Marxism in the Classroom

Hooray for Scott Warren! His article was an excellent analysis of the purpose of education in America. The purpose of education in America is to challenge the minds of students, and to offer them a diversity of ideas.

As the AIA has no right to monitor the classroom and dictate what should be taught to students, no other group has a monopoly on the “truth.” “Leftist,” “radical,” and “Marxist” critiques of American society should be welcomed (as well as other critiques and perspectives), because they challenge students to look critically and analytically at their long-held beliefs to decide if such beliefs are valid or not. Such diversity of opinion is at the heart of a democracy and a liberal education.

If AIA believes that education will become “accurate, unbiased, balanced” by prohibiting criticism of “the American way” and merely affirming the status quo, then they are very wrong. Such is the way of dictatorships, authoritarian and totalitarian regimes--these political systems stifle other points of view. This is the very antithesis of democracy, which is characterized by the free exchange of ideas--ideas from every point of view.

Finally, I am not affirming the validity of radical or Marxist ideas. I am, in fact, a quite conservative, patriotic American who supports the capitalist system. However, in order to keep our capitalist system truly democratic, we must all guard against the closed-mindedness and monopolizing of truth which the AIA advocates.

MARK BODZIAK

Manhattan Beach