In primitive societies, whether of savages or of schoolboys, the social pressure towards conformity with established standards of all kinds is strong and undiscriminating. And the result may be a quite remarkable degree of uniformity, even in what we should regard as minor matters of taste.
(William Kneale, "Objectivity in Morals," Philosophy 25 [April 1950]: 149-66, at 163)
Note from KBJ: I laughed when I read this passage, because it perfectly describes academia. When I was a progressive, I didn't notice the stifling conformity. Now that I'm a conservative, I see it everywhere: in dress, in mannerisms, in humor, in political beliefs, in worldview. What's funny is that professors (especially philosophers) think they're open-minded, impartial, and above the fray. They are the opposite of these things.
