Student Anti-Intellectualism and the Dumbing Down of the University

by Paul Trout “‘Why are colleges trying to force this stuff down our throats and trying to make us think when our minds and opinions are already formed?’” A T-shirt sold at Duke University proudly announces, “You can lead me to college, but you can’t make me think.” A student website offering term papers for sale is named “schoolsucks” (http://www.schoolsucks.com). When the professor at an optional help session asked, “Now, how would we do that?” a student at the back yelled out, “‘Who gives a shit!’” “But when I looked at Justin, all I saw was blankness. I must have […]