I've taught at four universities – two private, two public
– over a period of almost thirty years, and during this time I've encountered some "liberal" humanities colleagues who are
no more interested in freedom of speech than they are in the nocturnal habits of the African land snail. In fact, on a few occasions I’ve
seen instructors take active steps, with an air of righteousness, to shut down, in their classrooms or at panel discussions, the expression of views unwelcome to them. Such teachers and scholars – with whose
social and political opinions I often agree – can be vocal when describing how crucial the humanities are to the very existence of critical thinking and to the open sharing of ideas. Yet such behavior reveals that what
they are truly committed to is
