NYT: Colleges have gone off the deep end.
NYT: Colleges have gone off the deep end.
David French explains where the college protestors have gone wrong. I don’t recall seeing any push-back during the Occupy Wall Street or BLM actions.
In a 1965 appearance on “Meet the Press,” the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described the principle perfectly: “When one breaks the law that conscience tells him is unjust, he must do it openly, he must do it cheerfully, he must do it lovingly, he must do it civilly — not uncivilly — and he must do it with a willingness to accept the penalty.”
Lately, it seems like Progressives would be offended by almost everything Martin Luther King Jr. said. I’m not an MLK expert, but he seems like one of the best things America has ever produced. If your group is opposed to MLK, you may be the bad guys.
Note: Before the unthinking mobs cancel me and MLK, I am aware that he wasn’t the ideal family man. He was human and had flaws. That isn’t relevant because that isn’t why we hold him in high esteem.
But what we’re seeing on a number of campuses isn’t free expression, nor is it civil disobedience. It’s outright lawlessness. No matter the frustration of campus activists or their desire to be heard, true civil disobedience shouldn’t violate the rights of others.
David French explains it very clearly. I just don’t know why academic and civil authorities took so long to remember this. It isn’t a difficult concept. It isn’t difficult in practice. Law enforcement wants to do their job, and the sooner the better. By letting these occupation tactics fester for so long, the problem grew and more weak-minded young people came to believe that they had the right of it.
During Occupy and BLM disruptions, there were always signs that the activities were well-funded and organized. Buses had been chartered, signs printed and supplies procured. The entities behind these groups of useful idiots are destabilizing America and should be investigated.