The thing that strikes me about the last couple of days is that, like in the 1960s, university administrations are massively overreacting to campus protests. Criminalizing protest is going to do one thing, which is lead to more protests.
Not only is this stupid, but it creates a world in which for people who maybe aren’t that informed or that bright, if you just define everything as anti-Semitism, you end up opening the door to actual, real anti-Semitism.
https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/04/overreacting-to-campus-protests
You make it sound as though Jews who have no actual connection to the Netanyahu government are somehow responsible for all this.
So, the school shouldn't do anything about Jewish students being attacked, abused, and intimidated by "peaceful protesters" to the point that they're safer not being present on campus at all?
"HAVE YOU TRIED _NOT_ BEING JEWISH?"
(Spoiler: it won't work. It didn't work in 1492, or in 1938, and it won't work now, either.)
@mcfate @corlin I think you are misreading these messages altho @corlin can speak for himself. My general view is that if the Israelis do something that a person disapproves of, then it is a mistake to blame all Jews everywhere for what the Israelis are doing. Is that what those students are doing? blaming all Jews for what the Israelis are doing? And having been in a lot of protests myself, calling attention to dumb people saying dumb things just gives them more attention.
I feel as though you're assiduously ignoring that Jewish students are being made to feel so unsafe that they're staying off the campus they're every bit as entitled to be on as the Hamas Fan Club is.
I don't get WHY.
The "peaceful" protesters are making this "mistake" constantly. No one who isn't a Jew seems particularly bothered by this.
@mcfate @corlin No one has been physically attacked, right? Jewish students must take responsibility for their feelings and then do what works for them - stay home? counter-protest? go to class? I'm a woman. I feel unsafe in a lot of situations because of male behavior (1 in 5 Amer.women have been raped, 1in 3 sexually assaulted). I do not expect a bunch of dumbass sexist pigs (aka men) who mouth off to shut up so I'll "feel" okay. I took self-defense classes and I dare them to mess with me.
What?
A gang of "peaceful protesters" at Yale tried to put out the eye of a Jewish student with a freaking FLAGPOLE rather than let her go to class.
Jews at Columbia have been physically assaulted.
Why are you inventing excuses for this?
If a bunch of incels started a protest camp on campus and things got to the point where women felt unsafe being there, that's ON THE WOMEN?
They need to "take responsibility for their FEELINGS" of being at risk?
Wow.
@mcfate @corlin Yeah. Wow.
I'm an old woman now. I've learned the hard way to not expect other people to make me feel good or safe or anything else. I take responsibility for myself and my feelings. If the incels are making a lot of noise, I ignore them.
I'm not going to respond any more because we see the world differently.
Which part of "They've gotten violent" is confusing you?
I have a better idea: I'll be ignoring YOU.
Bye. Take your victim-blaming where I don't need to experience it.
Because a Jewish student being assaulted by a pro-Hamas gang who tried to put her eye out with a flagpole isn't "real antisemitism"?
Because Jewish professors being barred from campus because they "can't be protected" isn't "real antisemitism"?
Because Jewish students being too intimidated to go to classes isn't "real antisemitism"?
What's "real" antisemitism? Who's "calling everything" antisemitism.
This is the cheapest, flimsiest strawman I've seen in some time.
TIL that "criminalizing" people for harassing, abusing, and assaulting Jewish people from simply BEING Jewish is "stupid".
What the actual fuck is this intended to be? It sounds like "If you don't want to be attacked, don't be Jewish".
And that is REAL antisemitism.
This entire column isn't nearly smart enough to be called "stupid", it's much, MUCH worse. This is like "We'll stop kicking the shit out of you once you stop whining about us kicking the shit out of you."
You do no one any favors by quoting from this uncritically. You make yourself look bad doing it.
@corlin There is a big difference that I can see from the campus protests of the 60s and now (put whatever is appropriate at the beginning of the ending of "... phobic." The rhetoric is far more violent and calling for the death and annihilation of the "other." Individuals are being attacked on the streets for simply being the "other" that a subset group hates. It's not safe to be an "other" around these subsets that will, spit, push, and physically attack someone who is "other." /1
@corlin I will concede I was a very young child in the 60s, so my memory and understanding of what was happening as far as campus protests is somewhat limited. However, as far as what I remember, what I learned in history and social studies, was not as violent by the protesters themselves. Compared to today's campus protestors. Administration, only violence that immediately comes to mind is Kent State. Which was horrendous and ended in deaths. /end
@NaomiSkarzinski @corlin At first the campus protests of the 60's were non-violent, with sit-ins and strikes, but with the over-reactions of the university administrators and violent police response the situations escalated, just as they are doing now.
@elbutterfield @corlin Thanks for the synopsis clarification. I don't remember much prior to being nine years old, then I lived in Puerto Rico for about a year, year and a half. So, when we came back to the USA, it was the start of the 70's, which was very turbulent for me. I don't think I became aware of anything political until I was 16 - 17.
@NaomiSkarzinski @elbutterfield @corlin That's how I remember it, too. Peaceful at first then later, more violence. There came a time that the cops and univ. admins assumed that a peaceful protest would lead to violence and their assumptions are what led to the violence. The killings of students at Kent State in 1970 is an example.
@CJShaneArtBooks @elbutterfield @corlin
Exactly what I mentioned in my post. Administration, only violence that immediately comes to mind is Kent State. Which was horrendous and ended in deaths.
@NaomiSkarzinski @elbutterfield @corlin Sorry, I missed that earlier post of yours. I also thought about the violence, mainly cop violence, at the 1968 Democratic Party convention.
Oh, that is another excellent example! I completely forgot about that from my history and social studies classes. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
@elbutterfield @NaomiSkarzinski @corlin never forget when Ohio pigs opened fire on anti nam war demonstrators and killed 4 protesters. Kent, Ohio May 4, 1970
@elbutterfield @NaomiSkarzinski @corlin
Never forget these four were killed by Ohio Pigs On May 4th, 1970.
@T_Zen_Warp @elbutterfield @corlin
Yes, I did mention this in my post. "Administration, only violence that immediately comes to mind is Kent State. Which was horrendous and ended in deaths."
@corlin I very much agree. For me, complaining about Israelis (and what they are doing) has nothing to do with every Jew everywhere. Maybe most Israelis are Jews, but there are many, many Jews who are not Israelis. And overreach by administrators is just making this worse.