, narrow-minded, intolerant brainwashing that’s happening all over American campuses perk your interest? Then you must see Indoctrinate U!
I had the opportunity to attend the private screening at the National Press Club this week here in Washington, D.C. It is by far one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. It’s actually very humorous, all the while very sobering. The film goes straight to the horse’s mouth for answers as it reveals the dirty little secrets of the country’s most well-respected institutions. “There have been many books written on the closing of the collegiate mind, but this is the first film to provide a snapshot of what life is like at America’s universities today, where you speak up at your own risk and are expected to check your mind at the door,” said Rob Pfaltzgraff, executive director of the Moving Picture Institute (MPI).
Creator, director and writer of the movie, Evan Coyne Maloney, a New York City software developer who began making short films after having nothing better to do one Saturday, put his career on hold for three years for the making of Indoctrinate U. He traveled to over 24 universities to talk to students and administration… well, attempted to, until he had campus police called on him at various places. Maloney has been called a “Michael Moore, only with integrity,” according to the film’s website. His sarcastic tone and humor add a great element to the hard-hitting evidence that is offered against the ‘conformity of thought’ epidemic raging on campuses.
Here’s a sample of the absurdities documented in the film:
– Cal State University and Columbia University- Students held a bake sale to demonstrate their opposition to affirmative action policies. The cookies are sold based on a student’s race, for example: $1.00 for Asians, 75 cents for whites, 25 cents Hispanics and 10 cents Africans- just like affirmative action is used in the admissions process. Bake sales like these have been quickly stopped by the administration and the students involved were threatened with arrest.
– Cal Poly student Steve Hinkel, a member of Cal Poly’s College Republicans started a free speech debate after posting “offensive” flyers in the school’s multicultural center promoting a speaking engagement by author Mason Weaver. Short version: angry students called campus police and Hinkel was charged with disturbing a campus event- a Bible reading- in posting the flyer. The students claimed the poster was offensive because it included the word “plantation”, which was used in the Weaver’s book title, It’s OK to Leave the Plantation. After the hearing, the Vice President of Student Affairs informed Hinkel that “You are a young white male member of CPCR. To students of color, this may be a collision of experience. The chemistry has racial implications, and you are naive not to acknowledge those.” So this had nothing to do with a disruption, but everything to do with his physical makeup being offensive? The school ordered him to write a written apology to offended students, Hinkel would not comply saying his constitutional free speech right was being infringed and sued the school. Cal Poly later settled with Hinkel, agreeing to expunge his record and pay his $40,000 in court fees. Don’t forget: that’s $40,000 the taxpayers had to shell out for this fiasco.
– The University of Tennessee suspended the Kappa Sigma fraternity because five of its members dressed up as the Jackson Five for an off-campus Halloween air guitar contest– all because various black students complained that it was racially insensitive. Students came to their defense by explaining that the frat guys are friends from Jackson, Tenn., and that others know them by that nickname. The school still went through with its disciplinary actions. This is actually a really comical part in the film; Maloney takes a survey walking down the street on Halloween asking people if they thought it would be racist for 5 white guys to dress up as the Jackson Five. The consensus, “It would be funny!”
– On the flip side, the University of Tennessee dismissed an email written by a student on a committee responsible for bringing speakers to the campus, about another student, Sukhmani Singh Khalsa. The email was sent to other committee members saying, “Next time you see him, shoot him in the face.” This was supposedly in response to an editorial written by Khalsa accusing the group of being non-diverse and narrow-minded in whom they invite to speak on campus. The administration dismissed it by saying, “It was taken out of context.”
– Maloney also makes a point by showing up at “Women’s resource centers” on various campuses and asking where the “men’s resource center” is. He never found one, but had a great time getting the women to give a straight answer on its non-existence. It’s funny because only 44% of college attendees are men, which makes them a minority. Which according to all the gender quality activist means they should have a resource center… right?
And that just scratches the surface of the documentary.
Not just another conservative bashing of the left, it’s a movie for all people. “I’ve had many people say, ‘I’m a Democrat and I love this movie.’ It’s not about politics. It’s about a love for truth… the search for truth, no matter where that takes you,” said Maloney.
Want to see this film in your local theater? Here is how you can help! The filmmakers of Indoctrinate U believe this is one of the most important documentaries of the year. They know many people want to see this film. But commercial distributors don’t. So to prove to them that the audience exists, they have created a Google map that allows interested people to sign up with their email address and zip code. So far the results have been overwhelming! Since the site went live on March 19th, it’s had over 150,000 page views and more than 10,000 people have requested a screening in their city. All of this has been done without the producers spending a dime on promotion. If they get 500 requests in one location they will set up a screening in that area. You can add to this number!
So stop what you’re doing… get on your laptop… and go to www.indoctrinateU.com and sign up so the film will be shown in your area!
Wendy Cook is a staff writer for Accuracy in Academia.
