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Comment by mempko | Hacker News Reader

>I have served happily as a professor at Yale for most of my adult life, but in my four-plus decades at the mast, I have never seen campuses roiled as they’re roiling today.

Really? Not even during Vietnam war? Not even during Occupy? I don't buy this. I think what is happening is that those in power are getting pushback and now they are complaining about the loss of free speech. The reality is speech was suppressed for a long long time at Universities, but since the people who lost the speech didn't have any power (think communists, anarchists, people promoting black rights, women's rights, etc) it seemed all was well in University land.

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US involvement in the Vietnam war ended in 1973, 51 years ago.

And it's pretty clear the author isn't against "pushback", but would rather see that in the form of refutation. You can agree or disagree with that and discus that, which is all fine, but your reply doesn't connect with that at all, and is just a generic tangent.

The people punished for exercising suppressed speech have been on the right for about ten years now, and that’s been on behalf of that loosely aligned bucket of identities you cite whose views have disproportionately been in power at universities.

I was in university during occupy, and i was a participant in occupy. The movement hardly impacted campus life, especially compared to the way that open antisemitism is affecting it.

I’m all for free speech on campus, from all sides, but these articles today are coming from the so far dominant side, who has been pushing a line the world outside their ivory towers will not toe.

People fail to see the campus disruptions are speech. Students protesting on campus is good and a form of free speech.

While not disagreeing with your basic point, I think there's been a slow churn of "who's on top". I'm thinking of the pressure to no-platform Germaine Greer a few years back - in that case, she represented the academic establishment.

“At Yale” is bearing virtually the entire plausibility load of that extract.

> think communists, anarchists, people promoting black rights, women's rights, etc)

These groups still have absolutely no power.

This is an obviously false statement. Why make it? Especially regarding individuals, groups, organizations, and politicians that support black causes or women's rights. They have significantly increased in power over the last 60 years, especially on campus.

Just because you don't think they have much power, or as much as they should, doesn't mean they have "absolutely no power". I know I'm being pedantic, but if you actually believe your statement then it's an example of a mentality that forever holds us back.

"Am I out of touch? No, its the kids who are out of touch."

Except it's not the kids complaining!

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