In Nazi Germany, the ability to read, think, and reflect were gone. What most people don't know is that youth were "the very basis of [Hitler's] dictatorship."
This won’t be solved online unfortunately or in short order. It will have to be solved on the ground in the community. These times in Germany did not coalesce from nothing but rather a malaise filled and depressed populace who saw no meaning in their lives because of exploding youth unemployment and difficulty of their situations. I am not saying that this excuses their behavior, but if we cannot also see the parallels of today we are really lost.
I believe these kids are filled with despair and suffering and anger. They have been brought up being filled to the gills about the existential nature of climate change, through their formative late teenage years through the mind warping COVID lock down period, and have not been taught that you are responsible for your own life. They are looking at Palestine and they have in their minds associated the plight of the Palestinians as themselves which makes the Jewish people the “oppressors” of not only Palestine but them. They have transposed their anger at their own existence into that conflict.
They are fed “enemies” that are responsible for their plight and that things will only get worse under those political enemies. They have been fed a diet that their political enemies are even and lack compassion and that they alone are the arbiters of compassion. But they cannot be met with scorn and contempt. For God’s sake we were all idiot children at some point. They need an alternative message, one of hope for the future and that builds within them the agency over oneself. I know they need that because I needed that. I was indoctrinated into the cult of climate and the existentialism of democracy. I was angry and I didn’t know why. I couldn’t not be angry and I turned that out onto the world.
I got lucky because I had someone reach out to me and offered me a viewpoint that I had agency. That I could actually change myself and work on the world at the same time. The youth are the future whether we like it or not and they cannot be forsaken because we only forsake ourselves.
John, As always you give us much wisdom to consider.
I agree we can't write off a generation.
At the same time we must immediately stop subsidizing the choice to hate and the choice to claim no agency. There is going to take the political will to clean up our education system starting with schools of education and on and on. I see no will for that yet.
Barry, I understand and agree on the need for a will to clean up our education system, but where will the will come but from us who have the will?
It will have to start in parallel, both doing what can be done to mitigate the damage done on those already through the system and in turning the inertia of the education system itself. At the same time, a return to responsibility for the education of children outside of the formal government system. A resurgence of parenting and parental and community involvement in the education of our kids.
The will must come from us but too many are content to turn over responsibility for education to the government.
There are sacrifices for homeschooling. My wife gave up her tenured professor position and finances were tight on one salary. I can honestly say we never had a single thought second-guessing our decision.
There are other ways to get involved other than homeschooling.
Yes. The Youth were allowed to harass, punch the Jewish people. We're seeing this in schools where the children taught BLM. There were also white BLM members involved as well as violent Antifa members. In grade schools, videos of BLM indoctrinated children, would surround and beat up white children if they refused to kneel to them, they'd punch, kick the other children. In malls and on city streets they'd knock out unsuspecting elderly whites, murder blacks who dared to support President Trump, burned down cities, then the MMF Funds bailed them out..Now it's the whites who are indoctrinated by college professors, outside paid Activists, by the Tide Foundation associated with George and Alex Soros who are attacking Jewish students or blocking them from their classes, causing Graduations to be cancelled or disrupting Graduation Services with shouting and carrying signs threatening the Jewish people.
Alex Soros, about the end of beginning of Obama's term, who organized the Antifa group at the Berkeley University campus , CA. It was later moved to Portland, Oregon.
BLM was organized by Obama even having the then appointed leader invited to the White House. He said about these activists, "if I had a son, he'd be like these boys" aka BLM activists (who were targeting whites, esp elderly people)...
Oh I definitely thought George S was the chief tent maker for the campus unrest. It’s got his imprimatur all over it. Not a lot of money involved but it disrupts society nationwide, not unlike buying DAs during elections to subvert the rule of law.
If you're referring to my paragraph, it was in a local school. I saw the video. I'm not going to publish the location bcuz people like you doxx. But it's true.
Young minds are not fully developed or experienced in the ways of the world and are always the most vulnerable to these movements. Just look at the Charlie Manson cult. He recruited young disillusioned people. Many of us experienced some disillusionment when we were young, especially in challenging economic times. These kids become ripe for the picking of an ideologue/ideological movement and tend to be the most passionate for "the cause," whatever it may be.
Totally agree. Thank you. I too suffered disillusionment but somehow had my thoughts crystallized wading around in the jungles of Vietnam. Amazing how fast one can re organize what is important.
I have spent the better part of the last few weeks trying to understand what started at both my alma maters in NYC. When I was at Columbia, the Yom Kippur War took place. I lived at International House and we had a lively discussion, people from Arab nations, Israelis and people from many different countries. No rancor was involved. We just wanted to understand and our multiplicity of outlooks helped everyone gain more understanding. I know the days of lively, spirited debate seem a time in the rear view mirror of life now.
Now, as an alumni of both NYU and Columbia, I see the marketing of the institutions and am keenly aware that they sell the concept of their pivotal role in protests such as 1968. Thus they attract a good number of young people interested in campus activism. So, there is a degree of hypocrisy involved in the mix.
I wavered in support of any bringing in of riot squads from the police so long as the protests remained non violent but I also wrote that, when those who wished to attend classes were not allowed to make that personal choice, the protest had crossed that bright line of infringement of the rights of others. I continued to favor taking a page from the playbook of Joe Montana and, when ahead and a few minutes left in the game, he would hold the ball and let the clock run out. I contended that the students who were playing a role they didn’t fully understand would leave their tents and go home when the semester ended. I still believe there were many who didn’t realize what they were doing. I remember my French husband talking about going to the barricades in Paris “for school” and that lycee attendance, had they taken it during the riots, would have been the highest percentage they could have had. The kids were there for the party. Many went home for Le dejeuner and left for the evening in time for Le diner, no joke. Then the administration could tell any professional agitators still in the tents that they needed to leave.
A colleague from my Wall Street years posted on LinkedIn that he wished all at our mutual alma mater would have heeded the words of a famous fellow Upper West Sider who said “Give peace a chance.” I had thought that very thing.
As usual, your piece was thoughtful and insightful! Thank you for posting it. I read it on LinkedIn earlier this morning.
I agree that many do not know what they are doing but the "movement" seems to be led by those committed to overthrowing Western civilization who are aggressing against others.
Barry, thanks for reading! I really enjoyed this mornings read. As a Captain of Marine Infantry in the late 70’s early 80’s I saw the return of the same disaffected and demoralized Marines from Viet Nam. They were my HEROES! Everything was a house party with them. We are losing 15-22 of us Vets a day..a day! I thought the men and women coming back from our 20 years of fruitless wars would pop off and start going Charles Whitman, but just the opposite they killing themselves and my heart breaks. I know a small subset of the problem. But if a real Horatio steps forward at the gate I will stand with him. Plus Marines like a good fair fight, well ah a good fight!! Thanks again for your eloquent efforts.
Today I read a compelling article that discussed the power the faculty held over college presidents. A vote of “no confidence” against the president is an unwanted ticket out the door for them. Tenure has given the faculty power to eliminate the college president. Several no confidence votes in the past few weeks have been effective in decapitating said presidents . Fully 80 to 90 percent of the no confidence votes were influenced by the leftist bent of the instructors. Full support and encouragement from the faculty has been shown for the disgusting conduct the students have shown. It appears the inmates are truly running the academic asylum. The job of reversing the leftist socialist environment is going to be a multi generational task. Leftist thought has been ingrained for years in the college faculty . While the rest of us were not paying attention to college curriculum,they converted higher learning to socialist dogma. How we get out of this mess is elusive to me.
Many of these colleges/universities are in states that have government administrators that are just as socialist/liberal leaning so it's unlikely that funding would be cut. There's also the factor that cutting funding for issues seen as "freedom of speech/thought" reasons would be inappropriate. I do know that some large private donors have stopped financial support and think that will have great impact. I believe that's what got the response from Columbia in acting on the violent protests, and now that the faculty has reacted to the president it'll be interesting to see if other donors cut funding putting enough pressure on the school to maintain control over the teaching staff.
After a generation of Germans were slaughtered by a King and his military advisors in WWI, disaffected veterans returned to a decimated nation, broke, bitter at a loss finally negotiated in a train car, some said “never again” too brutal, and a few stout angry others took a different course and in less than twenty sent another entire generation to be slaughtered, which they were. It is sad that the drivers of the Hitler Youth shamelessly brainwashed (loose definition here) a generation of Germans to repeat the grisly outcome of WWI. The only thing that changed was the speed and lethality of the battlefields, airspace above it and the oceans which that generation died fighting over, on and under.
Can we be that far gone? Where are the “Mann’s” here in the States? Who will stand up and say enough. Where is our Horatio at the gate? And who will stand with him? Hard to understand how a very small subset of “children” can disrupt a nation for 4-5 years but they have, we were promised “adults” in the room, well we are still waiting for them to arrive. That said, it is the X, Y and Z generations rodeo now. If they want to live in dull subjugation being told what to think and do that will be their problem. Time for them to step up and decide what type of culture and country (countries) they want to live in. Time will tell.
Ah yes, the "Youth of Tomorrow"... we might call it "grooming"--that's how they dunnit--an' yup, takin' these "youth" from their homes from mornin' 'til night is the M.O.--from Nazi Youth "Camps" (trainin' that is) to British Elite Boardin' Schools (lotta abuse there), ta AmeriKan skools--it's all the same b/c kids are separated from their parents (an' fambly values), from society (where all ages would otherwise exchange idears), all spendin' their time in a hermetic closed / huis clos classroom, led by their unenlightened but useful idiot cruel "Masters"..... I'll confirm they're cruel from all I've heard. An' as ya say, this newfangled indoctrination is illiberal. Fully. No real exchanges an' it's all manifestos an' catch phrases an' talks about allies & alignment with causes an' bein' a good SJW. 'Twas "troo" for Nazi Germany, ditto here--I'll consider "gubbamint skool system" the same as indoctrination camp--kids only with each other in an echo chamber 10 hours a day an' "pounded" with wokeisms an' CRT an' gender baloney an' that SEL (Social-Emotional Learnin') Model that turns pea brains inta mush...
Any that started out with a lick of sense that speak up git it licked outta them--I'll consider the martinet verbal rantin's of these mad"men" an' madwomen tantamount ta beatin's in a way. ( They're now on display thanks ta "Libs of TikTok" so we see "whut" (which whut who!) is at the podium. I know debate is discouraged...youth gotta walk the walk, stay in their lanes. Those that counter the doctrine are punished. Those that tell parents whut they're learnin' (not learnin') fall prey ta the "snitches git stitches" motto an' will be treated harshly for resistin'.
Ah, but I wuz initially talkin' 'bout Nazi Youth, not just 'bout AmeriKan skools... hard ta see a diff, no?
Anywhoo--this made me think've Cabaret (the movie), a brilliant scene. A "normal" cafe is transformed in minutes. It's brilliant propaganda all wrapped up in "clean-cut boyhood," the lure at the start. But in not even 2 minutes the scene builds... Fully confirms what yer sayin' more or less visually--https://youtu.be/_tUctFu46_c
In the course of these couple minutes we see how "polite society" is swept up in what we know is one of the most insidious movements in the world-- It starts "innocently enuf" with one blonde-haired white-toothed Hitler youth singin' sweetly... The song? "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
At first it's nearly a folk number but it gets louder, faster, an' ultimately twists into a fiercely jingoist anthem. Others join in, at first wistfully, quietly, but soon it "catches" like a fire--mouths contort, the tone gets more strident--our "youth" puts on his SS hat an' gives a "Heil Hitler" salute.
We are seein' it play out on campus. The "hate" fueled in the 1930s in Germany is on display at hundreds of campuses as we speak. They call fer revenge, with twisted mouths (now be-masked), with strident voices. They do this on the site of Tisch, Kanbar, Stern, Silver, Cantor, Steinhardt... among others... these are the names on the skools an' buildin's an' auditoriums at NYU (I'm ashamed it's one'a my alma maters). OH the IRONY.
I wish I hadda solution--I once would'a said "education" but from all I'm seein' these kids do NOT wanna learn... too much fun marinatin' in hate an' gettin' high on the heady smells of scapegoatin' marinade while fist bumpin' en plein air as the caterers deliver their organic vegan lunches...
Daisy, Thank you for adding your insights. The "irony" indeed. Starve the beast, cut off state and private funding until they reform. Feed true learning centers and they will grow.
100% for cuttin' off fundin'! many of the families that generously funded these so-called bastions of higher education would be unwelcome on any campus... Ya likely sawr the walkouts at Duke when Jerry Seinfeld stepped up ta speak at the '24 commencement... So where ARE the real learnin' centers today I wonder? I know Hillsdale is one! we do some of their online stuff--an' they jus' hosted Mark Steyn so they are "open-minded."... but really, if ya aren't of their faith, whatdaaya do? (bless 'em anyway!)
Also, no fun takin' classes with the cruel, mighty Neue Hit-Leer'ian Youth. My younger one's experienced some'a this an' it ain't purdy...
Hits home as we're navigatin' this terror-tory now with both my kiddos--one still in "homeschool highschool" but she's gettin' purdy disheartened an' I gots no answers... the other's on a waitlist but they got tent city on the camp-puss an' every email I git from that insty-2-shun has stated invented pronouns an' DEI twaddle stamped like "the Union Label!"
ah, we wuz all lucky--so many cherces, many good 'uns ta pick from--hard ta believe it how quick this takedown--the Youth indeed are the foot soldiers but there are no real "adults" in back-rooms behind this mess! I'd call'em spoiled toddlers but tots are innocently contrarian--not like what I'm seein', no innocence in 100 yards've 'em!
ha ha, nope not 'puter science--one's all in fer art an' theater (don't ask 'bout what's happened ta theater--jus' take a look-see at Broadway an' grab an airline sickness bag...ew!), the other likes history an' art history--thanks fer the good wishes--we do need 'em!
OH one more random thought re yer postin'--I think the "chants"--like the "tomorrow" refrain in Cabaret scene--kin easily turn ta bein' "war chants"--almost like a spell that takes over these kids "from river to the sea"--something quite tribal an' Lord of the Flies-y in it... I'd say the chants are a "tool" but they speak ta som'thin' deeper an' kin be weaponized as we see...
PS My girls an' I rewartched Fritz Lang's brilliant film "Fury"--'bout a man wrongly accused--it's stayed with me all my life an' is a good metaphor for crowd behavior like what's on college greens as we speak (if ya like good movies!)
NH, live free 'er die state, yup! We also gots friends that moved down south too & are lovin' it (in TN & KY--both extree friendly ta homeschoolers) but fer better 'er worse we had'ta stay in NewYawk State (in spite 've our solid distaste fer the awful HoHoHawk-Cull!) -- due both ta my hubby's work (what's left of it!) an' in theory mine too if things ever turn 'round again in "sho' biz"--tho' I'm holdin' out fer some start-ups beyond the doity streets of the now-Moldy Apple.
Could be wrong, but I have a feelin' that "if" the country kin re-stablize then new pockets of "ahrtistic endeavor" will form outside the destroyed cities--sure hope so bein' a fish outta warter up here. That said, seein' my ol' neib housin' my-grunts in our local park (now "needle park") an' with folks I know gettin' "sucker punched" no way would I trade back now!
We're livin' awkwardly with "kin" fer the time bein'--all our savin's havin' vanished in "waitin' out" literally 2.5 years bein' un/under-employed fer not cavin' in ta the countermeasures (NYC wuz brutal thatta way but we honestly miscalculated how looong it'd take fer the mandates to be lifted...ironically they dropped 'em 6 weeks before we moved--we were already packed an' our landlord wuz excited ta double our rent after our departure!) Funny when ya think ya got stuff planned "fer the future" an' that ol' rug (not even the red carpet) gits yanked from under ya! But as Doris Day sings, "Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off, Start All Over Again!" :-)
Professor B, greetings. Excellent article. Thank you. Please see my comments on an article I read today concerning the power tenured, leftist college professors have on what is going on. This article was from a pro Israel publication. The article was an eye opener for me. Votes of No Confidence have recently happened a several universities in the past few weeks. Emory, USC, Chapel Hill just to name a few.
As a History major in college my favored subject area was WWII and the Holocaust. I had one superior professor who covered the years in Europe leading up to the outbreak of the war in 1939 reading works by the people who influenced politics and thinking during the period. One required reading that I still have was The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience Of A Single German Town, 1922-1935 by William Sheridan Allen (there's an updated version I haven't read). It does an excellent job of describing how the Nazis entered a small town and "persuaded" the citizens into becoming members of the party over a period of time. The process is fascinating, insidious, and frightening. It's what's caused me discomfort since the Obama presidency, but great fear since 2020.
The final exam was an essay - "Does the end justify the means? Explain based on our readings." It's the easiest exam I've ever taken, because I had firm spiritual and moral beliefs.
And that's What I'd like to say to Daisy Moses Chief Crackpot. You've raised your daughters well, you've educated them well, so going into secular public schools at this point in their lives will let them strengthen their muscles for real world situations. Let them use what you've taught them now and apply their knowledge, beliefs, and values to real life. I found that I was able to do that in my college classes and use my beliefs, thoughts that were well grounded, and the things I learned in college to support the points I was making and get good grades. I even won over some professors and slightly changed minds that were a bit more liberal than I was (and I was going to the Univ. of California, Sacramento, granted it was 1975-77). This might be a good challenge for them to gain confidence, self-assurance, and find their voice. There may not be hope for all the messed up thinkers right now, but there are kids who need other like minded thinkers to connect with, just as we do here. Joining others in the world is necessary. Go forth and conquer.
One huge aspect that comes to mind, unlike the Hitler youth, the youth of the day do read and copiously, I am not saying this negates the arguments posed by those times, but we have had hand-held reference libraries and communications for only 17 years, less than one generation, Every youngster from as young as 6+ has access to information, opinions, and propaganda that needed trips to libraries or indeed a channelled limited media! This explosion throws huge stresses that we can only guess at, we do not have definitive research that can be tested in such a short time of current events. Speculation, no matter how earnest, is just that, the science of chaos, adds dimensions we can only at best speculate, I do think that the travel of direction points, despite the obvious exceptions,to a more rounded perspective. I have had many opportunities to have with proto-adults the advantage of dialogue that follows the principles as per David Bohm, many now understand that the human development process as outlined by Dr Susan Cooke- Greuter to a unitive state that has an ability to review diverse perspectives is now gaining traction.
Having said this, I do worry that whilst we have a solely monetized society predicated by rapacious billionaires and their the ownership of such technology and the manipulation of AI could deliver a dystopia that would be great make the nationalist socialism more of a tea party! The unfolding events in the acceptance and manipulation of supremacist ideology as witnessed in Israel backed by the US should alarm is all. This is not to even touch on the climate collapse for many species on this planet, including our own .
I could go on with numbers about the pluralistic society in Israel but I would ask you to do a bit more reading before spreading lies about Israel and pro-Hamas talking points.
One mans lies anothers truths, first order of perspectives,many groups wish to destroy each other, noting the Hamas directive, which I had read, but history did not start with Hamas! In 1988. I would have thought that it is fairly understandable that considered illegally occupied territory will meet resistance, Israel could have worked with the Palestinians back in 1947, and not having a supremacist ideology drive their development. That is a perspective that can only be disputed by those who deny dialogue as outlined by Bohm. I believe that polarisation of views and calling out those who may disagree as liars is a not helpful and smacks of a zionist defence of committing massacres, just as was done to them by German Nazis. I could say you are spreading lies, but that is puerile behaviour. And reading your obvious depth of knowledge I would have expected a more measured response. I have no problem with your right to hold the perspectives you have, please extend the courtesy of respectful dialogue.
Uh, there were no “Palestinians “ in 1948. The term Palestine was a political term cooked up by Britain and others. The Jewish people have held claim for thousands of years. Simple historical fact. I try not to give fourth my opinions, as they just that. Facts rule. The facts are that The Jewish people are from that land and have been for over 2000 years
Both your posts sound as if they were written by some type of AI text that was provided talking points. The first post was convoluted and didn't communicate your thoughts clearly. The second post shows your blindness to the historical nature of the dispute between the people who live in Gaza and the Jews which would allow you to understand why a "dialogue as outlined by Bohm" is a joke as far as the parties are concerned when negotiating a "peace" plan. Furthermore, there can only be one truth. One's perspective isn't "truth", it's an opinion, a viewpoint, a thought, but it's not truth.
All discussions on this thread have been respectful, perhaps a bit direct at times, but respectful.
This won’t be solved online unfortunately or in short order. It will have to be solved on the ground in the community. These times in Germany did not coalesce from nothing but rather a malaise filled and depressed populace who saw no meaning in their lives because of exploding youth unemployment and difficulty of their situations. I am not saying that this excuses their behavior, but if we cannot also see the parallels of today we are really lost.
I believe these kids are filled with despair and suffering and anger. They have been brought up being filled to the gills about the existential nature of climate change, through their formative late teenage years through the mind warping COVID lock down period, and have not been taught that you are responsible for your own life. They are looking at Palestine and they have in their minds associated the plight of the Palestinians as themselves which makes the Jewish people the “oppressors” of not only Palestine but them. They have transposed their anger at their own existence into that conflict.
They are fed “enemies” that are responsible for their plight and that things will only get worse under those political enemies. They have been fed a diet that their political enemies are even and lack compassion and that they alone are the arbiters of compassion. But they cannot be met with scorn and contempt. For God’s sake we were all idiot children at some point. They need an alternative message, one of hope for the future and that builds within them the agency over oneself. I know they need that because I needed that. I was indoctrinated into the cult of climate and the existentialism of democracy. I was angry and I didn’t know why. I couldn’t not be angry and I turned that out onto the world.
I got lucky because I had someone reach out to me and offered me a viewpoint that I had agency. That I could actually change myself and work on the world at the same time. The youth are the future whether we like it or not and they cannot be forsaken because we only forsake ourselves.
John, As always you give us much wisdom to consider.
I agree we can't write off a generation.
At the same time we must immediately stop subsidizing the choice to hate and the choice to claim no agency. There is going to take the political will to clean up our education system starting with schools of education and on and on. I see no will for that yet.
Barry, I understand and agree on the need for a will to clean up our education system, but where will the will come but from us who have the will?
It will have to start in parallel, both doing what can be done to mitigate the damage done on those already through the system and in turning the inertia of the education system itself. At the same time, a return to responsibility for the education of children outside of the formal government system. A resurgence of parenting and parental and community involvement in the education of our kids.
Exactly, John.
The will must come from us but too many are content to turn over responsibility for education to the government.
There are sacrifices for homeschooling. My wife gave up her tenured professor position and finances were tight on one salary. I can honestly say we never had a single thought second-guessing our decision.
There are other ways to get involved other than homeschooling.
Excellent thoughts. A tall order, I’m afraid
Yes. The Youth were allowed to harass, punch the Jewish people. We're seeing this in schools where the children taught BLM. There were also white BLM members involved as well as violent Antifa members. In grade schools, videos of BLM indoctrinated children, would surround and beat up white children if they refused to kneel to them, they'd punch, kick the other children. In malls and on city streets they'd knock out unsuspecting elderly whites, murder blacks who dared to support President Trump, burned down cities, then the MMF Funds bailed them out..Now it's the whites who are indoctrinated by college professors, outside paid Activists, by the Tide Foundation associated with George and Alex Soros who are attacking Jewish students or blocking them from their classes, causing Graduations to be cancelled or disrupting Graduation Services with shouting and carrying signs threatening the Jewish people.
Alex Soros, about the end of beginning of Obama's term, who organized the Antifa group at the Berkeley University campus , CA. It was later moved to Portland, Oregon.
BLM was organized by Obama even having the then appointed leader invited to the White House. He said about these activists, "if I had a son, he'd be like these boys" aka BLM activists (who were targeting whites, esp elderly people)...
Thanks, Martha. There are many alarming examples of what you are pointing to today.
Oh I definitely thought George S was the chief tent maker for the campus unrest. It’s got his imprimatur all over it. Not a lot of money involved but it disrupts society nationwide, not unlike buying DAs during elections to subvert the rule of law.
Oh do you have a source for all your claims in paragraph 1, seems a bit exaggerated?
If you're referring to my paragraph, it was in a local school. I saw the video. I'm not going to publish the location bcuz people like you doxx. But it's true.
Young minds are not fully developed or experienced in the ways of the world and are always the most vulnerable to these movements. Just look at the Charlie Manson cult. He recruited young disillusioned people. Many of us experienced some disillusionment when we were young, especially in challenging economic times. These kids become ripe for the picking of an ideologue/ideological movement and tend to be the most passionate for "the cause," whatever it may be.
Totally agree. Thank you. I too suffered disillusionment but somehow had my thoughts crystallized wading around in the jungles of Vietnam. Amazing how fast one can re organize what is important.
I have spent the better part of the last few weeks trying to understand what started at both my alma maters in NYC. When I was at Columbia, the Yom Kippur War took place. I lived at International House and we had a lively discussion, people from Arab nations, Israelis and people from many different countries. No rancor was involved. We just wanted to understand and our multiplicity of outlooks helped everyone gain more understanding. I know the days of lively, spirited debate seem a time in the rear view mirror of life now.
Now, as an alumni of both NYU and Columbia, I see the marketing of the institutions and am keenly aware that they sell the concept of their pivotal role in protests such as 1968. Thus they attract a good number of young people interested in campus activism. So, there is a degree of hypocrisy involved in the mix.
I wavered in support of any bringing in of riot squads from the police so long as the protests remained non violent but I also wrote that, when those who wished to attend classes were not allowed to make that personal choice, the protest had crossed that bright line of infringement of the rights of others. I continued to favor taking a page from the playbook of Joe Montana and, when ahead and a few minutes left in the game, he would hold the ball and let the clock run out. I contended that the students who were playing a role they didn’t fully understand would leave their tents and go home when the semester ended. I still believe there were many who didn’t realize what they were doing. I remember my French husband talking about going to the barricades in Paris “for school” and that lycee attendance, had they taken it during the riots, would have been the highest percentage they could have had. The kids were there for the party. Many went home for Le dejeuner and left for the evening in time for Le diner, no joke. Then the administration could tell any professional agitators still in the tents that they needed to leave.
A colleague from my Wall Street years posted on LinkedIn that he wished all at our mutual alma mater would have heeded the words of a famous fellow Upper West Sider who said “Give peace a chance.” I had thought that very thing.
As usual, your piece was thoughtful and insightful! Thank you for posting it. I read it on LinkedIn earlier this morning.
Carol, Thank you for your wisdom.
I agree that many do not know what they are doing but the "movement" seems to be led by those committed to overthrowing Western civilization who are aggressing against others.
And I concur with that.
Barry, thanks for reading! I really enjoyed this mornings read. As a Captain of Marine Infantry in the late 70’s early 80’s I saw the return of the same disaffected and demoralized Marines from Viet Nam. They were my HEROES! Everything was a house party with them. We are losing 15-22 of us Vets a day..a day! I thought the men and women coming back from our 20 years of fruitless wars would pop off and start going Charles Whitman, but just the opposite they killing themselves and my heart breaks. I know a small subset of the problem. But if a real Horatio steps forward at the gate I will stand with him. Plus Marines like a good fair fight, well ah a good fight!! Thanks again for your eloquent efforts.
Charles, You've given much already. I'm sure you will continue to stand tall. There must be many of us to come forward.
Today I read a compelling article that discussed the power the faculty held over college presidents. A vote of “no confidence” against the president is an unwanted ticket out the door for them. Tenure has given the faculty power to eliminate the college president. Several no confidence votes in the past few weeks have been effective in decapitating said presidents . Fully 80 to 90 percent of the no confidence votes were influenced by the leftist bent of the instructors. Full support and encouragement from the faculty has been shown for the disgusting conduct the students have shown. It appears the inmates are truly running the academic asylum. The job of reversing the leftist socialist environment is going to be a multi generational task. Leftist thought has been ingrained for years in the college faculty . While the rest of us were not paying attention to college curriculum,they converted higher learning to socialist dogma. How we get out of this mess is elusive to me.
Michael Pair
Michael, Thanks for the added insights. I agree, it is a "multi generational task."
Can we begin by cutting off state support for higher education?
Many of these colleges/universities are in states that have government administrators that are just as socialist/liberal leaning so it's unlikely that funding would be cut. There's also the factor that cutting funding for issues seen as "freedom of speech/thought" reasons would be inappropriate. I do know that some large private donors have stopped financial support and think that will have great impact. I believe that's what got the response from Columbia in acting on the violent protests, and now that the faculty has reacted to the president it'll be interesting to see if other donors cut funding putting enough pressure on the school to maintain control over the teaching staff.
Deborah, I agree that there is no will for funding cuts in many states. Indeed, the private donors have made a difference.
After a generation of Germans were slaughtered by a King and his military advisors in WWI, disaffected veterans returned to a decimated nation, broke, bitter at a loss finally negotiated in a train car, some said “never again” too brutal, and a few stout angry others took a different course and in less than twenty sent another entire generation to be slaughtered, which they were. It is sad that the drivers of the Hitler Youth shamelessly brainwashed (loose definition here) a generation of Germans to repeat the grisly outcome of WWI. The only thing that changed was the speed and lethality of the battlefields, airspace above it and the oceans which that generation died fighting over, on and under.
Can we be that far gone? Where are the “Mann’s” here in the States? Who will stand up and say enough. Where is our Horatio at the gate? And who will stand with him? Hard to understand how a very small subset of “children” can disrupt a nation for 4-5 years but they have, we were promised “adults” in the room, well we are still waiting for them to arrive. That said, it is the X, Y and Z generations rodeo now. If they want to live in dull subjugation being told what to think and do that will be their problem. Time for them to step up and decide what type of culture and country (countries) they want to live in. Time will tell.
Thank you for your insights, Charles.
You are right. Not enough of us are saying No!
Ah yes, the "Youth of Tomorrow"... we might call it "grooming"--that's how they dunnit--an' yup, takin' these "youth" from their homes from mornin' 'til night is the M.O.--from Nazi Youth "Camps" (trainin' that is) to British Elite Boardin' Schools (lotta abuse there), ta AmeriKan skools--it's all the same b/c kids are separated from their parents (an' fambly values), from society (where all ages would otherwise exchange idears), all spendin' their time in a hermetic closed / huis clos classroom, led by their unenlightened but useful idiot cruel "Masters"..... I'll confirm they're cruel from all I've heard. An' as ya say, this newfangled indoctrination is illiberal. Fully. No real exchanges an' it's all manifestos an' catch phrases an' talks about allies & alignment with causes an' bein' a good SJW. 'Twas "troo" for Nazi Germany, ditto here--I'll consider "gubbamint skool system" the same as indoctrination camp--kids only with each other in an echo chamber 10 hours a day an' "pounded" with wokeisms an' CRT an' gender baloney an' that SEL (Social-Emotional Learnin') Model that turns pea brains inta mush...
Any that started out with a lick of sense that speak up git it licked outta them--I'll consider the martinet verbal rantin's of these mad"men" an' madwomen tantamount ta beatin's in a way. ( They're now on display thanks ta "Libs of TikTok" so we see "whut" (which whut who!) is at the podium. I know debate is discouraged...youth gotta walk the walk, stay in their lanes. Those that counter the doctrine are punished. Those that tell parents whut they're learnin' (not learnin') fall prey ta the "snitches git stitches" motto an' will be treated harshly for resistin'.
Ah, but I wuz initially talkin' 'bout Nazi Youth, not just 'bout AmeriKan skools... hard ta see a diff, no?
Anywhoo--this made me think've Cabaret (the movie), a brilliant scene. A "normal" cafe is transformed in minutes. It's brilliant propaganda all wrapped up in "clean-cut boyhood," the lure at the start. But in not even 2 minutes the scene builds... Fully confirms what yer sayin' more or less visually--https://youtu.be/_tUctFu46_c
In the course of these couple minutes we see how "polite society" is swept up in what we know is one of the most insidious movements in the world-- It starts "innocently enuf" with one blonde-haired white-toothed Hitler youth singin' sweetly... The song? "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
At first it's nearly a folk number but it gets louder, faster, an' ultimately twists into a fiercely jingoist anthem. Others join in, at first wistfully, quietly, but soon it "catches" like a fire--mouths contort, the tone gets more strident--our "youth" puts on his SS hat an' gives a "Heil Hitler" salute.
We are seein' it play out on campus. The "hate" fueled in the 1930s in Germany is on display at hundreds of campuses as we speak. They call fer revenge, with twisted mouths (now be-masked), with strident voices. They do this on the site of Tisch, Kanbar, Stern, Silver, Cantor, Steinhardt... among others... these are the names on the skools an' buildin's an' auditoriums at NYU (I'm ashamed it's one'a my alma maters). OH the IRONY.
I wish I hadda solution--I once would'a said "education" but from all I'm seein' these kids do NOT wanna learn... too much fun marinatin' in hate an' gettin' high on the heady smells of scapegoatin' marinade while fist bumpin' en plein air as the caterers deliver their organic vegan lunches...
great post here! always "larnin' " here!
Daisy, Thank you for adding your insights. The "irony" indeed. Starve the beast, cut off state and private funding until they reform. Feed true learning centers and they will grow.
Thank too for the chilling scene from Cabaret.
100% for cuttin' off fundin'! many of the families that generously funded these so-called bastions of higher education would be unwelcome on any campus... Ya likely sawr the walkouts at Duke when Jerry Seinfeld stepped up ta speak at the '24 commencement... So where ARE the real learnin' centers today I wonder? I know Hillsdale is one! we do some of their online stuff--an' they jus' hosted Mark Steyn so they are "open-minded."... but really, if ya aren't of their faith, whatdaaya do? (bless 'em anyway!)
Also, no fun takin' classes with the cruel, mighty Neue Hit-Leer'ian Youth. My younger one's experienced some'a this an' it ain't purdy...
Hits home as we're navigatin' this terror-tory now with both my kiddos--one still in "homeschool highschool" but she's gettin' purdy disheartened an' I gots no answers... the other's on a waitlist but they got tent city on the camp-puss an' every email I git from that insty-2-shun has stated invented pronouns an' DEI twaddle stamped like "the Union Label!"
ah, we wuz all lucky--so many cherces, many good 'uns ta pick from--hard ta believe it how quick this takedown--the Youth indeed are the foot soldiers but there are no real "adults" in back-rooms behind this mess! I'd call'em spoiled toddlers but tots are innocently contrarian--not like what I'm seein', no innocence in 100 yards've 'em!
Wow, Daisy.
I don't know what I would do if my kids were going to college in the next few years.
If they are studying computer science or similar at decent state university, they should still get a fairly good education.
As for the rest of the majors, as you say hard to navigate.
I wish your family the best as you decide among alternatives.
ha ha, nope not 'puter science--one's all in fer art an' theater (don't ask 'bout what's happened ta theater--jus' take a look-see at Broadway an' grab an airline sickness bag...ew!), the other likes history an' art history--thanks fer the good wishes--we do need 'em!
OH one more random thought re yer postin'--I think the "chants"--like the "tomorrow" refrain in Cabaret scene--kin easily turn ta bein' "war chants"--almost like a spell that takes over these kids "from river to the sea"--something quite tribal an' Lord of the Flies-y in it... I'd say the chants are a "tool" but they speak ta som'thin' deeper an' kin be weaponized as we see...
PS My girls an' I rewartched Fritz Lang's brilliant film "Fury"--'bout a man wrongly accused--it's stayed with me all my life an' is a good metaphor for crowd behavior like what's on college greens as we speak (if ya like good movies!)
There are states where civilization still thrives. I hope you picked a good one when you fled NYC. If not, NH would welcome you and your family.
The chants are very disturbing and primitive as you say.
Thanks for the Fury recommendation. Sounds terrific; I just added it to my queue.
NH, live free 'er die state, yup! We also gots friends that moved down south too & are lovin' it (in TN & KY--both extree friendly ta homeschoolers) but fer better 'er worse we had'ta stay in NewYawk State (in spite 've our solid distaste fer the awful HoHoHawk-Cull!) -- due both ta my hubby's work (what's left of it!) an' in theory mine too if things ever turn 'round again in "sho' biz"--tho' I'm holdin' out fer some start-ups beyond the doity streets of the now-Moldy Apple.
Could be wrong, but I have a feelin' that "if" the country kin re-stablize then new pockets of "ahrtistic endeavor" will form outside the destroyed cities--sure hope so bein' a fish outta warter up here. That said, seein' my ol' neib housin' my-grunts in our local park (now "needle park") an' with folks I know gettin' "sucker punched" no way would I trade back now!
We're livin' awkwardly with "kin" fer the time bein'--all our savin's havin' vanished in "waitin' out" literally 2.5 years bein' un/under-employed fer not cavin' in ta the countermeasures (NYC wuz brutal thatta way but we honestly miscalculated how looong it'd take fer the mandates to be lifted...ironically they dropped 'em 6 weeks before we moved--we were already packed an' our landlord wuz excited ta double our rent after our departure!) Funny when ya think ya got stuff planned "fer the future" an' that ol' rug (not even the red carpet) gits yanked from under ya! But as Doris Day sings, "Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off, Start All Over Again!" :-)
Professor B, greetings. Excellent article. Thank you. Please see my comments on an article I read today concerning the power tenured, leftist college professors have on what is going on. This article was from a pro Israel publication. The article was an eye opener for me. Votes of No Confidence have recently happened a several universities in the past few weeks. Emory, USC, Chapel Hill just to name a few.
Best Regards, Michael Pair
Thoughtful piece. Thanks.
As a History major in college my favored subject area was WWII and the Holocaust. I had one superior professor who covered the years in Europe leading up to the outbreak of the war in 1939 reading works by the people who influenced politics and thinking during the period. One required reading that I still have was The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience Of A Single German Town, 1922-1935 by William Sheridan Allen (there's an updated version I haven't read). It does an excellent job of describing how the Nazis entered a small town and "persuaded" the citizens into becoming members of the party over a period of time. The process is fascinating, insidious, and frightening. It's what's caused me discomfort since the Obama presidency, but great fear since 2020.
The final exam was an essay - "Does the end justify the means? Explain based on our readings." It's the easiest exam I've ever taken, because I had firm spiritual and moral beliefs.
And that's What I'd like to say to Daisy Moses Chief Crackpot. You've raised your daughters well, you've educated them well, so going into secular public schools at this point in their lives will let them strengthen their muscles for real world situations. Let them use what you've taught them now and apply their knowledge, beliefs, and values to real life. I found that I was able to do that in my college classes and use my beliefs, thoughts that were well grounded, and the things I learned in college to support the points I was making and get good grades. I even won over some professors and slightly changed minds that were a bit more liberal than I was (and I was going to the Univ. of California, Sacramento, granted it was 1975-77). This might be a good challenge for them to gain confidence, self-assurance, and find their voice. There may not be hope for all the messed up thinkers right now, but there are kids who need other like minded thinkers to connect with, just as we do here. Joining others in the world is necessary. Go forth and conquer.
One huge aspect that comes to mind, unlike the Hitler youth, the youth of the day do read and copiously, I am not saying this negates the arguments posed by those times, but we have had hand-held reference libraries and communications for only 17 years, less than one generation, Every youngster from as young as 6+ has access to information, opinions, and propaganda that needed trips to libraries or indeed a channelled limited media! This explosion throws huge stresses that we can only guess at, we do not have definitive research that can be tested in such a short time of current events. Speculation, no matter how earnest, is just that, the science of chaos, adds dimensions we can only at best speculate, I do think that the travel of direction points, despite the obvious exceptions,to a more rounded perspective. I have had many opportunities to have with proto-adults the advantage of dialogue that follows the principles as per David Bohm, many now understand that the human development process as outlined by Dr Susan Cooke- Greuter to a unitive state that has an ability to review diverse perspectives is now gaining traction.
Having said this, I do worry that whilst we have a solely monetized society predicated by rapacious billionaires and their the ownership of such technology and the manipulation of AI could deliver a dystopia that would be great make the nationalist socialism more of a tea party! The unfolding events in the acceptance and manipulation of supremacist ideology as witnessed in Israel backed by the US should alarm is all. This is not to even touch on the climate collapse for many species on this planet, including our own .
This is an interesting comment. We have common ground on the importance of the work of David Bohm.
You write of "supremacist ideology" of Israel. I wonder if you are aware of the Hamas charter which calls for the elimination of every Jew on earth. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
I could go on with numbers about the pluralistic society in Israel but I would ask you to do a bit more reading before spreading lies about Israel and pro-Hamas talking points.
One mans lies anothers truths, first order of perspectives,many groups wish to destroy each other, noting the Hamas directive, which I had read, but history did not start with Hamas! In 1988. I would have thought that it is fairly understandable that considered illegally occupied territory will meet resistance, Israel could have worked with the Palestinians back in 1947, and not having a supremacist ideology drive their development. That is a perspective that can only be disputed by those who deny dialogue as outlined by Bohm. I believe that polarisation of views and calling out those who may disagree as liars is a not helpful and smacks of a zionist defence of committing massacres, just as was done to them by German Nazis. I could say you are spreading lies, but that is puerile behaviour. And reading your obvious depth of knowledge I would have expected a more measured response. I have no problem with your right to hold the perspectives you have, please extend the courtesy of respectful dialogue.
I'm sorry I responded to you at all but not for my words.
"Can only be disputed by those who deny dialogue" is not an argument.
"Zionist defence" is a dog whistle.
Arabs wanted to destroy Israel many times before 1988 beginning in 1948. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem urged Hitler on before Israel was born.
I won't respond further.
Uh, there were no “Palestinians “ in 1948. The term Palestine was a political term cooked up by Britain and others. The Jewish people have held claim for thousands of years. Simple historical fact. I try not to give fourth my opinions, as they just that. Facts rule. The facts are that The Jewish people are from that land and have been for over 2000 years
Both your posts sound as if they were written by some type of AI text that was provided talking points. The first post was convoluted and didn't communicate your thoughts clearly. The second post shows your blindness to the historical nature of the dispute between the people who live in Gaza and the Jews which would allow you to understand why a "dialogue as outlined by Bohm" is a joke as far as the parties are concerned when negotiating a "peace" plan. Furthermore, there can only be one truth. One's perspective isn't "truth", it's an opinion, a viewpoint, a thought, but it's not truth.
All discussions on this thread have been respectful, perhaps a bit direct at times, but respectful.