Without question, the world is becoming more violent. Some will say that the world is no worse now than at any other time in history, but we are left with the impression that things are more dire than ever before due to the immediacy with which our news is delivered and the need to boost clicks with panic-inducing headlines. Pull up any news site, and in a matter of minutes, you will likely come away convinced that the end of the world is nigh.
There is some truth to that, but there can be little doubt that things have become more vicious and dangerous in recent years. While the mainstream media is all too eager to place the blame on white supremacists, MAGA Republicans, and toxic masculinity, it is routinely silent when people or organizations with which it sides commit acts of violence.
For example, a recent investigation by the Daily Wire uncovered the fact that 16 American Universities had assigned their students the book "How to Blow Up a Pipeline." The contents are exactly what the name implies. The book contains instructions on how to commit acts of eco-terrorism. The book was required reading for UC Berkeley's Geography and Interactive Biology class.
In 2022, Prof. Joseph Mohorcich at the City University of New York also used it in his class, "Politics and Survival." Students were also required to read Huey Newton's "Revolutionary Suicide." Other colleges whose courses include the book are Arizona State University, the University of California San Diego, the University of Washington, and Illinois State. Ohio State University is planning to have students read the book during the coming semesters.
"How to Blow Up a Pipeline" is the product of Swedish professor Andreas Malm and offers this quote: "Demolish them, burn them, blow them up. Let the capitalists who keep investing in the fire know that their properties will be trashed.” He has also advocated for sabotage to happen on a large scale, which he believes will not come simply through accidents. He told a New York Times reporter:
If I were part of a group where something like blowing up a pipeline was perceived as a tactic that could be useful for our struggle, then I would gladly participate. I have engaged in as much militant climate activism as I have had access to. I’ve done things that I can’t tell you or that I wouldn’t tell others publicly. [sic]
Some on the Left have met Aaron Bushnell's recent suicide by immolation with high praise. A disturbed young man burns himself to death, and he has been held up as a hero because of his stated motivation.
If the American Left is ready to glorify suicide for the "right" cause, how far is it from glorifying and promoting acts of violence against others for the "right" cause without even bothering to fall back on the excuse that the proponents were merely exaggerating their statements simply to make a point? Sooner than one may think.
AL.com notes that on Saturday, an explosive device was detonated outside of the office of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall. There was no damage, and no one was injured — this time.
But make no mistake; there will be a next time. Our universities seem to want to make sure of that.
