Back in my day (he said, carefully avoiding summoning his inner Grandpa Simpson), college protests were just coming back into vogue. The whole thing was still in its nascent stage, and I remember seeing about eight people with wire coat hangers on their heads, standing in front of the school bell tower, protesting a lack of abortion rights. A year prior, there had been a much-better organized protest over institutional racism in which students filled up the administration building. They ordered pizza. Now, of course, demonstrations are much more impressive and are set to eclipse those of the 60s if they have not done so already. But they don’t seem to be very coherent.
Have you heard of New York City’s New School? Me either. Apparently, it is a very elite private university. According to the website, it is a place that “reimagines the future,” “interrogates justice and equity,” “cultivates new models of creative work,” and “creates more sustainable futures.” As far as the course catalog, it seems fairly straightforward in terms of its School of Design. Its liberal arts program offers classes such as “Outings in Queer Anthropology,” “Women in Post-Socialist Transformation,” and “Activist Anthropology: Toward Antiracism, Decolonization, and Anti-Oppression.” In other words, a school perfectly designed for overindulged, rich kids who are desperate to rid themselves of whatever guilt they have decided everyone has. And what do spoiled, rich kids do when they do not get what they want? They have tantrums, of course.
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The New York Post reports that on Dec. 8, the students at The New School began a protest in solidarity with adjunct faculty who were striking for higher wages and a better healthcare package. That issue was resolved by Dec. 10, and yet the protest itself goes on. Somehow, the list of complaints has evolved into demands for better cafeteria food, a tuition freeze, and refunds for time lost during class, and that the president, vice president, and provost resign. They also want the president’s townhouse to be turned over to the student body. The protesters have yet to figure out what they will do with the property. Chief among the list of demands is that all students receive A grades for their fall semester classes and the removal of “incomplete” or “withdrawal” listings on grades. The New School told the Post, “The university supports peaceful free expression by our students, and we are listening closely to all of our students’ concerns. Faculty retain autonomy about how to conduct and grade their courses.”
Of course, there are few, if any opportunities for a Queer Anthropology degree outside the realm of academia. Be that as it may, we should set aside the old notion that these people will have to adjust their expectations once they enter the real world. Instead, they will go on to be professors, elementary and high school teachers, librarians, executives, and politicians. And they will set about adjusting the world to meet their expectations. And people will submit since they will be terrified that a horde of blue-haired harridans will show up and occupy the break room.
On the other hand, I have to believe that somewhere, someone in power is quietly smirking. They see how easy it is to enrage, mollify and manipulate an entire generation. A generation that believes it is free, even as it enslaves itself. And the rest of us.
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