So I’ve been trying to wrap my head around why people would willingly support a terrorist organization and the annihilation of the Jewish race. We’re speaking once more of Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organization.
To be clear, a terrorist organization is one that is “directly or indirectly engaged in preparing, planning, assisting or fostering the doing of a terrorist act.” Terrorism, according to Britannica, is “the calculated use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective.”
It doesn’t take anywhere near a rocket scientist to see the hatred, maliciousness and evil in such an aim. And yet, on the college campus, supposedly an established place of higher learning, with all due respect, the number of persons who can’t see that is astounding.
NBC referenced a poll taken last week, finding then that 86% of college students are aware of the Oct. 7th attack on Israel. Of that number, only 67% see the behavior as an act of terrorism by Hamas. That means that 33% describe it as something else — many who go so far as to actually call the horrific attack justified.
Note far more than the numbers; look at the actual protests. Colleges are clashing over the current conflict…
… students… and professors…
As Politico and The Washington Post report… a Cornell University professor called the Hamas attacks “exhilarating” and “energizing.” A Yale professor dubbed Israel a “murderous, genocidal settler state.” A Stanford University instructor reportedly asked Jewish and Israeli students to stand in the corner of a classroom.
This, my friends, is from higher ed.
Such thus begs the seriously sincere question: what are we teaching our future leaders?
There are far more than the above stunning stories coming from numerous campuses since this conflict began — and as evidenced, many come from those that consider themselves “Ivy League.” It makes a person wonder what “Ivy” in the “League” actually equates to.
So in seeking to understand and not in any way chastise, let us pose a more pointed question for this day, trying to wrap our brains upon how the seemingly highly educated could be so accepting of obvious hatred…
In the last few years, college campuses have been uniquely marked by a so-called “wokeism.” It’s a hot-button, sometimes controversial concept — and let’s be honest; it’s been a challenge for most of America to figure out — what it is and what it is not. Politics too often gets in the way.
The definition of wokeism changes slightly pending who you ask and what their primary political bent is. A respectful, working interpretation, no less, would explain wokeism as an emphasized attention on identity-based social issues where there exists perceived ongoing injustice, inequality and/or oppression. We then ask today: is there a correlation between wokeism and support for the hatred of Hamas?
Wokeism assesses the power struggle between an identified oppressor and a victim. With its identity-based focus, gender, ethnicity, religion, wealth, etc. serve as perceived identity hierarchal markers, markers which are believed to have previously paved or currently provide the way for said power of the oppressor.
So knowing wokeism has recently swelled, is the stunning acceptance of hatred based on an assessment of the perceived victim and oppressor?
… is it their view that Hamas is a victim?
… and Israel is an oppressor?
And if in reality this is a situation where Hamas really is a victim, then is the logic that it doesn’t matter what they do or what tactics they employ? It doesn’t matter what they did on October 7th?
Murders, mutilation… hostages… killing babies, children, the elderly…
It makes me wonder, therefore, if wokeism is a deceiving, dangerous way in which to view the world…
It makes me wonder if it’s yet one more way to make us unknowingly blind to hate.
Respectfully…
AR