Interesting Times with Ross Douthat The Grand Strategy Behind Trump’s Crackdown on Academia
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Sep 25, 2025 Mae Mailman, a lawyer behind Trump's strategy on elite universities, dives into the challenges facing American higher education. She critiques the 'culture of victimhood' that undermines merit and discusses how this impacts campus life. Mailman highlights the rise of protest culture and the role of social media in shaping today's university dynamics. She reveals federal strategies for enforcing compliance among universities and calls for a return to merit-based admissions, emphasizing the need for intellectual diversity and accountability in academia.
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Victimhood Culture Undermines Merit
- Mae Mailman argues universities promote a 'glorification of victimhood' that rewards identity over ability.
- She says this culture undermines merit, harms institutions, and can violate civil-rights principles.
Personal Campus Contrast: Kansas vs. Harvard
- Mae Mailman recounts her experiences at Kansas and Harvard to contrast campus cultures she saw.
- She describes Kansas as cohesive and Harvard as pressuring students to adopt political positions.
Social Media Deepened Campus Conformity
- Mailman attributes the mid-2010s campus shift to social media, iPhones, and speech restrictions that amplified retreat into like-minded groups.
- She says online shaming made conversation harder and hardened campus conformity.
