Colleges’ “Group Purity” Crisis. A decades-old sociological concept explains much about this spring’s campus upheavals.

James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | May 31, 2024 | Chris Swanson

[karpov]

Higher-education administrators remain in a tight spot regarding the recent spate of antisemitism on campuses. They have allowed, and in some cases encouraged, a system that has an untenable moral tension where the treatment of Jews is concerned. The war in Palestine has brought this tension to light.

Students and faculty on elite campuses tend to see the world in terms of opposing groups: us and them, black and white, good and evil, and, most importantly, oppressor and oppressed. The oppressed can be identified among the poor, black, female, homosexual, etc. The oppressors fall into the opposite groups: the rich, white, male, and heterosexual. Oppressors are powerful, while the oppressed are weak and need to gain power.

Given the dichotomy between oppressor and oppressed, one might traditionally classify the Jews as the latter, since, historically, they have been persecuted and continue to face significant persecution all over the world. On the other hand, since the Jews of Israel are considered white by campus radicals, as well as wealthy, generally heterosexual, and more powerful than the Palestinians, the Jews are classified as oppressors. This conflict has been playing out across the university landscape as an ethical tension that has no clear resolution. One ethical precept maintains that violence is bad; another maintains that Jews are oppressors and therefore evil. The problem for administrators arises when students call for violence against Jews.

[Gay State Conservative]

later

[bobbo666]

BullS***! This has nothing to do with Israel. That is just the latest and most trendy issue.

This is the natural result, as natural as water running downhill, of refusing to defend free speech and letting children’s temper tantrums rule. This is a basic failure or reason and leadership. Tying it to Israel is just a deflection so the ones in charge today can dodge the blame.

[Texan4Life]

The PBS Frontline documentary, “Crisis on Campus,” examines how university leaders, some of whom have faced congressional hearings, navigated the challenges of responding to heated rhetoric and division on their campuses and balancing free speech with the need to prevent harassment and discrimination.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HESNxDn6Efs