Catherine Vogt, 14, is an Illinois 8th grader... She wanted to conduct an experiment in political tolerance and diversity of opinion at her school in the liberal suburb of Oak Park... before the election... wore a unique T-shirt to school and recorded the comments of teachers and students in her journal. The T-shirt bore the simple yet quite subversive words drawn with a red marker: "McCain Girl."... "People were upset. But they started saying things, calling me very stupid, telling me my shirt was stupid and I shouldn't be wearing it... One person told me to go die. It was a lot of dying. A lot of comments about how I should be killed," Catherine said, of the tolerance in Oak Park... "In one class, I had one teacher say she will not judge me for my choice, but that she was surprised that I supported McCain," Catherine said. If Catherine was shocked by such passive-aggressive threats from instructors, just wait until she goes to college... [Another student] 'You should be crucifixed.' It was kind of funny because, I was like, don't you mean 'crucified?' " Catherine said.

They're too stupid even to be good at intolerance. If you're wondering where blue state 8th graders got the idea that political opponents should be ostracized unto death, a sentiment that they're not unwilling to carry with them to college: mostly I imagine that it's from their insanely intolerant parents. But also, apparently, from their teachers.

Almost difficult to understand how we've lost an entire generation of voters to vaguely anti-American - and demonstrably false - ideas about the world. And when they become adults they seem to lack the cognitive tools to follow important events and controversies. For some reason.

Could be worse I suppose. Generations of our students have gotten their sense of foreign policy from liberal mediocrities who are by turns petulant and hysterical. There are more direct ways to get students to stay quiet about their pro-Western and/or conservative values.

References:
* TEACHERS GET HIT ON THE BUTTON [NY Post]
* Students defend former Asheville teacher [Citizen Times]
* Reason 142 to Homeschool: Obama Teachers Won’t Bully Kids Who Support McCain [Belch Speak]
* Tolerance fails T-shirt test [Chic Trib]
* College Freshman Beaten By 4 Girls On Election Night For Wearing Palin Pin [Gateway Pundit]
* A plea to the closet Republicans of Marin: come out, come out, wherever you are [Neo-Neocon]
* Losing the Youth Vote [Ross Douthat]
* Media So Good At Their Jobs That Nobody Realizes Al Qaeda Is Getting Decimated [MR]
* Religion edition sends student newspaper editor into hiding [Guardian]

Previously:
* UC Irvine Hillel Pulls Investigation Of Its Own Failure To Combat Campus Anti-Semitism
* UC Irvine Spokeswoman: “I Don’t See Anti-Semitism On Campus" [Video]
* University Dean In Tutu Affair Forced To Issue Memo: It's Not Always The Jews' Fault (Plus: Walt And Mearsheimer: Actually, It's Still The Jews' Fault)