Let us call a spade a spade. The recent protests at the University of California Berkley, Columbia University, and several other prominent bastions of postmodern liberalism are not anti-Israel. They are anti-Jew. Wherever these demonstrations have occurred, Jewish students who play no role in the war in Gaza and may not even support how Israel is conducting the war have been the target of hateful slogans and threats. Some of the protestors’ chants strongly imply the world would be a better place if all Jews were eliminated. The last time this level of hate directed at Jews occurred was some eight-five years ago. You may have heard it culminated in the most horrific attempt at ethnic cleansing in human history.
It’s fitting that these demonstrations are happening at Columbia- the location of the introduction of postmodernist thought in America via the Frankfurt School in Germany. Most of these protesters don’t even know what or why they’re protesting. Their alleged education has destroyed their ability to think critically- hence, the whole concept of “critical theory” is a joke, it should be called “non-critical dogmatic nonsense.” I guess for 90k a year at an Ivy League school, that’s all you get if you’re not on the STEM side of the University.
Play stupid games —win stupid prizes. There are likely a few people this morning regretting their use of non-critical thinking because now they’ve been thrown out of the university at graduation time.
My parents would also have cut off all funding if I participated in such a demonstration.
Last weekend I attended graduation ceremonies at a Big 10 university. As I drove around the campus I was expecting to see groups of protestors, but really didn’t. The only ones I saw were about 15 protesters (I can’t swear they were actual students) outside the arena where the graduation ceremonies were held. They carried signs and were chanting, but nobody was paying any attention to them, just walking on by. Perhaps the very obvious police presence at the event helped keep them from throwing a bigger tantrum. I asked a couple of students if there even was an encampment or protest of any sort and they shrugged and said, “Yeah, it’s over there somewhere. There is some vacant land behind those dorms the university said they could use so they can have their little protest but nobody can see them.”
This has nothing to do with hatred toward the Jewish faith. In fact, Islam regards Judaism as one of the religions of the book. The protests, ineffective as they may be, are a way to express concerns about the treatment of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers and to condemn the illegal occupation of Palestinian homes and land. It's not about hatred toward Jews. Prior to the establishment of Israel in 1948, Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived peacefully in Palestine, so your argument is unfounded.
It’s fitting that these demonstrations are happening at Columbia- the location of the introduction of postmodernist thought in America via the Frankfurt School in Germany. Most of these protesters don’t even know what or why they’re protesting. Their alleged education has destroyed their ability to think critically- hence, the whole concept of “critical theory” is a joke, it should be called “non-critical dogmatic nonsense.” I guess for 90k a year at an Ivy League school, that’s all you get if you’re not on the STEM side of the University.
Play stupid games —win stupid prizes. There are likely a few people this morning regretting their use of non-critical thinking because now they’ve been thrown out of the university at graduation time.
And so life goes.
Paul, you are welcome to submit a guest Substack if you have an idea for one. Email john@parentguru.com.
My parents would also have cut off all funding if I participated in such a demonstration.
Last weekend I attended graduation ceremonies at a Big 10 university. As I drove around the campus I was expecting to see groups of protestors, but really didn’t. The only ones I saw were about 15 protesters (I can’t swear they were actual students) outside the arena where the graduation ceremonies were held. They carried signs and were chanting, but nobody was paying any attention to them, just walking on by. Perhaps the very obvious police presence at the event helped keep them from throwing a bigger tantrum. I asked a couple of students if there even was an encampment or protest of any sort and they shrugged and said, “Yeah, it’s over there somewhere. There is some vacant land behind those dorms the university said they could use so they can have their little protest but nobody can see them.”
This has nothing to do with hatred toward the Jewish faith. In fact, Islam regards Judaism as one of the religions of the book. The protests, ineffective as they may be, are a way to express concerns about the treatment of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers and to condemn the illegal occupation of Palestinian homes and land. It's not about hatred toward Jews. Prior to the establishment of Israel in 1948, Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived peacefully in Palestine, so your argument is unfounded.
John~~~ you are the best.
Thank you, Diane!