--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It can be astonishing how far some…" description: "\"“It can be astonishing how far some colleges will go to enforce ideological discipline. For example, at the City University of New York's Hunter Colleg..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/kim-r-holmes-34917_discipline_it-can-be-astonishing-how-far-some-colle_2414202.jpg" --- # It can be astonishing how far some colleges will go to… ![“It can be astonishing how far some colleges will go to enforce ideological discipline. For example, at the City University of New York's Hunter College School of Social Work, Devorah Goldman was approached by a professor after class one day who quietly informed her, "I can't have you participate…” quote by Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/kim-r-holmes-34917_discipline_it-can-be-astonishing-how-far-some-colle_2414202.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/kim-r-holmes-34917_discipline_it-can-be-astonishing-how-far-some-colle_2414202.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ee/kim-r-holmes-34917_discipline_it-can-be-astonishing-how-far-some-colle_2414202.jpg) > ““It can be astonishing how far some colleges will go to enforce ideological discipline. For example, at the City University of New York's Hunter College School of Social Work, Devorah Goldman was approached by a professor after class one day who quietly informed her, "I can't have you participate in class anymore". The offense? Opinions she expressed in class were contrary to school's guidelines -- the same ones established by CSWE. Emily Brooker, a Christian student at Missouri State University's School of Social Work (also accredited by CSWE), was asked in 2006 by her professor to sign a letter to the legislature in favor of adoption by homosexuals. When she refused she was interrogated for two and a half hours by the school's ethics committee and charged with a "Level Three Grievance", which is the most severe penalty. Fearing the loss of her degree, Brooker eventually relented and signed a contract promising to "close the gap" between her religious views and the values of the social work professor. There is no way to sugarcoat how bad this is for our society. It is thought control pure and simple. And it is systemic. It is not merely lack of grace on the part of a few muddle-minded professors, but the corruption of our institutions of higher learning.”” [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Institutions sometimes enforce conformity, suppressing dissenting views, which threatens academic freedom and pluralism. **In simple terms:** Forced conformity harms free thought. Key Takeaway Defend open dialogue and protect dissent. Themes freedom of speech academic integrity ideological control Mood concerned critical Type political social When to use this quote - college classrooms - policy debates - student activism Key Concepts authoritarianism institutional pressure Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can protect both inclusivity and free expression? - How should institutions handle conflicting moral viewpoints? A Different Perspective Balancing respect for community standards with individual expression is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Higher learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-learning/) [Religious views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-views/) [Social work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-work/) [Thought control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-control/) ## Related quotes > [The example of Russia reminds us that keeping up that enormous dead weight of the security apparatus required to enforce the ideological conformity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/the-example-of-russia-reminds-us-that-keeping-up-that-enormous-dead/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [“An ideological movement is a collection of people many of whom could hardly bake a cake, fix a car, sustain a friendship or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/an-ideological-movement-is-a-collection-of-people-many-of-whom-could/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [Mr. Speaker, a new report says only 7% of scientists believe in God. That is right. And the reason they gave was that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-traficant/mr-speaker-a-new-report-says-only-7-of-scientists-believe-in-god-that/) [James Traficant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-traficant/) > [Liberalism is correlated with high openness and low conscientiousness, and when you think of Lib Dems they're absent-minded professors and hippies. They're the early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wylie/liberalism-is-correlated-with-high-openness-and-low-conscientiousness/) [Christopher Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-wylie/) > [“Giving love to someone sometimes happens without thought or control.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-reighard/giving-love-to-someone-sometimes-happens-without-thought-or-control/) [Carla Reighard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-reighard/) > [The irony of the process of thought control: the more energy you put into trying to control your ideas and what you think about,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/the-irony-of-the-process-of-thought-control-the-more-energy-you-put/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Progressives' don’t just redefine (and valorize) deviancy; they insist on renaming it, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-shaidle/progressives-don-t-just-redefine-and-valorize-deviancy-they-insist-on/) Kathy Shaidle > [“If you aren't destroying your enemies, it's because you have been conquered and assimilated, you do not even have an idea of who your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/if-you-aren-t-destroying-your-enemies-it-s-because-you-have-been/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [When we observe our thoughts, we separate ourselves from them and we provide a space, and this is how we can control them and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-bk-satyanarayan/when-we-observe-our-thoughts-we-separate-ourselves-from-them-and-we/) [Dr BK Satyanarayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-bk-satyanarayan/) > [The aftermath of the war is what inspired us to write many of our plays. The whole reason for our writing Inherit the Wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-lawrence/the-aftermath-of-the-war-is-what-inspired-us-to-write-many-of-our/) [Jerome Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-lawrence/) > [If we are stuck or trapped in our own thoughts we will not have control over them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-bk-satyanarayan/if-we-are-stuck-or-trapped-in-our-own-thoughts-we-will-not-have/) [Dr BK Satyanarayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-bk-satyanarayan/) > [I mean, I really don't want the federal government to be determining whether or not a person who feels certain ways about the environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-t-king/i-mean-i-really-don-t-want-the-federal-government-to-be-determining/) [Peter T. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-t-king/) > [“And that's what Mahudin calls our thought control...an induced hypnosis of inferiority, destroying confidence and initiative, prolonging the period of tutelage which we would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/han-suyin/and-that-s-what-mahudin-calls-our-thought-control-an-induced-hypnosis/) [Han Suyin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/han-suyin/) > [All forms of tampering with human beings, getting at them, shaping them against their will to your own pattern, all thought control and conditioning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-berlin/all-forms-of-tampering-with-human-beings-getting-at-them-shaping-them/) [Isaiah Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-berlin/) > [Hey, techer leave those kids alone!…We dont need no education…we dont need no thought control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pink-floyd/hey-techer-leave-those-kids-alone-we-dont-need-no-education-we-dont/) [Pink Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pink-floyd/) ## More by Kim R. Holmes > [ “\[W\]hat is historically new is the alliance with the cultural left. Back in the 1960s, many economically minded New Deal liberals and even socialists… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/w-hat-is-historically-new-is-the-alliance-with-the-cultural-left-back/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“Jefferson's ambivalence toward the French Revolution matters. As a key founder of the American republic, he bridges the moderate and radical Enlightenments. He tried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/jefferson-s-ambivalence-toward-the-french-revolution-matters-as-a-key/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“The French Revolution gave history its first instance of modern leftist illiberalism -- an embrace of tyranny in the name of the people. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/the-french-revolution-gave-history-its-first-instance-of-modern/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“University Life" bureaucrats are teaching the next generation of young Americans that the First Amendment is not a guarantee of constitutional rights; it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/university-life-bureaucrats-are-teaching-the-next-generation-of-young/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“Racial stereotyping. For Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights leaders, the sin of white racism was stereotyping all black people as inferior.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/racial-stereotyping-for-martin-luther-king-jr-and-other-civil-rights/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“Practically every radical cause in America today shows the influence of this postmodernist assault. From radical feminism to racial and sexual politics, postmodern leftists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/practically-every-radical-cause-in-america-today-shows-the-influence/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“Being accused of microaggression can be a harrowing experience. Manhattan Institute Fellow Heather Mac Donald relates in City Journal how an incident got out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/being-accused-of-microaggression-can-be-a-harrowing-experience/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“When most people think of intolerance, they imagine a racist taunting a black person. Or they may envision a male chauvinist hurling bigoted insults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/when-most-people-think-of-intolerance-they-imagine-a-racist-taunting/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“As existentialists as Jean-Paul Sarte learned, radical individualism can be a dead end for social justice. It is not easy to establish a coherent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/as-existentialists-as-jean-paul-sarte-learned-radical-individualism/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“artificial order on civilization is with brute force. The only way to make something unnatural appear to be natural is to force everyone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/artificial-order-on-civilization-is-with-brute-force-the-only-way-to/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“Double-Standard Bigotry. It is not uncommon within progressive circles to find the assumption that certain kinds of people are less equal than others. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/double-standard-bigotry-it-is-not-uncommon-within-progressive-circles/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“The popular culture has also lowered the threshold on public shaming rituals. It is not only suppressing certain speech on college campuses, but making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/the-popular-culture-has-also-lowered-the-threshold-on-public-shaming/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) > [“The postmodern left gets its particular brand of egalitarianism from the New Left of the 1960s. It was then that neo-Marxism and other radical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-r-holmes/the-postmodern-left-gets-its-particular-brand-of-egalitarianism-from/) [Kim R. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) [Explore all 14 Kim R. Holmes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-r-holmes/) ## More Discipline quotes > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“Peace requires a discipline more iron than war. - Easter, 1939 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-turner/peace-requires-a-discipline-more-iron-than-war-easter-1939/) W.J. Turner > [You can't have the fruits without the roots. It's the principle of sequencing: Private Victories proceed Public Victories. Self-mastery and self-discipline are the foundation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/you-can-t-have-the-fruits-without-the-roots-it-s-the-principle-of/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [I'm always writing. I'm an obsessive. It's not because I'm a disciplined person. It's because I'm crazy about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-m-always-writing-i-m-an-obsessive-it-s-not-because-i-m-a/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [The undisciplined child enters into discipline by working in the company of others; not being told he is naughty.” “Discipline is, therefore, primarily a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-undisciplined-child-enters-into-discipline-by-working-in-the/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“Proverbs from the East: The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Even though I make no special attempt to observe the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/proverbs-from-the-east-the-wind-howls-but-the-mountain-remains-still/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/) [Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/) > [The individual, by means of the discipline imposed on him by sport, not only plays and finds relaxation from the various compulsions to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-individual-by-means-of-the-discipline-imposed-on-him-by-sport-not/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [Cheerfulness in most cheerful people is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/cheerfulness-in-most-cheerful-people-is-the-rich-and-satisfying/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Stay in your seat come times of trouble. Its only people who jump off the roller coaster who get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harvey/stay-in-your-seat-come-times-of-trouble-its-only-people-who-jump-off/) [Paul Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harvey/) [Browse all 5,597 Discipline quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It can be astonishing how far some colleges will go to enforce ideological discipline. For example, at the City University of New York's Hunter College School of Social Work, Devorah Goldman was approached by a professor after class one day who quietly informed her, \"I can't have you participate in class anymore\". The offense? Opinions she expressed in class were contrary to school's guidelines -- the same ones established by CSWE. Emily Brooker, a Christian student at Missouri State University's School of Social Work (also accredited by CSWE), was asked in 2006 by her professor to sign a letter to the legislature in favor of adoption by homosexuals. When she refused she was interrogated for two and a half hours by the school's ethics committee and charged with a \"Level Three Grievance\", which is the most severe penalty. Fearing the loss of her degree, Brooker eventually relented and signed a contract promising to \"close the gap\" between her religious views and the values of the social work professor. There is no way to sugarcoat how bad this is for our society. It is thought control pure and simple. And it is systemic. It is not merely lack of grace on the part of a few muddle-minded professors, but the corruption of our institutions of higher learning.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kim R. 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