Middlebury Students and Faculty Reportedly Embarrassed by Mob Attack on Speaker
“campus failed in its duty to exemplify how to debate”
They should be embarrassed. Not only did the mob attack a guest speaker, but a prof ended up in the hospital.
The Boston Globe reports:
Attack on speaker stuns Middlebury College
Students and professors at Middlebury College were ashamed and embarrassed after an explosive protest Thursday night that has forced the school to reconsider what it means to embrace free speech.
The normally peaceful campus of Middlebury College, with its mountain backdrop and elite reputation, was shaken last week after violent student protesters shut down a talk by controversial conservative social scientist Charles Murray and injured a Middlebury professor who was with him.
Many on campus, including the college president and leaders of the student organization who invited him, disagree vehemently with Murray’s views on social welfare programs and race, but on Saturday they said the campus failed in its duty to exemplify how to debate unpopular ideas with civility.
Donald Trump’s presidency formed the backdrop for the protest, students said. The election has made people on campus dig their heels in ideologically, said Sabina Haque, a junior from Westford, Mass. They’re less willing to accept conflicting viewpoints, she said.
“This is more than just a Middlebury problem, it’s a problem across the country. There’s really a great divide that people can’t bridge,” she said.
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Comments
Not good enough.
What disciplinary actions will be taken?
How will they prevent similar behavior in the future?
I can see why the Middlebury administration now views this riot so seriously: it’s a Defcon 1 public relations disaster that has every potential of seriously affecting alumni donations and even enollment.
What parents, particularly conservative ones, in their right minds would send their kids to a pricey school that’s de facto controlled by the Hitler Youth?
It’s not a Trump problem, it’s an Obama problem. He let the dogs out for eight years and this is all the idiot, intolerant protesters know. They are immature babies who feel threatened by opposing views on anything.
The parents are also to blame. Conservatives are less vocal around family members, particularly children about politics. Leftists tend to beat the drum. And think about it. It’s an excuse to get violent, the well-researched mob mentality. These aren’t protesters, they’re mobsters. Obama’s destroy the United States is working.
When you have Peter Beinart at the ‘Atlantic’ saying that this was over the line you know you have a problem.
While I don’t necessarily support Charlies Murray’s views, he has the right to speak. However, the left is unable to debate those who oppose them because they can’t mount arguments based on their merits. They don’t know how. For them, it’s all about squishy feelings and being overly certain that they occupy the moral high ground, even if they have to beat up someone to prove it.