Thursday, November 12, 2015

John Silber on the proper attitude toward protesters on campus

Thanks to Ed Driscoll at Instapundit for this one, from John Silber, then-president of Boston University, who had to deal with protests in the 1970s similar to those at Mizzou:

... Because one point I want to get across to these students is, I do not take them seriously. This is not some very deeply felt, high moral cause on their part; this is showboating of a very insincere kind by most of these students, and I want them to understand that I see through their pretensions.

Read more here.


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6 comments:

  1. Singring7:28 AM

    So students protesting institutional racism at a University where in the past few days alone two white students have been arrested for threatening to mass-shoot black people are likened to 'pretentious', 'insincere', 'not be taken seriously' of the 70s, but a county clerk who is thrice divorced but then stands on the Bible as her reason for not doing her job and denying equal rights to citizens of her county is a sincere and principled hero?

    Got it.

    This is the kind of sincere and principled analysis of policy and social issues I have come to expect from this blog. Bravo! Bravo I say!

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  2. Martin Cothran3:51 PM

    Funny, I would think that any institution in which racism was "institutionalized" would NOT have arrested students for making such threats. How is racism "institutionalized" and exactly what did the now exiled president do or not do (other than practice sheer cowardice) to warrant having to quit?

    And I'm not entirely clear on what the county clerk you refer to has to do with anything, nor am I clear on what right she violated that was any more fundamental than her own religious freedoms that are actually, you know, in the Constitution.

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  3. Anonymous4:16 PM

    The idea that any large American university is "institutionally racist" is absurd. Institutionally liberal is more like it, but even German lefties do love their buzz words.

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  4. Anonymous2:20 PM

    Dear Singring, instead of worrying about us un-enlightened American dolts, shouldn't you get back to Germany and start making some babies or something? I'd hate to see the land of my ancestors be turned into another Muslim goat farm without just a little bit of a fight.

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  5. Anonymous2:05 PM

    Herr Singring, Angela has some soccer tickets for you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rob Mattheu9:58 PM

    Having spent four years at Boston University under Silber, including a dinner with him and a separate reception, I can say he was a smart egomaniac jackass who was rubbed many people the wrong way, even his friends.

    But his university was decidedly liberal, with lots of speakers, exhibits, students, coursework and more that would make you cringe. And also some people you might enjoy, like William F Buckley. (I once sat through three separate tapings of Firing Line there)

    It was at BU that I would develop my values I hold today, which I would say are 180 degrees opposite most of the nonsense spouted here.

    So bravo to Silber.

    ReplyDelete

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