Hi Naomi,
Let me do a slightly different take from Rex on this. First, this was an extremely amateurish protest which, I believe, reflects the poor quality of the teaching / learning of political communications. Hades, Alinski must be rolling in his grave! I organized better ones when I was 13Originally Posted by yamiyugikun
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Second, it was an extremely ineffective protest; look at how they were being boo'ed by most of the audience at times and how a lot of heads were nodding when they were escorted out.
Both of these points were highlighted in the clip of the protesters outside; poor (and stupid) chants & signs, no information immediately available, no attempt to draw in the crowd, etc. These people are an insult to the New Left of the 1960's, and I hope that any professors who were "advising" them get slapped down by their elders!
Let me also make one, direct, comment about the "radical liberals". I deal with them all the time and, in most cases, they are a product of how academic hiring selections have worked over the past 40-50 years. Some of them are extremely intelligent and their critiques are extremely valuable, while others, quite frankly, are cynical manipulators of the system they live in. In other words, they are like all humans; some good, most middlin', and some who aren't even fit to make screech with.
The point I'm trying to make is that you shouldn't let labels become your reality. You need to listen to what they are saying regardless of their labels, and make your own decisions - that's "critical thinking".
Okay, final point: my grandmother always used to say that "politeness was the vasaline of social intercourse", and that is a lesson these particular protesters just didn't learn. Of course, I think it would be a fascinating experiment for them to try the same style of protest at, say, the Quetta Shura and see where they get with it (drat,. now were is that "totally evil grin smiley....?)
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