Stanford University overflowed with leftist culture when I attended there in the mid-1970s.  During my junior year, in the spring of 1976, I created a project for an assignment in a poli sci class to expose the liberal bias and proto-political correctness at Stanford.  My little classroom assignment succeeded far better than I expected.

I dont recall exactly what the assignment was, but I formulated an experiment to show that the same political issue would evoke strong sympathy among the students of Stanford if presented in a liberal context, but would evoke scorn and derision if presented in a conservative context.

So I let my hair grow longer, put beads around my neck and set up a card table on White Plaza with sign reading End Fascist Oppression in Chile. At that time, Chile was ruled by right wing generals who had overthrown socialist president Salvador Allende in 1973. I piled up pamphlets from Amnesty International and asked people to sign a petition opposing the Chilean regime.  This military coup really hacked off many liberals, because it had overthrown a noble socialist, so they flocked to the table, grabbed my literature and signed my petition.  I recall that I collected 27 signatures in less than an hour or two.  I also remember that many of the people passing by me stopped to commend me and express their strong support for my efforts.  So, would a transformed Jordan obtain similar results opposing human rights violations by a leftist government?  Of course not!  Im at Stanford!

That evening, I got my hair cut, and dressed in the most conservative, nerdy clothes I could find.  The next day,  I set up the same card table, this time with a sign saying Stop Communist Repression in Russia.  I got anti-Communist literature from somewhere, put it on the table along with a petition for people to sign.  Now, although the Soviet government had killed and imprisoned many more people than the Chilean government,  Stanford students became irate that I brought this to their attention.  No one warmly commended me like they did when I opposed the abuses of the Chilean government the day before.   In fact, I remember people coming up and criticizing my efforts.  Even though many knew of the horrors in the Soviet gulags, no Stanford student would sign my petition.  Zero.  None.  Nada.  I did collect one signature from a visiting Christian evangelist from Berkeley. He was standing in White Plaza distributing  flyers for a Christian concert scheduled later that evening.

I wrote a report for my poli sci class (I cannot find it, and I fear it is lost forever).  I remember that my professor marveled at my creativity, and gave me an A.  Last May, I spoke at Stanford Law School on the right of conscience and First Amendment rights concerning those who disagree on the definition of marriage. Many disagreed with my views.   Things  havent changed much at Stanford. Except that I did wear a suit and tie (a stylish, quasi-hip suit and tie), but no card table this time.

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