Robert Reich on Columbia U

[Nanjeanne]

The most important thing I teach my students
And why Columbia’s faculty should issue a vote of no confidence in its president, Nemat Shafik

Apparently, Columbia University’s president, Nemat Shafik, does not share my view. Last week she prostrated herself before House Republicans, promising that she would discipline professors and students for protesting the ongoing slaughter in Gaza in which some 34,000 people have died, most of them women and children.

The following day she summoned the New York City Police Department to arrest more than 100 students who were engaging in a peaceful protest against it.

Can we be clear about a few things? Protesting this slaughter is not expressing antisemitism. It is not engaging in hate speech. It is not endangering Jewish students. It is doing what should be done on a college campus — taking a stand against a perceived wrong, at least provoking discussion and debate.

Read whole article here: [link:https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-most-important-thing-i-teach|]

[Doc Sportello]

1. K&R

Deserves repeating and hopefully some will listen: "Protesting this slaughter is not expressing antisemitism. It is not engaging in hate speech. It is not endangering Jewish students."

Reich is another Jewish voice bringing honesty, compassion and values to the discussion.

[Nanjeanne]

2. They won't listen.

Seems to me that protesting slaughter is not expressing antisemitism.

Seems like weaponizing Jewish identity to justify genocide is the hate.

But then I'm going to be accused of being a self-hating Jew or something like Naomi Klein was. But hey I'm in great company with her, RR, Raz Siegal, Gideon Levy, Marion Ingram, Daniel Levy, Amira Hass and so many others.

[Doc Sportello]

3. Yes, you are in good company

I think I have learned my lesson that replying to people who are zealots with an agenda that benefits one group while denying the humanity of others is pointless. I have stayed out of this for the most part and may reply from time to time, but not often because it is as pointless as arguing with a fundie Christian. But I appreciate you and others who stand up to them against their own barrage of hate.

[Nanjeanne]

4. Well I don't engage with many as it is completely hopeless. And some just repeat the same rhetoric that doesn't

incite dialogue. Others are just plain nasty and insulting to posts. But I happen to have had an interest in Israel/Gaza/peace way before Oct 7th and I do have a lot of history books, first person narratives and magazine articles on my shelves. This was personal to me in many ways. It's my way of honoring my two uncles who fought in the French resistence - one who was killed and the other maimed but lived to a good old age. And to the family I have in Israel who continued to work alongside Palastinian peace activists for a way forward for Israel to have real security. But then there are some who neither believe "my story" or have heard about my family ad nauseum and could care less about (so much for loving Israel and Israelis)!

Otherwise - I look to the great Mark Twain: “Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

[Ping Tung]

6. If he's against the war in Gaza he mus not be a REAL Jew....or something.

Anti-Semite? Quaker? Humanitarian? Peacenik? Progressive?

[Nanjeanne]

9. Bernie supporter?

[Think. Again.]

5. Just in case anyone missed this....

"Can we be clear about a few things? Protesting this slaughter is not expressing antisemitism. It is not engaging in hate speech. It is not endangering Jewish students. It is doing what should be done on a college campus — taking a stand against a perceived wrong, at least provoking discussion and debate."
-Robert Reich

[Orrex]

7. Perhaps those who've called me a pro-Hamas antisemite will call Reich the same

[Nanjeanne]

8. Don't bet on it.

[NonPC]

10. The President Will Be Gone Soon

Her clownish behavior is not what will sink her, it will be the billionaires who start withholding donations. The Board will not stand for big dollar donations drying up. Mark my words.