EDUCATION BEYOND POLITICS
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are nowhere near that extreme. We conducted three very large polls in
the California college system, a couple in the Florida system and two
more in one of the three Illinois systems. The left spectrum represents in
most places, including California, a very small percentage. Now, the su–
per-conservatives are even smaller. It's basically a very solid, sensible
center. The amazing thing was how similar California is to Illinois and
Florida and New Jersey. State-wide systems look pretty much alike. You
might fund some outfit
to
periodically take polls on what academics
think because that may mold the minds of people. Putting that out will
convince a lot of people that they won't be alone if they speak out.
They may still think it's not worth having the discussion; they may feel
it's more important to publish an article or a book, or to take care of
their own courses or to do something else. But we'd at least get away
from the question of isolating ourselves. If I were in charge, that's what
I'd do. I'd get the facts out and show that most of the people are where
we are. We ought to show it by appearing in meetings and having
speakers on campus.
William Phillips: Who's going to do it? You're talking about orga–
nization now, aren't you?
AI Shanker: In elementary and secondary education there's a magazine
called
Phi Delta Kappall
and they publish an annual Gallup poll on atti–
tudes toward education issues. They've been doing it for about twenty
years. You might very well get some foundation - with a fairly diverse
advisory body - that would deal with these questions. A lot of these
Gallup questions are the same year after year; new ones could be added. I
don't know that you'd need an organization to do that.
c.
Vann Woodward: I argued against unnecessary pessimism. But I
would like to put in a word for necessary pessimism. Some of these or–
ganizations give in. A notable example is the MLA. It is a disgrace to the
profession. It consists of people who are afraid to offend. I was in the
chair when, in 1969, the American Historical Association came within a
few votes of capitulating
to
converting itself to a political organization,
to endorse the programs and the policies of the government. This can
happen, and that's what I mean by necessary pessimism.
William Phillips: I agree with Vann Woodward. I think some of us
are underestimating what's going on; we're sort of bending over back–
wards. I personally think the situation is very bad. And I think we're en–
gaged in an intellectual struggle. That is, the people we're opposed to
are the people who are fairly dominant in most of the universities. And
