Saturday, December 20, 2008

The Brian Lehrer Show / December 19, 2008 / Follow Up Friday: New School Occupation

Chris Crews, media liaison for "The New School in Exile" and graduate student at The New School, talks about how students at The New School who occupied the school's cafeteria claimed inspiration from the Greek protesters.

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2008/12/19/segments/118853

1 comment:

  1. I heard an interview on the radio - 820AM - w/ a graduate student identidied as the "media Liason" for the students having the sit in. When asked what their issue with school president Bob Kerry was two basic answers were given. First this student went into specifics - Kerry's support of the Iraq war, then a mention of vietnam and his service which included Special Forces and a mention of war crimes - no details regarding the specifics of these alleged crimes. Then the student launched into a missive about democracy and progressive values. Finally he ended w/ what he considered concrete complaints retaining to the running of the school: that Kerry makes unilateral decisions and the students are demanding more of a voice. The student did not elaborate, nor did the interviewer press him for examples.
    I'm confused on 2 ends. When did we become the former Soviet Union where 1) a man is pressured to give up his position as president of a school because of an unpopular opinion regarding a war. 2) When you make an accusation of war crimes, you back it up - smearing someone w/ such an accusation is meant only to deligitimize them, take away there voice, make them an umperson, and is the favorite weapon of those who wish to crush dissent, and not those who wish to promote it.
    Finally, regarding Kerry and his unilateral decisions. True it is important for students to have a voice in the school, but not everything is a democracy. In the end certain decisions are left to individuals, who are then held accountable to them. If this student has a complaint regarding those decisions, that is fine. But then he should have listed those complaints. However, his personal feelings on a war has nothing to do with the running of the school. When their are people who complain about the "leftist" politics among the faculty at many schools, their complaints are not with these teachers personal beliefs, but when they try to force them on there students. As long as Bob Kerry is not forcing his own opinion on the war down other peoples throat, then the last I looked, we live in a free country, which thrives on different personal opinions. If, however, their are complaints regarding the running of the school, then lets hear specifics - and judge the man on that.

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