If I understand correctly, there has been an event at Drew very recently
in which students choose not to attend class in protest over the War in
Iraq, the idea being that our absence from class represents the troops’
absence from their homes.
I don’t feel I need to devote a great deal of energy to this, so I’ll
just say as simply as possible that I think this is pretty weak. An
event like this has no positive effect at all. Not only will the troops
never benefit from it or know about it, it’s unlikely that they’d care
even if they did know; they don't worry about whether you skip class or
not any more than anyone else. Further, I think that promoting absence
from class is an ill-conceived strategy. Whoever comes up with things
like this and participates in them should realize that we’re in college
to learn things. Holding protests and demonstrations should be lower on
a student’s priority list than academics.
-Enoch
in which students choose not to attend class in protest over the War in
Iraq, the idea being that our absence from class represents the troops’
absence from their homes.
I don’t feel I need to devote a great deal of energy to this, so I’ll
just say as simply as possible that I think this is pretty weak. An
event like this has no positive effect at all. Not only will the troops
never benefit from it or know about it, it’s unlikely that they’d care
even if they did know; they don't worry about whether you skip class or
not any more than anyone else. Further, I think that promoting absence
from class is an ill-conceived strategy. Whoever comes up with things
like this and participates in them should realize that we’re in college
to learn things. Holding protests and demonstrations should be lower on
a student’s priority list than academics.
-Enoch
11 comments:
Enoch, don't impose your ideas of what is positive or what is learning or what is a priority on to me.
I feel bad for you, you sound like someone's tired old Grandma with no inspiration or passion in your life.
-robin
Economically, you are correct that attending class is more immediately beneficial to me than walking out of class and attending a protest. However, life experiences cannot always be quantified or given a monetary value. In fact, I feel like this is a very flawed way to view life. I can personally say that I gained a lot more from participating in the walk out and protest than I would have in the 1 hour of class time that I chose to skip. Learning comes in many different forms, and sitting in a classroom is not an inherently superior form.
-emily
Walking out of class was not the only thing that took place yesterday, and certainly not the only accomplishment of the day.
Students who were interested, regardless of whether or not they left class, were invited to gather in the UC court yard to read Blogs written by soldiers and citizens, share personal accounts, and learn information about the war in iraq, who it effects, and war in general. Consequently, students marched into Town where they were well recieved for the most part by Madison residents and other observers.
At the action yesterday, I learned that:
-It costs the US government 8.2 Billion Dollars a year to keep troops in Iraq.
-400+ Billion Dollars have been spent on the War in Iraq
-This sum of money could have currently guarenteed health insurrance to everyone in America
-Wounded soldiers are taken to hospitals for further treatment at night in Taxis to avoid photographs and questions from reporters on the war.
-Resources for rehabititating Soldiers are gravely inadequate
I am wonderfully proud of the action that took place and all of its participants. Thank You to anyone who participated. This is your country and your world. You can make a difference!
we cant just pull out of iraq. there's still insurgents about and if we just pack up and leave some other terrorists will just take over and there'll be the same sadam problem all over again. so i guess thats what youre skipping class for. bet you learned something. bet you're proud.
Robin - You think I had you in mind as I wrote this article?
Emily - I never said anything about money, and it has nothing to do with my reasoning.
Binch - That's all good stuff. But I don't think walking out of class to do it added anything.
-Enoch
Enoch, you said
"Further, I think that promoting absence
from class is an ill-conceived strategy. Whoever comes up with things
like this and participates in them should realize that we’re in college
to learn things. Holding protests and demonstrations should be lower on
a student’s priority list than academics."
This is where I was disagreeing with you. There is no reason, other than economic, for supporting the idea that holding protests and demonstrations should always be lower on a student's priority list than academics. That's YOUR opinion and YOUR judgment. If you think that my priorities are screwed up, then sorry, but I'm an adult and I can make those decisions for myself. Maybe it'd be a problem if I was out rioting in the streets everyday and ended up failing out. After all, having a degree is useful, and my parents would be pretty angry if I wasted 3 years of their tuition money. But I'm not, and sometimes I need to prioritize other life things ahead of school.
Also, my first comment was mostly in response to the idea that "we're in college to learn things." Of course we are! But why does learning have to be limited to the classroom? Sure, that's what I'm paying for, strictly speaking, but a great deal of what I've learned here hasn't been academic. There's just as much value in a protest for ME as there is in sitting in my Intro to Women's Studies class. Sorry if you can't comprehend that.
Finally, to anonymous, I am not even going to touch the "we can't pull out of Iraq" comment. Do I disagree? Yes. Do I have reasons why? Yes. Do I care to share them with you? No. I have no false hopes of enlightening you.
-emily
Im not sure where all this talk about it being an economic decision is coming from, ones college degree is worth more than the simple price paid for tuition.
Anyway, what i don't get is why this has even been called a protest. Unless the professors whose classes everyone was cutting are really part of the war machine, than im not sure I see the point.
I really don't support the war at all and would love for us to be out of Iraq but wouldn't the protest have made more sense if it was in washington or something. Or near a congressmans office? Who are you protesting against here at drew?
Last anonymous--
It was not a protest against Drew. It was a protest against the war.
It was a walk-out of Drew classes, to represent the lost civilian lives and-- well, just read "Richard said" on Robin's post on the main page of this blog.
I'm not protesting my classes. I happened to not have class at the time of the walk-out, so I attended to educate my ignorant ass about what's going on in the Middle East.
"There is no reason, other than economic, for supporting the idea that holding protests and demonstrations should always be lower on a student's priority list than academics." -Emily
I feel pretty bad for you if you think the only reason one should attend class is for a bigger monetary payoff in the future.
Also, I know that many of us would like very much to hear the reasons you have for disagreeing with my anonymous friend up there.
I was not arguing that the only reason I go to class is because of economic factors. In fact, this absolutely NOT why I go to class. If I didn't think class were intellectually beneficial, I wouldn't waste my time and I wouldn't have gone to college. What I was saying was that the protest was just as much of an enriching and valuable experience as being in class. I certainly value learning in all its forms and my point was that going to class is not the only way to learn here. Class shouldn't always trump other priorities.
And if you wanted to see a political debate, then you should've checked out the event page of the walkout on facebook. I'm not interested in engaging in a futile argument at this point. Arguing for the sake of arguing isn't benefitting me and isn't going to convert Mr./Ms. Anonymous.
-emily
I would just like to comment on this, "Not only will the troops
never benefit from it or know about it, it’s unlikely that they’d care
even if they did know." I am the HA of Asia Tree House and it just so happens that ATH 'adopted' a group of soldiers in Iraq and talk to them on a frequent basis; not only did we tell them about the protest in a letter (they haven't responded to that letter yet) but in the past they have made it clear that Iraq is hell and they can't wait to come home (in some different words). I think they would be interested to know students care and people are thinking about the war and them and that a protest occurred.
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