Paul Gottfried is a retired political science professor who had a long academic career and reflects on some of the changes he’s seen in this Unz Review piece.

In particular, he contrasts the turbulent Vietnam years of the late 60s to mid-70s with events unfolding now. Although there was a great amount of vehemence back then, the protesters actually had something real to protest. Now, the causes are manufactured out of thin air. And while student protesters were hot and spoiling for intellectual combat, it didn’t occur to them to demand that their opponents be silenced.

Reading Gottfried’s piece, you can’t help but conclude that academic discourse and civility have been in serious decline for decades.