First They Came for Columbia

First, Harvard’s failure to speak out discourages other, more vulnerable universities from taking action, which undermines our collective defenses. If Columbia or another university confronts the administration on its own, it will lose. If America’s nearly 6,000 universities and colleges launch a campaign in defense of higher education, odds are that Trump will lose.

Someone must lead this collective effort. And if Harvard and other leading universities remain in their protective shells, there is a good chance that no one will.

Second, and crucially, silence cedes the public debate. Public opinion is not formed in a vacuum. The social science research is clear: In the absence of a countervailing message, a one-sided debate will powerfully shape public opinion. As long as he faces no public counter-argument from leaders of higher education, Trump will punish universities and pay no cost in the court of public opinion. If Harvard and other universities make a vigorous defense of higher education and principles of free speech and democracy, much of the public will rally to its side […]

These debt profiteers have always been monuments to privilege and indoctrination. They’re completely obstructing prosperity and “security” by excluding the most deserving students and teachers. They’re not being forced to do anything by Trump. They were doing the same shit under genocide joe. They’re going along with the same plan that they’ve always followed. The primary purpose of “education” is to violently enforce hegemony.