Portland's reputation as a hotbed for explosive campus politics is under the national magnifying glass once again, following a series of controversial speakers and reactive protests at Portland State University and Lewis & Clark College.
New York Times columnists Bari Weiss and David Brooks highlighted the student outrage over these local events as chilling examples of PC culture run amok on college campuses.
But in the past week, commentators at other major media outlets have pushed back on that narrative, tying the organizers of these events to a right-wing outrage machine.
GQ's Mari Uyehara calls the anti-political correctness evangelists "Free Speech Grifters" who "never seem to be concerned with exactly whom they are entertaining with their performative indignation and why."
The Guardian writes that the provocateurs inviting controversial figures to Portland campuses deny political affiliations with the far right, yet "take such trouble over antagonizing the left, and drawing right-wing attention."