The weekend at the college didn’t turn out like you planned,
The things that pass for knowledge I can’t understand
Steely Dan, “Reelin’ In The Years”
If the manifesto that follows is representative of what passes for knowledge and thought among Amherst students, that’s a lot of $60,000 per years straight down the drain. From Alex Thomas at intellihub.com, via zerohedge.com:
Hard left authoritarians at Amherst College have issued a series of demands, under the threat of civil disobedience, that include the complete end of free speech on campus as well as extensive re-education for offenders.
The demands, issued in support of the so-called uprising at the University of Missouri, read like a literal fascist manifesto and are conclusive proof that the mainstream media supported protests at multiple colleges over the last few weeks are not about racial equality but rather are about totally and completely shutting down the speech of anyone who disagrees with the opinions of the protesters.
The fact that the group is attempting to get the President of a major university to sign off on re-education classes and punishment for anyone who speaks about free speech or says all lives matter is a startling reminder of the extreme authoritarianism that runs through the veins of the college hard left.
Here are the demands. Take note of the outright fascism.
We, Students of Amherst College, refuse to accept the negative social climate created towards our peers of color and other marginalized groups. We have begun this movement, Amherst Uprising, in an effort to change the status quo for a more just and inclusive environment within our campus. We demand that Amherst become a leader in the fight to promote a better social climate towards individuals who have been systematically oppressed. Student leaders acknowledge and support the demands previously stated and currently being presented. Furthermore, we demand the College acknowledge its ethical and moral responsibilities as an institution and community of our world. Amherst College should not be complicit in oppressive organizations and systems, no less.
We as a compassionate student body have gathered to address the legacy of oppression on campus. If these goals are not initiated within the next 24 to 48 hours, and completed by November 18th, we will organize and respond in a radical manner, through civil disobedience. If there is a continued failure to meet our demands, it will result in an escalation of our response.
1. President Martin must issue a statement of apology to students, alumni and former students, faculty, administration and staff who have been victims of several injustices including but not limited to our institutional legacy of white supremacy, colonialism, anti-black racism, anti-Latinx racism, anti-Native American racism, anti-Native/ indigenous racism, anti-Asian racism, anti-Middle Eastern racism, heterosexism, cis-sexism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism, mental health stigma, and classism. Also include that marginalized communities and their allies should feel safe at Amherst College.
2. We demand Cullen Murphy ‘74, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, to issue a statement of apology to students, alumni and former students, faculty, administration, and staff who have been victims of several injustices including but not limited to our institutional legacy of white supremacy, colonialism, anti-black racism, anti-Latinx racism, anti-Native American racism, anti-Native/ indigenous racism, anti-Asian racism, anti-Middle Eastern racism, heterosexism, cis-sexism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism, mental health stigma, and classism
3. Amherst College Police Department must issue a statement of protection and defense from any form of violence, threats, or retaliation of any kind resulting from this movement.
4. President Martin must issue a statement of apology to faculty, staff and administrators of color as well as their allies, neither of whom were provided a safe space for them to thrive while at Amherst College.
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To continue reading: Authoritarian Leftist “Activists” Demand The End of Free Speech
If this “academic revolution” is pervasive throughout the collegiate land, I see no way to solve the problem–the administrations and faculties are predominantly leftists(from socialists to communists) and have fed this filth to students for decades, and now they are being cannibalized by their spawn. To reverse this situation and start over–how many decades? If possible at all? I would not favor violence in any attempted solution.
If the problem is more along the lines of a passing fad, then something can be accomplished. I fear though that this may not the case, but then I know very few current college students.
It is, unfortunately, not a passing fad, just another iteration in a progression that has been going on for decades. As a libertarian-leaning undergrad at UCLA and a graduate student at UC Berkeley, I was regularly subjected to hissing, booing, and being called various names when I attempted to speak. One woman at Berkeley stood up while I was talking and screamed at me to shut up. In none of these instances did the professors say anything at all to these goons. I also had professors either mock me or refuse to answer my questions. I graduated from Berkeley in 1984, so this kind of thing has been going on for at least thirty years. It just gets more publicity these days.
This is political correctness taken to the extreme and reminds me of the re-education camps of Chairman Mao or Pol Pot who killed 20+ million on their merry way to achieving “cultural competency” and equality for the masses.
I’m sorry, I don’t understand the “pain and suffering” that comes from living in such an “unsafe” space. On the contrary, a college campus such as Amherst is one of the safest, and most privileged environments one can imagine; not perfect but pretty damn close.
To me these movements look a lot like mass hysteria and grass roots fascism. They are delusional beyond my ability to comprehend or articulate. I condemn them without reservation and would not tolerate them for one nanosecond on my own campus. If I were an administrator I would encourage peaceful protests but would kick out each and every student that tried to disrupt the freedom of choice for those who actually want to be there to learn or express other views. The students that signed on to this manifesto need to study history, grow up, and get a life.