Manhattan Institute scholar Heather Mac Donald gave a speech at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts recently, but the event was marred by students who tried to shout her down.
In a scenario which has become all too common, students first tried to manipulate how many people could attend, then turned to chanting over her speech.
Jennifer Kabbany reports at The College Fix:
VIDEO: Shouting protestors restrict access to Heather Mac Donald speech at Holy CrossStudent protestors at College of the Holy Cross recently blocked access for many hoping to hear a speech by conservative scholar Heather Mac Donald by getting in line early, filling the venue to capacity so others waiting to get in were turned away, then filed out 10 minutes into the speech while chanting over and over “my oppression is not a delusion.”Audio and video obtained by The College Fix shows the demonstrators chant for nearly two minutes as they left, yelling: “My oppression is not a delusion!” “Your sexism is not welcome!” “Your racism is not welcome!” “Your homophobia is not welcome!” “YOU are not welcome!”As they exited, Mac Donald spoke to them about the abundant resources offered at the private, Worcester, Massachusetts-based Jesuit institution, which charges $54,000 a year in tuition. But they just kept repeating their chants as they filed out the door.“Either you talk and try to hash out your differences using the power of human rationality or force is what remains. It’s a shame,” Mac Donald told the remaining audience members. “I would have really enjoyed the opportunity to hear about the oppression at Holy Cross and be able to debate whether the perception or impression is valid or not.”
See the video below:
Something similar recently happened at Bucknell University. Note how The Bucknellian frames the protest as a “rally” in the headline:
Students rally against Heather Mac DonaldOn Nov. 14, more than 45 University students protested against Heather Mac Donald, a conservative political commentator who spoke against institutional efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. A picket line protest was staged by the Bucknell University Democratic Socialists of America, a new club that reflects and supports the values of the rising progressive movement.Students gathered in the Grove with signs praising diversity and denouncing racism, reading slogans such as “Hate Speech ≠ Freedom of Speech.” The students banded together in winter coats with hot chocolate, chanting “Hey hey! Ho Ho! Heather Mac has got to go!” and “No justice! No peace!”
Mac Donald addressed this in a recent column at the Wall Street Journal. It’s behind a paywall, but she posted an excerpt at The Manhattan Institute site:
Why Are College Students So Afraid of Me?Few things upset American college students more than being told they aren’t oppressed. I recently spoke at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. I argued that American undergraduates are among the most privileged individuals in history by virtue of their unfettered access to knowledge. Far from being discriminated against, students are surrounded by well-meaning faculty who want all of them to succeed.About 15 minutes into my talk, as I was discussing Renaissance humanism, a majority of the audience in the packed auditorium stood up and started chanting: “My oppression is not a delusion!” The chanters then declared that my sexism, racism and homophobia weren’t welcome on campus. “You are not welcome,” they added, as if I didn’t know.
In the land of higher education, oppression has become currency. Taking it away from students is tantamount to theft. This has to be fixed.
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