These protests engage Heather -- good, as they engage other things vital to us all.
Universities differed long ago, as when I entered the University of Michigan in 1965. Harlan Hatcher was its president back then.
As both a zoologist and novelist, he typified American higher education. All during its rise, from the Justin Morrill land grant legislation in 1862 to the Powell memo in 1971, all university presidents were writers, scholars.
The Powell memo changed all that. Money and the billionaire classes took over. So university presidents have long been bereft of any humanities.
And now the protests – American university youth protest U.S. taxpayers having to pay for the mass murder, destruction, and starvation in Gaza, and for arming Israel so far-right settlers further occupy West Bank land and murder Palestinians there.
As American novels, histories, memoirs, and other humanities no longer center any university, the dehumanized presidents have no imagination other than that of the billionaire classes they serve. Helplessly they but have militarily-armed police beat their students and arrest them.
I was at the University of Michigan from 1968-72. The protests there made me evolve from a sheltered suburban girl to someone much more aware and politically active. My parents were old school (aka not crazy) Republicans but from 1968 on I have been a Democrat. Some of the demonstrations were incredibly moving -- such as when dozens and dozens and dozens of white crosses were planted in the grass around the Diag (a diagonal path that ran through campus - one for each Michigan soldier killed in Vietnam. I've never forgotten it.
Back at MSU in 1971 after my USMC stint, I was one of the lucky ones who actually took advantage of the GI Bill. Kent State was still a raw wound: I had watched on AFVN from Phu Bai as National Guard troops violated every rule in the DoD manual I had used to teach riot control to my Marine company in my previous duty post. Murder by stupidity, but murder nonetheless. Now I hear some Republicans calling for the Guard to be brought in for these protests: a bigger mistake I can't imagine.
I was at Michigan State University from '69 through 73" and participated in the demonstrations opposing the war in Vietnam. My parents were old world pacifists and socialists who supported my stance. It was painful to watch the tv images of what we were doing in a country where we had no business being and demonstrating against it seemed to be the only honorable thing to do. I also went to DC and joined the marches there. I like to think we played some part in shortening the war. And then, of course, there was Kent State.
My time at UNC Chapel Hill in the 60’s was similar. My whole family was aghast that my parents would allow me to attend such a radical institution when women should attend the Women’s College in Greensboro or, shudder, UNC State.
Placing it in time, Bob Dylan sang "Only a Pawn in Their Game at the march on Washington in 1963 -- I just went to the lyrics and then to a video watching it. I saw a profound mix of facial expressions, explained by civil rights activist Bernice Johnson who noted “Pawn” as the first song that showed “the poor white was as victimized by discrimination as the poor black". Manipulations are playing out within social/political structures everywhere — and are counterbalanced by tendencies to flock in more homogeneous assemblies while it’s nearly impossible to escape being a pawn in someone’s game. Bob Dylan’s lyrics to "Only A Pawn In Their Game" amaze me again today in the light of these times.
Yes, Joan, the music (such as you mention) was vital then for waking up many.
And in proportion to its vitality, Louis Powell and his corporate cohorts got determined to extirpate as many humanities as they could from all college life.
And, wow, did they succeed. Except many youth today somehow on their own have come rather to dislike the ease by which our billionaires and corporate classes just launch and condone unjust war. (Their allies include Putin and his oligarchs, and their Ukraine barbarism, on similar barbarism scale as Netanyahu and his far-right settlers continually seizing more of the West Bank.)
I was at U of M from 1979-1983 and lived in Ann Arbor from 1988-1990; my husband was there from 1977-1990 (including his post-doc). Things were very different then from what you all experienced. There *were* a few demonstrations, most of which concerned divesting from apartheid South Africa. But not many, and not one single day of my time at university was disrupted by anything except the Hash Bash. The most was people with clipboards asking for signatures on petitions as you entered the UGLI.
These protests engage Heather -- good, as they engage other things vital to us all.
Universities differed long ago, as when I entered the University of Michigan in 1965. Harlan Hatcher was its president back then.
As both a zoologist and novelist, he typified American higher education. All during its rise, from the Justin Morrill land grant legislation in 1862 to the Powell memo in 1971, all university presidents were writers, scholars.
The Powell memo changed all that. Money and the billionaire classes took over. So university presidents have long been bereft of any humanities.
And now the protests – American university youth protest U.S. taxpayers having to pay for the mass murder, destruction, and starvation in Gaza, and for arming Israel so far-right settlers further occupy West Bank land and murder Palestinians there.
As American novels, histories, memoirs, and other humanities no longer center any university, the dehumanized presidents have no imagination other than that of the billionaire classes they serve. Helplessly they but have militarily-armed police beat their students and arrest them.
I was at the University of Michigan from 1968-72. The protests there made me evolve from a sheltered suburban girl to someone much more aware and politically active. My parents were old school (aka not crazy) Republicans but from 1968 on I have been a Democrat. Some of the demonstrations were incredibly moving -- such as when dozens and dozens and dozens of white crosses were planted in the grass around the Diag (a diagonal path that ran through campus - one for each Michigan soldier killed in Vietnam. I've never forgotten it.
Back at MSU in 1971 after my USMC stint, I was one of the lucky ones who actually took advantage of the GI Bill. Kent State was still a raw wound: I had watched on AFVN from Phu Bai as National Guard troops violated every rule in the DoD manual I had used to teach riot control to my Marine company in my previous duty post. Murder by stupidity, but murder nonetheless. Now I hear some Republicans calling for the Guard to be brought in for these protests: a bigger mistake I can't imagine.
Thank you- agree
I was at Michigan State University from '69 through 73" and participated in the demonstrations opposing the war in Vietnam. My parents were old world pacifists and socialists who supported my stance. It was painful to watch the tv images of what we were doing in a country where we had no business being and demonstrating against it seemed to be the only honorable thing to do. I also went to DC and joined the marches there. I like to think we played some part in shortening the war. And then, of course, there was Kent State.
And please don’t forget Jackson state.
My time at UNC Chapel Hill in the 60’s was similar. My whole family was aghast that my parents would allow me to attend such a radical institution when women should attend the Women’s College in Greensboro or, shudder, UNC State.
We overlapped, Laurie, for your freshman, my senior year.
I was writing lit and film reviews for The Michigan Daily then. You probably saw some.
Laurie McFadden! 50 + years ago did we live in the same house on Tappen St🤭? SAH Vashon is me, Stephanie Harlan. Hi!
Placing it in time, Bob Dylan sang "Only a Pawn in Their Game at the march on Washington in 1963 -- I just went to the lyrics and then to a video watching it. I saw a profound mix of facial expressions, explained by civil rights activist Bernice Johnson who noted “Pawn” as the first song that showed “the poor white was as victimized by discrimination as the poor black". Manipulations are playing out within social/political structures everywhere — and are counterbalanced by tendencies to flock in more homogeneous assemblies while it’s nearly impossible to escape being a pawn in someone’s game. Bob Dylan’s lyrics to "Only A Pawn In Their Game" amaze me again today in the light of these times.
Yes, Joan, the music (such as you mention) was vital then for waking up many.
And in proportion to its vitality, Louis Powell and his corporate cohorts got determined to extirpate as many humanities as they could from all college life.
And, wow, did they succeed. Except many youth today somehow on their own have come rather to dislike the ease by which our billionaires and corporate classes just launch and condone unjust war. (Their allies include Putin and his oligarchs, and their Ukraine barbarism, on similar barbarism scale as Netanyahu and his far-right settlers continually seizing more of the West Bank.)
Joan, I'd never heard that. Those lyrics are as true now as they were 60 years ago. Chilling.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=8X0UmfBwA_U
Thank you Phil.
I was at U of M from 1979-1983 and lived in Ann Arbor from 1988-1990; my husband was there from 1977-1990 (including his post-doc). Things were very different then from what you all experienced. There *were* a few demonstrations, most of which concerned divesting from apartheid South Africa. But not many, and not one single day of my time at university was disrupted by anything except the Hash Bash. The most was people with clipboards asking for signatures on petitions as you entered the UGLI.
ps
I miss Ann Arbor. I loved it there.