Posted by Orin Kerr:
Commentary on the NYU Protests:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_02_22-2009_02_28.shtml#1235505387
The comment thread on [1]yesterday's post about the NYU protests
raised some interesting points. I think my favorite was [2]NaG's:
Before anyone gets smug about the fact that these dolts are
leftists, I found it quite common in college that students who were
searching for a self-image were quick to go whole-hog nutso for
whatever ideology had an initial surface attraction. Some kids that
liked the individual rights aspect of libertarianism quickly became
raving anarchists. Those that liked Tucker Carlson's bow-tie
quickly became conservative clones. The leftists tend to stick out
more because protests are part of their history, but there are
weak-minded wackadoos in all parts of the spectrum. And again, it's
what happens when immature kids are looking for an identity and
there are no real consequences to acting like a fool.
I also enjoyed [3]this complaint about the protests from a
pro-protest poster over at NYULocal on what the protesters did wrong:
The University made a calculating and highly intelligent decision
on the first night that completely undermined the entire effort. By
publicly announcing that they were allowing Take Back NYU to occupy
that space and giving bathroom access, they created a public image
that they were helping their students express themselves, therefore
creating more sympathy for the very authorities Take Back NYU was
protesting. There is no real effective way I can think of at the
moment to counteract such a calculated PR move as this other than
to try and protest again at a place in which the University is not
as likely to accommodate you.
Yeah, when you're trying to create the impression that you're fighting
oppression, there's nothing worse than people being nice to you.
References
1. http://volokh.com/posts/1235442739.shtml
2. http://volokh.com/posts/1235442739.shtml#538077
3.
http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2009/02/23/the-7-errors-take-back-nyu-made-in-their-occupation/
_______________________________________________
Volokh mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.powerblogs.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volokh
