It’s 8 a.m. and students pile into their classroom, anxiously awaiting lecture to begin. The professor paces back and forth with a diabolical smirk sewn across his face. There are no windows, just mirrors, though the students do not seem to notice all that much. After the buzz of the crowd settles down, the professor hands the students a piece of paper that they are then advised to read and summarize the key facts they have learned. In complete compliance, the focus of the class turns down toward the words on their desks, words that the expert they pay to give them knowledge has provided.
A few minutes pass by, and students are eager to share what they have learned so as to appear diligent and on-task. One-by-one, they offer a reworded synopsis of the “expert facts” they have just been fed. A gratifying twinge of contentment can be felt throughout the class as the professor praises their remarkable comprehension and analytical skills. All the while, the authority figure at the front of the classroom leers at the mirrors, his reflection entirely surrounding the students.
After a few articles have circulated throughout the room, students are enthusiastic to showcase their exceptional academic abilities and spew out the facts their inquisitive professor has offered them.
“The rich are taking over the world,” one student cries.
“The earth is reaching its expiration date, and it’s all our fault,” shouts a distraught and impressionable mind.
“Minimum wage is too low,” another wails.
“College education should be paid for by the rich; all students should go for free,” demands the student in the back.
The students glance at their worried faces in the mirrors that surround them. Their eyes droop with concern and their foreheads crease with worry. The country is inherently flawed and they are quivering with fear that their futures will be dull and unpromising.
Recognizing the obvious wave of distress that has crashed over the class, the professor offers a few words of encouragement. “Class,” he remarks, looking out at the perspiring students. “Do not worry. You are the future. You can make this right.” A billow of relief calms the minds of the students and the lecture continues. The students are at ease knowing that their professor has uncovered the reality they face and advised them how to go about fixing it through these highly informative, “factual” articles.
A loud banging erupts—the source coming from behind the classroom mirror. The professor momentarily excuses himself to address the minor distraction. He walks outside and stares at his students through the one-way window, disguised as a classroom mirror. He is met with the bantering of others in total rage over the “facts” these students have been provided with. The professor quickly orders security to remove the divergent individuals from the campus immediately.
Upon his return he continues, “Ah…where did I leave off?”
When the lecture wraps up, the students are dismissed and they scurry along to find salvation in greasy campus food. They pour their emotions into the laps of their peers and warn them what they learned in class today. The “facts” the professor bestowed upon them spread throughout campus, slowly seeping into the minds of all students like a domino effect.
Do they ever find out about the one-sided mirror, you ask? By the time they do, it is much too late. The “facts” they have learned are cemented into their malleable minds and hardened permanently. There is no going back. They are soldiers, fighting a fight against the enemy. Little do they know, the bantering individuals behind the mirror that they deem the enemy, actually attempted to save them from the deception of the engulfing reflection of the professor. They are the other side.
They are not evil, nor virtuous. They are simply the other side of the mirror. Neither the indoctrinated students nor the “enemies” are of sinister descent. But the professor, he is a scheming man. He has created this animosity that curdles deep within the student’s veins and prohibited them from ever seeing the view beyond the mirror.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that professors attempt to pass off their political agendas as factual knowledge. Regardless of my personal political agreement or disagreement, it is absolutely infuriating to watch as students to my left and right fall innocently into this trap. They walk out of class believing every word the professor utters, leaving them incapable of forming their own informed opinion.
Fortunately, I come from a household that enjoys discussing political topics, so I am aware of both sides to certain affairs. However, for every student that is familiar with both sides of the coin, there are so many more who are not. Students are especially vulnerable to indoctrination, as they view their professors as authority figures. Why would you question a textbook, right?
Universities should be managing the political agendas of professors, and ensure that both sides of an issue are exposed to students.
