Camille Paglia and How We Debate Social Issues

“To dismiss topics that are being discussed by college students is a terrible political strategy. The left has professionalized gathering new supporters with questionable narratives—and classical liberals remain inert. We need to change that.”

Recently, a group of students at the University of Arts in Philadelphia has been trying to silence feminist author and professor Camille Paglia. The cause of it all seems to be her views on feminism, #MeToo, and transgenderism. She openly speaks out against contemporary feminists and their way of dealing with sexual harassment, assault, and “rape culture.” For this, they want her to be “removed from the faculty and replaced by a queer person of color.”

However, Paglia—who defines herself as a libertarian—is not the only one suffering at the hands of radical activists. People from various parts of the political spectrum have been silenced by a mob that tries to shut down everything that is against their own perspective. As many liberals are too afraid to stand up, these left-wing mobs are able to make this the new normal on the Left—and classical liberals play a role in it.

These ideas, nonetheless, rarely seem to reach college students. Part of this is due to the influence of the Left itself. But part is from the lack of clearly articulated positions on these topics, which include race and gender, from classical liberals themselves.

Classical liberalism has had a resurgence, and this political movement, which started with thinkers such as David Hume, John Locke, Adam Smith, Montesquieu, and others, has recently taken center stage in our political discourse.

Liberalism, in its classical sense, is well-known for its fight against government intervention in the economy. Its principles center around free market capitalism, private property, civil rights for all, and individual liberty. This last one holds that people are distinct, unique, and responsible for their actions; thus, neither government nor others should dictate how they should run their lives.