When protests cross the line

When protests cross the line

The 99 percent should be protesting college campuses. – Sebastian Thrun

The Tribune recently ran a reasonable article on how a plethora of Chicago area college students returned to private academia this fall only to face a series of brand-new demonstration protocols. Schools like Loyola University, School of the Art Institute, University of Chicago, Northwestern, and DePaul have all issued caveats prohibiting overnight protests, unapproved flyers or banners, protesting outside of “free speech zones,” and any protest without advance registration.

As you might imagine, our delicate little demonstrative darlings immediately resorted to all manner of howling, shrieking, and rending of garments, stopping just short of comparing campus administrators to a modern-day Gestapo intent on targeting pro-Palestinian protestors. Not to be outdone, the various faculty members loudly lamented that they weren’t involved in determining these new rules

But what really frosts my flakes is the flagging Tribune’s reporters reacted as if these college kids’ butthurt “arguments” against the new restrictions actually had merit because they don’t. Not to mention the paper utterly fails to mention these desperate-to-conform children are backing the wrong horse.

Again, I’m thrilled they’re standing for something in this it’s-all-about-me era, but I can think of far better causes than supporting a murderous, genocidal, anti-gay, gender apartheid, anti-free speech regime that wouldn’t think twice about killing these kids if they dared protest in Gaza.

For reference purposes the Israelis could commit genocide, but they don’t, while Hamas and Hezbollah would commit genocide, but they can’t. What do you think “From the River to the Sea” means?

But as poor as their reporters are, what the Trib completely fumbled is, our state schools may be governed by strict Springfield First Amendment covenants, but private Illinois universities are not. So, if you don’t like Loyola’s rules, there are a myriad of other options that might better suit your needs. So, if you choose to stay at DePaul, freedom of speech in no way conveys the freedom of the consequence from that speech.

It’s as if these bleeps believe that, when they graduate and go to work for a liberal company like Google, the second this existence disappoints them, they can set up a tent in the breakroom, put on a keffiyeh, harass Jewish co-workers, and still have a job in the morning. I used Google because they did fire 28 employees for staging a sit in against a company contract with Israel.

According to a VP of security, “They took over office spaces, defaced our property, and physically impeded the work of other Googlers. Their behavior was unacceptable, extremely disruptive, and made co-workers feel threatened.”

Aside from the fact that you pay them, a private university is no different than a corporation.

As important as that point is, the greater one is that your right to protest ends at the tip of my very Semitic looking nose. Short of having to walk around your group on the sidewalk, you do NOT have the right to unduly disrupt my life and resort to intimidation when I “refuse” to “see the light.”

I’ve witnessed plenty of peaceful protests that made their point, but this year’s pro-Palestinian iterations were anything but.

First, they promoted a virulent anti-Semitism that forced university rabbis to tell their Jewish students to go home. There’s nothing quite like paying $88,750 for a Columbia education that you’re not getting the benefit of. Then there was the outright destruction, occupation of campus buildings, and non-student agitators whose sole intent was to disrupt the universities to the point they’d cave.

The second you start screaming in someone’s face, blocking traffic, or throwing soup on a masterpiece and gluing your hand to the museum wall, you’ve crossed the line from protestor to aggressor, and it won’t be tolerated.

As Bill Maher aptly noted, “Someone needs to tell the people who block traffic in the name of a cause, no one likes you. And you’re probably hurting your cause,” adding, “Throwing stuff on paintings is just stupid. No one sees mashed potatoes on a Monet and thinks he’s got a point, I should recycle my cans.”

After organizing a demonstration that blocked traffic for the better part of four days, four London climate protestors were just sentenced to four years in jail. Two additional activists who threw tomato soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers were given 20 months, and we’ve all seen federal prosecutors reel in and jail the January 6th insurrectionists one by one.

Citing their 60s counterparts, some Chicago university faculty lamented the loss of the ability to spontaneously protest, demonstrate anywhere on campus, and being forced to register put a “target” on some students’ backs.  

My initial response to their valid concerns would be, at least the anti-Vietnam War student protesters had some skin in the game. They were the ones being drafted and they didn’t resort to wearing masks, either. As Maher also observed, “When activism merges with narcissism it’s less about the cause and more about me, look at me, watch me! And if you like the way I’m fighting injustice, remember to like and subscribe!”

Yep! Ain’t it funny how those Loyola students bemoaned the lack of attention they got while demonstrating at Montrose Beach – a right they will retain regardless of any private university administrator’s decision.

Whenever you abuse a privilege – and it is a privilege to stage to protest on a private college campus – then that privilege will be revoked. It’s really that simple.

Some of the Loyola nitwits went on to claim that the University “…went back 50 steps and became very conservative” when the demonstration application form asked protest organizers to explain how their demonstration “promotes or connects to Loyola’s Jesuit values.”

The entire reason I chose Loyola was because IT IS a Jesuit institution. It’s not like they hide that somewhere in the fine print. While admissions are open to anyone who wants to attend the school, they have a reasonable expectation that the students who attend their university be cognizant of those Jesuit distinctions.

If that’s not your cup of tea, there are 12 separate public Illinois colleges that won’t ask that question.

 

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