Brown University had at least 41 students arrested for a sit-in to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. This is yet another indication of the ideological crisis of universities.
Last month, 24 Jewish students were arrested for demanding a ceasefire too but the charges were later dropped.
Universities are in crisis to try to figure out what they protect and what they don’t and are picking winning and losing groups. This is a no-win situation.
Jonathan Haidt, author of The Coddling of the American Mind, put it this way: “The only way to end antisemitism on campus is to end the identitarianism. Don’t be satisfied by a university president who promises a new center or commission on antisemitism. It won’t have much effect on campus culture as long as a critical mass of students (5-10%?) are taught to see everything through oppressor/victim glasses, in which “punching up” is virtuous, even when the punching is not metaphorical.”
Free speech has to be free speech. The half-measures to protect some groups will likely placate donors, Haidt says, but only make the problem worse unless ideology is jettisoned for freedom.
