University campus dissent: The kids are (not) alright
As in America, our campuses should also become the crucibles where human capital is forged
is a Pune-based economist.
The title of this column refers to a famous song by Pete Townshend of the iconic rock band, The Who. Part of their debut album in 1965, it captures the spirit of youth culture of the 1960s—rebellious, trying to break free from tradition and stereotypes and yet somehow also meet society’s expectations. The Who’s innovative, defiant and unruly style influenced many future generations of rock bands. The song itself has lasting appeal and has been covered by other artistes and there is also a recent movie by the same name. The Kids are Alright has become a catch-phrase representing the resilience and potential of youth as they face daunting challenges. It is the restless, resistant and resilient youth who rouse the social conscience when others are silent.
As Israel continues to brutally bomb Gaza, the kids in America are not alright about it. Across the country, college campuses have erupted with student protests, asking their universities to divest from all companies that do business with Israel. They want to end partnerships with Israeli universities. They are calling it a ‘genocide,’ as nearly 40,000 Palestinians have died, the majority of them women and children. Palestinian flags have gone up on campus greens. College administrators have been trying and failing to defuse the tense and escalating situation. Encampments have sprung up on the campuses of elite Ivy League colleges like Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia, all the way to midwest institutions in Michigan and Texas and places like Berkeley in California. The police have had to be called in, and there have been hundreds of arrests. These students are taking the risks of expulsion, disciplinary action and damage to their careers. These include many foreign students, including those from India. Student unrest has also spread to France, England and Australia. Even the faculty in many places have joined forces with students. It is a great testimony to youth power that the powers that be, whether in Washington, Wall Street or Silicon Valley, can no longer be reticent and have had to respond. Even the President of the US has shown some sympathy, although officially the US continues to stonewall all resolutions to restrain Israel at the United Nations. Some US lawmakers have asked Columbia’s president to resign, while others warned that colleges should not cave into “right wing” pressure. The protests have divided lawmakers and social commentators, but the students themselves seem united the US.
This is not the first time that students are leading the voice of conscience in America. In the 1980s, college kids across campuses forced divestment in companies that did business with South Africa. This was their protest against its apartheid regime back then. Much earlier, in the 1960s, there was massive and decisive student unrest against the Vietnam war.
The present pro-Palestinian student-led movement will prove to be a watershed in the evolution of America’s relationship with Israel. The word ‘genocide’ has gained currency in the discourse on what is going on in Gaza. Israel’s response to the 7 October brutalities of Hamas that killed innocent civilians is increasingly seen as disproportionate and unjustified. The US can no longer instinctively side with Israel no matter what the latter does.
The social conscience and global awareness of American kids stands in stark contrast to the recent clueless fumbling of placard-holding young protestors in Delhi. These college students from a prestigious university, when asked by a journalist on camera, unfortunately exposed themselves as ignorant youth who had probably been unwittingly coddled into doing political propaganda. They seemed to have no idea what they were supposed to be protesting. Their answers provided much comical relief in the style of late-night TV comedy shows of David Letterman and Conan O’Brien, who routinely parody the clueless. The troubling aspect is that these were college kids who are supposed to be socially and politically aware. They represent human capital of the future. Of course, it is totally inappropriate to extrapolate from one hilarious episode, but the difference in what’s happening on American campuses and this scene on the streets of Delhi, both on live television at the same time, is telling.
Whatever complaint you may make about American institutions of higher education, that they have become prisoners of ‘wokeness,’ that political correctness is out of control, or that the diversity agenda has gone too far (all of these being favourite grumbles of Donald Trump supporters), you cannot deny that US universities remain bastions of free speech and creative thinking. They push the envelope, be it on social norms or science. They still attract the brightest and most competitive applicants from all over the world. The current predicament of university administrators is not that they want to suppress dissent against Israeli policy, but how to achieve a balance between free speech and providing a safe non-violent environment to all stakeholders, none of whom should feel intimidated. Within the boundaries of the college, where even the police cannot enter without permission, freedom of expression is sacrosanct. This is a sine qua non for a stimulating environment where science and art can flourish, where knowledge and insight can bloom. India’s universities must also become that crucible where the dynamic human capital of tomorrow is forged—by healthy debate and dissent, by fearless questioning and exploration. Only then will our kids be alright.