Sometimes, the creep toward authoritarian rule is slow, almost imperceptible, until it is a fait accompli. Other times, the coup is complete in little more than the blink of an eye. The latter, of course, is what has happened in the United States, but Canadians should not feel especially complacent about it. After all, like the cancer it is, fascism can spread tentacles that reach even remote parts of the body politic. More about that in a moment.
The so-called intelligentsia is often a prime target. And we are seeing this in abundance in the U.S., where the Trump regime is insisting upon ideological purity from universities such as Cornell, Columbia and Harvard in exchange for federal grants. Happily, Yale, unlike the other two universities, is refusing to submit, at a preliminary cost to them of $2.3 billion.
In a letter to Harvard on Friday, the administration called for broad government and leadership reforms, a requirement that Harvard institute what it calls “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies as well as conduct an audit of the study body, faculty and leadership on their views about diversity.
The demands, which are an update from an earlier letter, also call for a ban on face masks, which appeared to target pro-Palestinian protesters; closure of its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which it says teach students and staff “to make snap judgments about each other based on crude race and identity stereotypes”; and pressure the university to stop recognizing or funding “any student group or club that endorses or promotes criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment”.
The administration also demanded that Harvard cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Yale's response was unequivocal.
Harvard’s president said in a letter that the university would not comply with the Trump administration’s demands to dismantle its diversity programming and to limit student protests in exchange for its federal funding.
“No government – regardless of which party is in power – should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Alan Garber, the university president, wrote, adding that Harvard had taken extensive reforms to address antisemitism.
Garber said the government’s demands were a political ploy.
“It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner,” he wrote. “Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard.”
The extreme right is never satisfied until it has complete control over the minds (and hearts, if they are really tenacious) of all, and what better way to do so than controlling what the population is taught?
The American idea that universities are fair game for control has affected at least one Canadian institution, but here, it is a self-imposed censorship of ideas. Consider this sad incident:
The first artist-in-residence at the University of Prince Edward Island’s veterinary college has quit after being told to take down a painting of lemmings that he says incited complaints from American faculty over the political nature of the work.
Christopher Griffin, whose new residency was heralded by Atlantic Veterinary College late last year, was asked to remove “The Crossing,” a painting of lemmings depicted on a boat in a clear nod to Emanuel Leutze’s 1851 work, ”Washington Crossing the Delaware.”
“I knew when I put the American flag in the painting that it would elicit some sort of reaction,” said the Charlottetown-based artist. “I never expected it would be censored.”
Griffin created the piece as part of a series he began in January in response to the Trump administration and its increasingly volatile relationship with its neighbour to the north.
“Washington Crossing the Delaware” is an iconic historical depiction of American victory. The massive painting shows a heroic George Washington crossing the river towards a surprise attack on the British during the American Revolutionary War.
Griffin, who has drawn from nature and wildlife for much of his 35-year career, chose lemmings because of the mythology around the creatures being prone to mass suicide. “I thought that was appropriate for the self-inflicted harm that the American government was doing to itself.
The shameful nature of this censorship has not escaped the notice of thoughtful Canadians, who recognize the dangerous path the university has tread.
I just read the article about Christopher Griffin’s painting “The Crossing” that was taken off the wall at the University of Prince Edward Island veterinary school. It was astonishing.
I have been an art teacher for 35 years and have taught literally thousands of children in Toronto. The single most important idea I instill in my students is to respect each other’s work, to listen to what the work is about and to ask the student artist to explain their work, if necessary. If children don’t like the work for whatever personal reason, so be it. That’s fine, as long as it’s not hurtful. These lessons should be considered at the University of PEI. The American faculty at that school who don’t feel comfortable with this work need to talk it out with the artist and come to a deeper understanding of it.
Ellen Manney, Toronto
Christopher Griffin is due an apology
More power to artist Christopher Griffin. In a world of vertebrates and invertebrates it is obvious who has the backbone in this unfortunate standoff. How sad that even university administrators and professors cannot recognize virtually everything in life is political and in the case of the current American administration it is self-evident that everything they do is political. The University of Prince Edward Island owes artist Griffin an apology for the removal of his painting “The Crossing.”
Charles Campisi, Oakville
‘The Crossing’ shines light on the truth
I am taking a minute out of my day to thank artist Christopher Griffin for depicting the chaotic situation in the U.S. through his painting “The Crossing.” I am approaching my 81st year in a few weeks, and the thought of U.S. President Donald Trump’s right-wing supporters reminded me of lemmings. I felt then and now that those MAGA followers will follow Trump over a cliff . The University of Prince Edward Island got it wrong. Please find your backbone. We Canadians will not be intimidated by Trump . I am just one Canadian proud of what Griffin did to shine light on the truth.
Dorothy Higgins, Mississauga
A mind is a terrible thing to waste, as the old saying goes. A closed mind cannot grow. Removing any chance of that mind developing the critical thinking skills so necessary in this increasingly fraught world may in fact be the ultimate objective in Trump's Amerika. We must never let it be so here. The cost would be too high.
