I'm not sure what world you're living in, Ms. Wente, but I find your broad claim that leftist extremism is on the rise a little questionable??? Given that our downstairs neighbour just elected a living, breathing embodiment of right-wing extremism. Look, hey, I get it - I'm just a young lesbian feminist, taking a degree in the social sciences. You hate all of those things. You'll, just by virtue of that, probably discredit everything I'm about to say after. But I think maybe that's your problem - every 'article' of yours I've ever read reeks of the fact that you've never tried to actually talk to any of the people you so willingly attack. You're old, white, wealthy - those things in life afford you privileges not available to everyone. They also make you blind. The things you decry as unimportant only seem that way because you've never experienced them. 

 And for the record? Academia has always swung left, Ms. Wente - that's what happens when you educate people.