With all the recent talk about the college campuses with the fight over microaggressions and safe spaces and people being fired over emails over Halloween costumes, I have to admit I often am glad I'm not in college today.
It sure doesn't sound like much fun-and how does anyone every learn anything or go to class? I guess the students who just want to spend the whole time accusing others of racism and sexism it must be great but what about those students actually there to, I don't know, actually study?
Still, while many wonder what's going on with today's college campuses and where it's all going-I mean why should every student be forced t do a black studies class? Do they all have to commit to memory Malcolm X's speech on the white devils-it is interesting to note that campus protests and craziness are not new in and of themselves.
As for the rash of resignations, well, it might kind of seem like show trials-at Yale they demanded and got the head of that teacher who wrote the offensive email. Then they demanded that the college acknowledge as fact something that is not an established fact-that there was a phantom party only allowing white girls.
However, it's always helpful to add some historical perspective. Often we find that things that seem entirely new have more precedent than we'd imagine. It kind of recalls the debate about linear vs. cyclical history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_history
I am currently Garry Wills' book Reagan's America: Innocents at Home.As I've stated more than once he is a great author in terms of American history and political and social analysis. If you really want to understand America, both our history and what we are-and maybe what will become-I'd probably recommend him more highly.
In his book on Reagan, he discussed a speech Reagan gave at Eureka College back in 1928 during a student strike. See chapter 5, pgs. 43-54.
http://www.amazon.com/Reagans-America-Innocents-at-Home/dp/0140296077/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451963231&sr=8-1&keywords=garry+wills+innocents+at+home
Basically, Reagan got embroiled in a strike where the students were basically manipulated by the teachers to demand the ouster of the college president. His sin? The-very religious school-was struggling so the president had a plan to consolidate the number of college departments from 28 to 8.
The students got talked into demanding his ouster and this led to a drawn out strike. As part of the final negotiations he resigned. Meanwhile the consolidation plan ended up happening anyway. You have to admit that this was as silly a reason for a college president to resign as any of the more recent cases.
During all the excitement, the students took no classes-they actually had dances in place of classes-this was a very devout college and they had just recently won the right to dance on campus.
So it's interesting comparing Reagan's campus to the college campuses of today. It's also very interesting to consider that this is the man who would one day crush the air traffic controllers union which brought on the receding of labor as a national power.
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/25393-the-consequences-of-reagan-breaking-the-1981-air-traffic-controllers-strike
Of course, before that Reagan had been a major union guy for the actors. Interesting study of contrasts.
As Wills shows, this speech he gave during the college strike was really his first more or less political speech-it would lead to his union speeches which would give way to his political speeches. He was always an actor in any case. He actually learned how to act as part of his mother's very pious old church.
Reagan, as Mr. Conservative Revolution, was also always a big FDR fan. He would change his rationale for this but at the time, his love for FDR was based on gratitude for getting his unemployed dad a job.
An interesting study in contradictions.
It sure doesn't sound like much fun-and how does anyone every learn anything or go to class? I guess the students who just want to spend the whole time accusing others of racism and sexism it must be great but what about those students actually there to, I don't know, actually study?
Still, while many wonder what's going on with today's college campuses and where it's all going-I mean why should every student be forced t do a black studies class? Do they all have to commit to memory Malcolm X's speech on the white devils-it is interesting to note that campus protests and craziness are not new in and of themselves.
As for the rash of resignations, well, it might kind of seem like show trials-at Yale they demanded and got the head of that teacher who wrote the offensive email. Then they demanded that the college acknowledge as fact something that is not an established fact-that there was a phantom party only allowing white girls.
However, it's always helpful to add some historical perspective. Often we find that things that seem entirely new have more precedent than we'd imagine. It kind of recalls the debate about linear vs. cyclical history.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_history
I am currently Garry Wills' book Reagan's America: Innocents at Home.As I've stated more than once he is a great author in terms of American history and political and social analysis. If you really want to understand America, both our history and what we are-and maybe what will become-I'd probably recommend him more highly.
In his book on Reagan, he discussed a speech Reagan gave at Eureka College back in 1928 during a student strike. See chapter 5, pgs. 43-54.
http://www.amazon.com/Reagans-America-Innocents-at-Home/dp/0140296077/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451963231&sr=8-1&keywords=garry+wills+innocents+at+home
Basically, Reagan got embroiled in a strike where the students were basically manipulated by the teachers to demand the ouster of the college president. His sin? The-very religious school-was struggling so the president had a plan to consolidate the number of college departments from 28 to 8.
The students got talked into demanding his ouster and this led to a drawn out strike. As part of the final negotiations he resigned. Meanwhile the consolidation plan ended up happening anyway. You have to admit that this was as silly a reason for a college president to resign as any of the more recent cases.
During all the excitement, the students took no classes-they actually had dances in place of classes-this was a very devout college and they had just recently won the right to dance on campus.
So it's interesting comparing Reagan's campus to the college campuses of today. It's also very interesting to consider that this is the man who would one day crush the air traffic controllers union which brought on the receding of labor as a national power.
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/25393-the-consequences-of-reagan-breaking-the-1981-air-traffic-controllers-strike
Of course, before that Reagan had been a major union guy for the actors. Interesting study of contrasts.
As Wills shows, this speech he gave during the college strike was really his first more or less political speech-it would lead to his union speeches which would give way to his political speeches. He was always an actor in any case. He actually learned how to act as part of his mother's very pious old church.
Reagan, as Mr. Conservative Revolution, was also always a big FDR fan. He would change his rationale for this but at the time, his love for FDR was based on gratitude for getting his unemployed dad a job.
An interesting study in contradictions.
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