Over the past two and a half years Berkeley, California has added radical Middle Eastern politics to its chic campus culture. The result isn’t pretty. A city that prides itself on tolerance and diversity is fast-becoming an epicenter of hate.
Today’s protestors are giving protesting a bad name. But, they’re only doing what is expected of them. As an example, let us look at the crowd at Berkeley. Most are white, upper middle class kids with less interest in their school work than in joining a cause. They are provided with plenty of cash from their parents to purchase all the materials necessary to make posters and banners, or dress themselves up to symbolize agrieved parties.
They also have a willing band of tutors in the school administration and faculty that provides them with moral support. And they have a diverse group of haters among them to feed them causes.
Where is the value in protesting? When everyone around you agrees with what you have to say, or the complaints you voice, is that really protest? It is, in reality, jumping on the old bandwagon. No danger of being confronted by conflicting ideas, no danger of being hauled of to jail. Not much of a protest. But it makes them feel good. It gives them a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves. Kinda like religion. Exactly like religion.
In the area of the world they protest about, people die every day. That is real. These kids think they understand that. After all, they are college students. They are hearing and reading things they never heard before, and assume nobody else has, either. Therefore, they are smarter than the rest of us. My goodness, their professors have PhDs! Who could know better than they?
I can’t decide whether they are narcissists or lack self-confidence.
Read Michael’s article and decide for yourself.
And then take a look at The Onion’s coverage of protests long past.