The Academic Left Has Its Own "The Other"

Peter Wood's piece on the speech by Macalester College president Brian Rosenberg elucidates an interesting point. The academic left loves to talk about how most of America has a backward, irrational aversion to "The Other" -- people who are "different." That's mostly hogwash, but it's evident that people like Rosenberg have their own backward and irrational aversion. For them, "The Other" consists of people who don't share their faith in the ability of the government to solve all our socio-economic problems. Just as we non-leftists are assumed to wish to keep our distance from "different" people, academic leftists do keep their distance from what they regard as an ignorant, malevolent mob of town hall shouters who reject the plans of their intellectual betters to make the country more just. Rosenberg says he's for openness, but he'd much rather keep those unpleasant people and their foolish opinions away.