Occupation ended.
Feb 21st, 2009 by Take Back NYU!
At around 2pm today, members of Take Back NYU! left the Kimmel Center for University Life, ending a 40 hour+ occupation. Their action made national and international news, and showcased the real power of the new student movement sweeping the globe.
No doubt NYU will begin attempting disciplinary action, but no suspensions, expulsions or arrests can contain what began in the last two days. This fight will carry on in the hands of the dozens of people who made it inside, and the hundreds more who came out to support the occupation. NYU showed its irrational need to defend secrecy and its exclusive hold on power, and that alone will drive this movement forward.
For everyone showing support: the real lesson here is that you can act and you can make a difference. Take the lessons from the occupation on to your own struggle, and begin to act yourself. Onward.
Some occupation. Viva la revolucion!
Suckers.
Pathetic, sniveling, worthless, mewling, puking brats.
Hhahahhaha you guy suck, hope you all get expelled. Your mom and dad will have to support you forever.
ISRAEL RIGHTS!!!!
It’s disgusting what the school has done.
Onward, indeed. TBNYU has started something that won’t end with just this. Absolutely not.
What you did was despicable. You took over a STUDENT CENTER to fight administration. So all you did was inconvenience a lot of other STUDENTS. You also hurt guards and police who had nothing to do with your complaints. Out of all the crises in the world, this is what you choose as the reason to waste your times? Give me a break.
bunch of spoiled brats.
I offer my congratulations to TBNYU! What you’ve accomplished is admirable.
IF YOU DONT LIKE THE RULES, THEN WHY DID YOU AGREE TO ATTEND? DUMB ASSES.
I hope all of the students who staged this ridiculous “occupation” do, in fact, get expelled. You made us all look like a bunch of spoiled children, with no coherent set of demands. Your demands were, instead, a list of ridiculous items which only seemed to ask for lower prices and higher expectations. A university is a business, like it or not. In fact, if you don’t like it, maybe you shouldn’t be attending this school in the first place. There are plenty of state schools that cost much less money. I will certainly be paying off this debt for many years to come, but I had enough simple foresight to recognize that fact when I began coming here. And I’ll be damned if my money will go toward paying for Palestinian students to come here. Not only does this cause unrest for the many students here who are in support of the Israeli side to the crisis in the Middle East, but it sends a political message that, frankly, an institution as large and diverse as NYU cannot afford to send.
You all have honestly done little more than make a mockery of the NYU student body. Never before have I been so ashamed to call myself an NYU student.
Good, glad this BS is over. And I hope the University gives none of you amnesty. I’m embarrassed that these are the “activists” at NYU. You’re a bunch of childish morons who wasted mommy & daddy’s money and the rest of our time.
What changed?
Operation Fail: Mission Unaccomplished.
Aakash: Of course it won’t end with this. I expect to see criminal charges and expulsions. Can’t wait for more tears!
What a bunch of losers. Get a life! You don’t like it? Go to a different school. Hope you all get expelled and serve me my #1 from mcdonald’s. Bunch of silly liberal hippies.
Try to claim success in such a utter failure HAAHHA… morons
Look at your list of demands. WHAT DID YOU THINK WOULD HAPPEN?
Hey people…
Keep up the momentum!
Having been involved in the old Transcendental Students (”TS”) anarchist movement at NYU, late 60’s and early 70’s, it’s good to see that someone is carrying on the legacy.
Check out the films we produced back then: I AM CURIOUS HAROLD; INCITING TO RIOT and RED SQUAD.
Also, in case you didn’t notice, all the news coverage you are all so proud of has basically been making fun of the spoiled idiots that are being unfortunately shown as the faces of NYU.
It’s embarrassing to graduate from a school where its current-day students start a protest about “NYU is too expensive! Oh and also it should pay for Palestinian schools.”
Hundreds of thousands have already seen idealistic NYU students stand up, loud and clear, to divest from the Israeli military, and to protect Gaza and its students.
That makes all of us stronger as we demand our own rights, and the rights of humanity.
Can’t wait to see students make the same demands at CUNY, and everywhere else.
I don’t know how anyone can spin this as a success or even “brave” considering your first “demand” was for amnesty for your own candy assed selves! Are you serious?
You guys wouldn’t last a day in a truly repressive regime if you’re shocked that the people you were protesting against wouldn’t deliver food to you during your protest. You’re a bunch of pampered, entitled babies playing games.
FAIL.
You were suspended.
None of your demands were met.
I enjoyed a quesadilla for lunch.
I plan on doing homework in bobst without the general public there.
This was the goofiest protest.
I don’t participate in these things, and even I know that this was bad. Focus on one issue, not bobst, budget, gaza, amnesty, blah blah blah.
I am glad you failed.
I saw list of demands. It wasn’t for good of the all NYU. It was for specific group of students. How selfish. I agree with Laughing NYU grad. Deserve what’s coming to you. If you think it’s so expensive why come to the school at all? Move, go to different school! Geez, stupid!
You guys did the most ridiculously lameass protest I have ever seen. Bunch of ba ba sheep and cows!
Get a real agenda, a group, signatures, talk to the dean, the Provost, whatever - I am embarrassed for you!
Getting sick just thinking about all the self-lauding “documentaries” that are going to come out of this.
There is a lot of solidarity from the students of the University of Washington.
Thanks for inspiring us.
and one more thing…
if you cared so much about this, shouldnt yo be willing to go without amnesty?
Bathroom system? please, NYU just wanted to give you that so you guys could feel like you were hardcore protestors.
And VEGAN cupcakes, let alone any food at all. This was like a bunch of fifth graders who wanted to camp out alone, but had to have their mom watch over them.
good entertainment, terrible protest.
Congratulations on nothing! Way to get all… rather none of your demands met.
Those of you who don’t see the victory in this need to open your eyes.
I will repeat here:
The sudden sadism that’s coming from NYU students and alum with respect to these students and their punishments is bizarre. Even if one grants that the protesters were misguided, the anger directed at these students seems excessive, especially since I don’t see the student body up in arms about any other apparent wastes of their tuition/time/services, like John Sexton’s weekly, first-class flights to and from Abu Dhabi.
“Logic”: I will repeat here… those flights don’t interfere with student movement on campus.
As for sadism: if you choose to break the law, it is in your best interest to be aware of the consequences. Don’t cry if the “oppressors” take you up on your challenge of becoming a martyr for “the cause.” It’s like wearing excessive bling if you are a weakling- misguided and laughable.
If you think NYU is anything resembling the real world, you deserve whatever repression you get. You think this is all a game, apparently.
Apparently these students believe they should not actually have to face consequences for an unsuccessful occupation of a building. (Did you get ANY of your “demands” met??? Not a single one! Not a SINGLE ONE! Therefore, your grand and glorious protest failed utterly.)
This is ridiculous because 40 years ago, students knew how to effectively protest. Instead, these noobs set back their own causes badly with this ill conceived grandstanding.
That’s not viciousness… it’s simply the truth.
VICTORY!
Our campus has been liberated from these morons.
THANK YOU, NYU!!!!
Please read this. I am a current student here and am trying to look at this objectively as much as possible.
You’re going about all of this the wrong way.
1) Your demands are too unfocused. One major issue at a time.
2) Your demands are also random and biased, and doesn’t hit close to home enough. Scholarships for Palestinians? Excess goods to Gaza? How about NYC Public schools? NYC urban youth? Current NYU STUDENTS???
3) Your demands make you appear weak. Amnesty as #1? Get serious. No one ever made real change without real sacrifice.
3) You need to be consistent. You can’t adjust your principles just because you’ve decided they no longer apply. If they were going to be hard to abide by from the beginning, then you shouldn’t have included them in the first place.
4) You’re being obstacles for the very people you’re trying to help: NYU Students.
5) You’re going about this the wrong way. Use the media and student body to your advantage. Everyone knows NYU needs to be more accountable, but you’re just giving them another reason to say, “See, this is why we’re a private school, so we can govern ourselves…”
6) Vote with your money. Transfer out of NYU, and you could even negotiate something with another university to maybe get some “special treatment.”
7) Grow the hell up. You’re acting like a bunch of rich, spoiled, pseudo-social activists. Tell me I’m wrong.
My god, you are not vigilantes! You are bored, spoiled, rich-kid college students. Your parents pay your tuition. If you have such a problem with 50k/year, there are plenty of public institutions (including 60+ SUNY campuses) you could attend rather than a school masquarading as ivy-league.
Sadism? These students caused a disruption to the daily lives of those around them, in support of a list of demands that is ludicrous at best. They are a bunch of attention-seekers hiding behind the guise of activism for Gaza. NYU’s stance regarding political policy cannot be controlled by such a small sect of the student body, especially regarding such a heated issue. They should be a neutral entity, as there is a diverse student body with many differing opinions.
Stop being ridiculous and childish. It’s over. Let it be done with. Finally.
You’re just like Hamas, fighting your fight (occupying, cowering in) a school building while preventing the general population from using the resource as intended.
The only impact you had was to yourselves and fellow schoolmates, and it was ONLY negative and NON productive.
We are a nation at war. That is something worth protesting, not Israel’s forced self defense measures against terrorists.
If you want to support the College in Gaza, pack your bags. You’re all done at NYU!!!
Solidarity!
What these students are doing is completely justified. Standing up for a democratic school and for GAZA is the right side of history. Justifying, excusing, or supporting the repression of activists taking a stand for justice put you down as opposing that which is just.
I’m sure that in the days of bus boycotts and lunch counter sit-ins activists fighting the good fight where ridiculed and derided and where told that no one would take them seriously unless they were civil. People who repeat the same tired dogma today forget that this struggle is just and that we have been civil for too long. The people must resist.
I agree whole heartly with Jan. Dang how did these students get into NYU?! Ug, they get whatever’s coming at them
Wait, I thought that brazen attempts to distort reality and ignore failures was a trait only reserved for those in the former Bush Administration? Far right, far left, same stupid nonsense.
Why can you not accept the fact the you failed? None of your demands were met, they barely even spoke to you! And the fact that no one has been punished doesn’t mean anything in the long run. You are all delusional if you honestly think you represent a “larger student movement.” You didn’t even have the full support of the NYU student body!
And please, before you post again, check your grammar - it’s embarassing.
Comrades,
It is with great respect I offer this humble critique. It would have been better to include a more broad-based list of demands that could have involved more from the surrounding college community. Though this is far from over it may be wise to start community outreach to the thousands of Public & private educational instiutions around the city. This was a great idea though poorly executed. This is not something that should have been selective in who helped you and how it was put together.
Tactics of both NYU and the NYPD could have been easily countered with proper pre-planning with general community support from the myriad of college (both public & private). a few suggestions:
1: pre-planning for the possible responses from the college and the NYPD
2: get other student bodies around the city & across the country to do the same @ the same time (make the NYPD have to use resources elsewhere for the same thing)
3. Multiple targets with the college (same as 2 on the college level)
4: Create a community service component so the the people will support your cause after the community sees you actually getting involved with the community.
5: Smoke bombs are non violent & when used effectively can divert the college to address those conditions in other buildings
I applaud your efforts but next time understand planning is everything and tose who support you can be used to help in interesting way to help deflect such a focus on a few..
1. Have you noticed that your blog posts are being dated one calendar day ahead? Today is Feb. 20, not Feb. 21 as indicated. Specifically, I’m composing this at about 3:10 p.m. on Feb. 20.
That would be important for the accuracy of all of your reports, I would think.
2. From the post above:
“NYU showed it’s irrational need . . . ”
A small matter, perhaps, but I suggest that you use the correct spelling and grammar, “its” — the word doesn’t contain an apostrophe when used as a possessive rather than as a contraction for “it is.” The error detracts from your message by causing readers to wonder why college students are making basic grammar errors.
Jan: Don’t forget, that these kids are the products of a generation where one is given awards just for showing up. It’s not their fault they are so weak.
Huge respect to all of you for this action. As an NYU alum, I am horrified and angered by the administration’s response. You can count on many of us in the broader NYU community to defend the students from any discipline. Thank you for inspiring us at campuses all over the country — in Madison, WI in my case — and beyond.
congrats all on an inspiring action. everyone i know here in philly is talking about you.
but hey, i can’t find info on what’s happening to ya’ll. do you need help? i mean, next to actions in solidarity with the people in gaza, getting some college kids out of jail seems trite, but i’d want you to get my back.
what’s going on now?
Serves you hipster morons right. Hopefully you are all expelled and charged.
Those who don’t understand the anger directed at the protesters merely need to look back at the posts on this site. The protesters do not come off well.
* When I was in college, ten years ago, I participated in direct actions. When I was part of a group that occupied our state Capitol, the last thing on our minds was begging for amnesty. I spent a night in jail, and had to go before a judge and accept a criminal sentence. I did so proudly, because I believed in my cause.
* The group started out with a statement of non-violence and against property destruction. That’s good. But then they changed their mind and decided property destruction is okay. Excuse me? You decide that you are allowed to damage things that cost real money to replace, and still have the nerve to make amnesty your first demand?
* The administration offered to negotiate if you left. You claim that all you want is a seat at the table, but when given one, you turned it down. Clearly, your real agenda is self-aggrandizement.
* While transparency is good, there isn’t a private university in the world that would ever agree to the demands being made. The people who set that absurd list of demands just showed that they were not at all serious about their cause - they might as well have been asking for free ponies for all. Had they spent an hour talking to university administrators about budgeting, they would have understood why this list was a complete fantasy.
* When not one of your demands is met, and you are humiliated and disgraced, you forfeit the right to claim victory. You accomplished nothing - actually, that’s not true. You’ve managed to delegitimize the next group that wants to act against real injustices, because people will just point to the NYU protesters as a reason not to take them seriously.
just plain stupid.
“John Sexton’s weekly, first-class flights to and from Abu Dhabi.”
abu dhabi is awesome!
As an NYU alum, I’m horrified that kids this stupid and naive are supposedly going to be our leaders of the future.
Anyone who is inspired by this debacle needs their head examined. I’ve seen nothing here but a bunch of whining about how the students are being treated for being dumbasses. Well, when you are into peace and justice, you cannot afford to be a dumbass. And to occupy a campus building, alienating half your classmates, and not achieving ANY of your demands is what dumbasses do.
Take Back NYU needs to dump anyone who thought up this harebrained scheme.
I’m also disgusted by the NYU honcho’s response. The students were doing them a favor, all these months, pushing their demands, trying to negotiate a better campus, and some help for our sister and brother students in Gaza.
They won’t be forgotten, not in Gaza, not in New York.
The movement is just beginning. It will take many forms– marches on student governments, marches on Boards of Trustees, demonstrations, you name it.
Gaza will be free. NYU’s finances will be bared to the public, and corporations aiding the Israeli military will be thrown out of the portfolio. And Bobst will no longer be a fortress against the public.
[...] NYU takeover turns into giveback In Social Justice, Students on 20 February 2009 at 3:21 pm Yep, it’s over. [...]
“Take Back” NYU?? Excuse me, but there is nothing to take back. NYU is/was hardly ever “yours” to begin with. It is a private institution, and you are LUCKY they even accepted you. If you hate it so much, leave, go somewhere else, or start your own school.
Childish, self-absorbed brats.
Huge respect to the administration for this action. As an NYU alum, I am horrified and angered by the students’ behavior. You can count on many of us in the broader NYU community to defend the school’s application of discipline. Thank you for inspiring us at campuses all over the country — NeoGAF in my case — and beyond.
I commend your efforts. Great job! Standing up for what you believe in should never be considered “just plain stupid” or a ‘waste of time”. This was a huge step for students and activists everywhere. Thank you!
SOLIDARITY.
I think what Take Back NYU attempted to do was just. But i think it was implemented very badly. No successful protest doesnt have a clear and reasonable object. I know that they were trying to please alot of groups, but if you just stick to disclosing the budget there may be more success in the future. It is a reasonable request that needs to be presented reasonably with people in charge to make sure everything goes smoothly. This could have been handled better and hopefully more well-run protests will happen in the future that are JUST about the budget. Oh, and the Gaza stuff is a really good way to alienate alot of the Jewish population of NYU and that was accomplished very well from things ive heard going around.
Your suggestion that TBNYU students leave NYU sounds a lot like the “if you don’t like America, get out” argument. Why can’t students attend an institution and still work to make it better? Dissent is a form of active citizenry, it’s an example of responsibility.
John Sexton himself wrote that our tuition accounts for some 60 percent of the universities’ total income. We have rights to know where our money is going, and despite all of the criticism TBNYU has gotten, I haven’t heard any arguments against their actual contentions.
I second NYU student above and I’m glad this b.s. is done.
YES THANK GOD THIS STUPIDITY IS OVER!!!
listen this was a major failure, none of your demands were met or will be met, you guys started adding this rediculuous demands that the majority of people here dont support
you guys lost focused of the real point of this group, wasnt it all for transparency of the universitys budget? then why did bobst and gaza get thrown into the mix?
this was absolutely rediculuous, i hope you all get expelled for wasting nyu’s money, i bet thousands of dollars were lost in this process by nyu, you guys should be ashamed, your failure will set you back further more because you lost the little respect you had from students or nyu administration,
no one will take you guys seriously anymore, oh wait, thats right, going topless will solve all our problems.
The students should take back NYU from these idiots.
Anyone seriously think the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is going to be solved by “marching on” student governments and boards of trustees or taking over student centers? Does anyone in this group have an IQ higher than a rock?
Expel them all, they clearly don’t have the intelligence to be at NYU anyway. Talk about grossly misusing the opportunity to attend a very good school, an opportunity very few people have.
I’m also not surprised to see this group doesn’t talk about the destruction of school property or the injury to a campus safety officer.
“radicals” my a$$.
I SAY THE NEXT STEP SHOULD BE A HUNGER STRIKE. MAYBE THEY CAN PHYSICALLY REMOVE PEOPLE IN AND OUT OF BUILDINGS, BUT THERE IS NOTHING ILLEGAL OR VIOLENT, AND NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT A HUNGER STRIKE! AS OTHER SCHOOLS HAVE SHOWN, HUNGER STRIKES CREATE MAD PUBLICITY - AND WE ALREADY HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE WAITING TO SEE WHAT COMES NEXT. NO UNIVERSITY WANTS TO BE KNOWN FOR LETTING ITS STUDENTS STARVE. SO WHY DON’T WE?
Maybe I am missing something…TBNYU has been claiming that their protests are democracy in action…Yet, their views seem to not be shared by the populace. Seems like they were attempting a coup based on tyranny.
I’m just glad NYU was taken back…from Take Back NYU! You guys are idiots. I’m not even going to say what I think because the opinion article below the editorial in the special edition of the WSN today states it all clearly, concisely, and in a way that should show you all why what you did was not effective or smart.
glad to see you morons are going to get expelled. serves you right. “take back westchester community college” anyone?
are u two-faced about information-sharing and transparency too just like John Sexton & the administration here?
I posted 2 comments on this blog supporting you guys’ protest and they were BOTH DELETED!
Wow it will be quite a student-movement if you screen even supporters who post on this blog
Why don’t you hippies read the negative responses on your low-level website and understand that you didn’t accomplish anything in the past 50 hours. All you did was GIVE back nyu and all you GOT was a kick in the a**!
The “NYU: love it or leave it” crowd seems to think it’s fine for university administrations to treat workers, students and teachers as poorly as they want, because people can “leave” if they don’t like it.
In the first place, this claim is totally one-sided, because it’s telling students and campus workers to simply pack up their lives / jobs, and take on large burdens in terms of time and money to find a new place to go to school / work, without ever questioning the validity of the university policies that they find unlivable. Why on earth would you question acts of resistance, but not the power structures that necessitate them?
In the second place, this claim is totally myopic, because it doesn’t acknowledge that the problems at NYU are pervasive throughout the entire higher education system. Universities all over the U.S. conduct research for the government and corporations to further unjust wars and globalization, all the while treating their campus workers and low-level faculty like trash. At some point, there’s nowhere else you can “leave” to, and you’ve got to pick a place to take a stand. The Take Back NYU folks did that, and it was an inspiration.
“Love it or leave it” is another way of saying “if you see something unjust happening, ignore or avoid it.” That’s the real cowardice.
This protest has brought shame to the NYU community and great inconveniences to those that depend on the Kimmel Center for sustenance and shelter. Those that called themselves “activists” and “protesters” acted like petty criminals and terrorists and should be prosecuted by NYU to the fullest extent of the law. The barbaric tactics used in this debacle are proof that the participates do not truly care about the causes they so righteously promulgated. Rather it shows that these individuals and this group, TakeBackNYU, are contentious and naive. They acted more like divas and derelicts rather than representatives of the larger NYU community.
In closing, to those that participated in these acts, if you still feel strongly about the causes you have besmirched by your actions, then you should regroup, rebrand (because the name of your organization will never be taken seriously again), and of course wise up. But better yet, you all should disband and let those that truly are passionate about these causes to build real bridges to an agreement, rather than burn them like you all have done.
Hey, just stopping by to let you idiots know today is February 20th.
Take Back NYU! and its occupation is an example for activists around the US and elsewhere. We stand with you in fighting for justice and against this kind of oppression.
This is such a failure. The biggest failure is that you honestly thought you had the support of the entire student body.
You clearly did not give enough consideration to your own futures or your disorganized list of demands.
The point to make Bobst open to the public is just absurd and cleary contradicts your desire for students to have priority when reserving rooms. If you were worried about not having enough room for your own events then why are you inviting more people in? Ridiculous.
What power of what international student movement? Taking over a student building to demand that your tuition be stabilized or lowered, and then half-assedly tacking on a “Gaza solidarity” rider to your protest to give it some legitimacy is kind of embarrassing, frankly.
(And why just Gaza? Why not Tibetans? Why not Iranian students? Why not solidarity with young people being slaughtered in Sudan? Why not solidarity with the homeless in your own city? Why not solidarity with disadvantaged kids in community colleges or state schools, for that matter? Just because you’re rich enough to attend NYU doesn’t mean you get to dictate who’s most worthy of justice.)
I see so much ignorance from those dissenting the TBNYU cause. They didn’t have the “full” support of the NYU populace, but what movement DOES have universal support?
They are certainly a part of a larger student movement, and the impact they made - regardless of the fact that no demands were met - is still alive.
You are all full of poop. It’s obvious the “protests” were nothing than a bunch of immature morons that wanted some attention.
Kilroy, put down the bong and get some coffee.
This is a private institution. We choose to attend, people choose to work there… go protest SUNY/CUNY!
Why are you fighting for Sharia Law??? Do you believe there is no value in freedom, women’s rights, gay rights, citizen rights?
Don’t let anyone tell you that you’ve failed. It doesn’t matter that your demands wern’t met, just by fighting you’ve won. You’ll inspire more people to stand together and fight, by standing together yourselves. You guys are amazing and an inspiration to everyone out there standing up for what is right. Resistance is beautiful. Love and Solidarity forever.
“For everyone showing support: the real lesson here is that you can act and you can make a difference.”
What difference have you made? Name one. Can you? Is that why you don’t say what you really accomplished, beyond some obscure notion that the “fight will continue”?
You just pissed off most of the NYU community because you shut down their student center. I’m sure it was “awesome” for the rest of the school (”awesome” being your response to shutting down Kimmel today). Forget the other clubs, musicians, actors, commuters and hungry people you disrupted. You probably argue that they will thank you once your efforts pay off, that you’re all martyrs for a greater cause they’re too cowardly to participate in. False. Your protest was a self-serving, pathetic effort that accomplished nothing but provide great entertainment for Gawker readers.
And what about the Kimmel workers and Public Safety officers you pissed off, too? Are they going to blame NYU for not paying them money for overtime or for work they missed out on? Think about that real hard. No, they’ll probably blame you.
You’ve accomplished nothing. You’ve inspired no one except the idiots who are as deluded as you are. This event has made news across the country: Congratulations. Truly, thank you for making NYU’s reputation in the world even worse. Now people will know this school for its suicides, ridiculous cost and embarassing protest by a pack of misguided “twerps” (a great term that’s floating around the blogs and comments).
In fact, I dare you to conduct a survey of a representative sample of NYU students (that’s fancy talk for “not your friends”). Ask them to say what you accomplished with this protest and ask them if they supported the protest or not. I’d put money down that the majority would say you did nothing and say that they don’t support the protest.
You deserve expulsion and no one will even feel bad for you.
In short: Protest fail.
Don’t be disturbed by those who criticise you;
You have made statements for knowledge, justice, and equality,
at the center of an empire which is founded on discipline, injustice, and inequity;
and so giants who enjoy their sleep will attempt to drown out your whispers with snores.
Blinded cyclops’ whose violent nightmares make them rip apart a reality they ignore;
Lifeless daleks, whose great unending sleep overpowers our dreams;
Lying gorgons, who muffle you as if putting out the last flame of a fire,
Do not feel voiceless in the shadows of your immediate surroundings.
The rest of the world hears you,
you, whose actions have situated yourselves on the side of humanity,
and agaist the funding of terror and hate.
Perhaps meager against the atrocities of the everlasting inhumane present we are entering,
your actions have situated yourselves on the side of education, democracy, dignity,
and they are a pin prick against the privatization and exploitation of every facet of humankind,
which have created both a whisper, and a ripple.
We who are listening know:
the whisper will become a chorus
and the ripple, a rebirth.
Great Job! Keep it up. This Spring should be interesting.
I was going to troll this, but I see that others are already doing a smashing job. Carry on.
To all of you who don’t understand the actions taken by TBNYU, and therefore put yourself in adamant opposition to this organization, the bliss of your ignorance has already begun to erode. I will do everything in my power to make sure you have trouble getting comfortable the next time you sit down to some TMZ celebrity news, or other mind-numbing nonsense. I hope the fact that you are being used begins to loom around the edges of your narrow conscious. But I know your narrow field of vision will not permanently change.
The only concern I have, however, is that as you play their game, you dilute our efforts.
Well put, Kilroy.
Kilroy: In these last few posts, I don’t recall seeing anyone saying anything approximating “love it or leave it.” No one is disputing the students’ right to to air their grievances with the school. What we object to is the silly and wasteful way the students went about it. I anticipate you will ignore this response as you did my previous one about the distinction between a noble goal and it’s detestable execution.
PS- When applying for schools, perhaps these students should have done a bit more research and then they could have given their parents’ money to some hippy-dippy freegan school that really gives a shit.
# 18 kilroy,
Look at what I posted above in #10. Because I am a proponent of the “Love it or leave it” group, according to you, I will agree to disagree with you and “leave” your classification alone.
BUT, read everything else I wrote in #10. What there is arguable? Of course, if you supported the “Occupation” then you also wouldn’t see the validity of my point (one I am willing to bet the overwhelming majority of the student body agrees with…and you are trying to help the student body, aren’t you?)
What are you going to say, “we’re only doing this for you…”? Get real. You’re only doing this for yourself. That’s the truth.
The idea that any publicity is good publicity is wrongheaded; when you turn your cause into a laughingstock, your protest has failed.
The single greatest mistake you made was to make your primary point of emphasis amnesty for yourselves. Even Thoreau did time for his beliefs…
[...] As of 2 PM eastern standard time. Of course, Take Back NYU! completely mischaracterizes what I’ve heard happened from more reputable sources. I.e., they didn’t leave [...]
mea culpa: post 20 does say something like “love it or leave it,” but I would wager that poster is not really against students voicing an unpopular opinion, merely the spectacle of slumming rich kids getting in the way of work.
There are indeed lessons to be learned from this.
1) Make sure the issue you are protesting will have public sympathy/support. Also, the brunt of the aggression should be on the part of those you are protesting against. Make them come to you. You guys did most of the leg work on this one, and the public’s main view was of bored security officers who really couldn’t care less about your issues.
2) Plan ahead. Be Prepared.
3) Choose your people carefully. Every person who snuck out in the night or folded and surrendered to the pressure undercut your position and made you look weak.
4) Don’t exaggerate, and don’t pin your shortcomings on your opponent. The fake talks/suspension trick just made you look like you got played, fair and square.
5) KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid. 13 demands is a bit much to keep anyone’s attention, let alone people who didn’t really support you to begin with.
6) It’s about the issue, not the participants. Don’t demand amnesty as your #1. Having the courage of your convictions and willingness to accept consequences will get you more respect in the long run (see #3)
All valuable lessons that can make your next protest much more valuable than this slapdash, immature, half-baked stunt. Every fluffball, inconsequential bit of faux-testing ultimately weakens you, as your organization will take a credibility hit.
Better luck next time, and sorry for the length
Mike R.
Good. I hope you all get expelled. You wasted the resources of the university with what was nothing more than a disorganized publicity stunt when you should have been working to change things through a reasoned approach. If you’re unwilling to run for office, organize a phone and letter writing campaign, or stage a peaceful protest that does NOT disrupt the activities of your fellow students then maybe you should spend your tuition dollars elsewhere. You would save your parents a LOT of money at CUNY.
I feel sympathy for any of you who wind up with any kind of permanent blemish on your future because of this. I imagine a lot of you are only 18 or 19. Some probably didn’t think this through properly. It probably seemed like a fun, innocent thing to do on some level. But this was an ill-considered, foolish, and at best muddled action.
First, your claims are so garbled no one can understand what you want. Some sound downright silly (a private university should fund a public library in the middle of a crowded metropolis?). Others just seem wholly unrelated to each other (tuition hikes and the Gaza crisis?).
Others still seem awfully presumptuous — did school cafeteria workers, bus drivers, TAs, etc. ASK you to speak for them? Are you showing solidarity with THEIR demands or just making up your own? Do you think they’re a bunch of children who can’t formulate their own demands and undertake their own political action as THEY see fit?
Not to mention that what your asking for in terms of financial transparency, tuition, etc. are not the kinds of things you can demand immediately by occupying a building. The kinds of changes you’re asking for would take months to plan, negotiate, structure etc. even if the University wanted to.
Even if half of what you seek is laudable, no one serious will take any of it seriously based on the way you present it. You have succeeded in appearing oppositional but failed to bring the university a single step closer to any kind of change.
Dear Spoiled Brat Rich Kids:
Fuck off and do something useful with your miserable, pathetic upper/upper middle class lives. Seriously, join the Peace Corps or something.
You accomplished nothing and made fools of yourselves.
Why can’t you be like all the other trust fund kids and graduate normally, live off mommy and daddy for a while so you can build schools and teach children in borderline 3rd world countries as you experience the world and get “culture”?
Since you all obviously voted for Obama you should be thinking about what hes said and give something back to America. I guarantee that Gaza doesn’t give a shit about your “cause”.
Only self-absorbed and self-righteous students could believe that they are anything more than customers for higher education services in a free market.
As a customer, why didn’t you check whether NYU offered all the things you now seek (collective bargaining for TA’s, “fair” labor contracts ect.) BEFORE you decided to enroll?
Now that you are enrolled, you are certainly entitled to request these things. The university is equally entitled to say “No”. You can then decide whether to stay, or transfer.
What you don’t get to do is occupy part of the school. Worse yet, you took that illegal action as a misguided form of “civil disobedience” then folded when they threatened suspension.
Lame!
Obviously it’s not that large of a student movement. The overwhelming majority of students, as far as I know, think that the TBNYU movement is just a bunch of dumbasses grandstanding for the sake of grandstanding. Congratulations on the media coverage. We are now being made fun of by the Post, the Times, and several other very widely read outlets. I’m not saying avoid it. But if there is going to be a protest, it should at least be cohesive to some degree. The list of demands is so widespread that it is laughable.
And I am a student worker. I have friends who are student workers. We work with and among faculty, students, teachers. Very few believe they are being mistreated. We get what we are paying for. We all know how much a private university costs. I transferred from a public university because I found it to be sorely lacking in educational merit. And I knew very well the cost of coming here. I will be paying it off for a while, but, to me, it’s worth it. And, no, it’s not that hard to transfer.
But please stop acting like this childish bitching and moaning is anything resembling a show of true activism or a display of young revolutionaries. It’s immaturity at its lowest. And I fully agree with the poster above who advocated checking your grammar before posting. Seriously. You sound like idiots.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES IN GAZA? HOW ABOUT SCHOOL SUPPLIES IN HARLEM OR BROOKLYN? THESE PATHETIC IDEOLOGUES NEED TO BE EXPELLED AND BARRED FROM NYU….NYU HAS OWES A LOT MORE TO ITS SURROUNDING COMMUNITY THAN IT DOES TO GAZA–YET THESE GUYS WERE ARGUING FOR A LAUNDRY LIST OF RIDICULOUS B.S…..IF YOUVE EVER SEEN THE SOUTH PARK WHERE THEY SHOW HOW FAMILY GUY WRITES ITS SKETCHES (WITH THE MANATEES), I THINK THATS HOW TBNYU COMES UP WITH ITS LIST OF DEMANDS…UTTERLY ATROCIOUS AND I HOPE EXPULSION OF ALL THOSE INVOLVED ARE PURSUED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT.
I want my Kimmel quesadillas, I pay for them. If you don’t want to pay for them, get the hell out of here.
I find it hilarious that it’s being assumed that those of us who oppose the “occupation” are being assumed to be mindless drones who blindly believe all NYU tells us. Did you ever stop to consider the fact that this entire operation seems little more than a publicity stunt, considering how poorly it was carried out? Most of NYU’s “activist” populations end up with silly children promoting or disavowing causes they know little about but decide to hold rallies about because it’s the “cool” thing to do. How’s that for mindless?
I applaud you, Mike - one of the only people with constructive criticism to offer!
Well said mike, & great spelling too…
Yet, the support in question could easily have been garnered by outreach to the thousands upon thousands of college students around who support them & who could have utilized by dynamic organizing on common issues….
Bye Bye idiots. Have fun being expelled. And thanks for wasting my tax dollars on NYPD overtime.
Your actions have inspired thousands across the country and across the world. Let’s learn the lessons of the brave students from the New School, Rochester and TBNYU. This is just the beginning.
1,2,3, 1000 occupations!
You all have been strong and righteous and, snarky critics to the contrary, you make many of us older folks proud!
I was at work today and trying to keep up with events via the internet and phone. I opened some of my office mail which included the following. I think it must have been meant for all of you who have been so courageous the last few days:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
- Nelson Mandela
Overall disappointing.
I’m sad that these students now face some very hard disciplinary measures. NYU’s behavior is not terribly noble or defensible, to put it generously. But it was expected, and within their power.
The fact that TBNYU did not prepare and organize properly against this was a weakness on their part. And it is disappointing that it came to such a fruitless ends, with such high costs for the students involved.
Like you, I hope the “fight” continues. But I hope it will proceed with more intelligence, finesse, and true power.
I am disappointed that this site doesn’t seem to show any recognition of where their weaknesses and failures lay, on the part of TBNYU. Of course NYU is the Big Bad Guy, if they weren’t you wouldn’t be doing this. Why didn’t you succeed? Where’s the sober reflection? Where are the lessons learned?
SOLIDARITY FROM THE ITALIAN ANOMALOUS WAVE !!!!!!
The students are an embarrassment and should have the courage of their convictions — leave NYU. You don’t own it and the student body rejects your view of “democracy”.
Let’s see how many of you cave by signing the little “agreement” proposed by NYU.
NYU should push forward with suspension / expulsion/ removal from University housing.
Boycott Israel,
Gaza is free. Where have you been. Israel withdraw its armed forces and reduced its settlements to rubble in 2005. (Its “disengagement plan” was completed on September 12, 2005.) From that day onward, the Arabs of Gaza (aka Palestinians) could have proceeded to build a better life for themselves, but this possibility was hijacked by Hamas. It is without a doubt that the Arabs of Gaza have suffered, and will continue to suffer under Hamas’ oppression. The solution is not to shell your militarily much stronger neighbor, but to focus your effort on building the institutions that are the hallmark of a humane and successful societies, such as governments and the rule of law, as well as market and commercial practices that provide for material needs, instead of relying on aid from the United Nations.
Alas, Hamas has not provided the leadership to undertaken any of these activities. While it is painful for many Arabs, and others, that Israel exists, dwelling in bitterness and recrimination will get the Arabs of Gaza nowhere. The years keep passing, and the opportunities to come to terms with Israel’s existence are not taken, all the while the suffering of the Arabs of Gaza, and the West Bank for that matter, goes on unnecessarily. If the Arabs would end their “struggle” to destroy Israel it is almost a certainty that that their lives would be much better.
P.S. Since I can probably guess what you’re think let me say this: No, I’m neither a Jew nor an Israeli, but I do wish you Shalom.
I agree with Aakash Abbi the accomplishments are immense.
A big tactical error that the admin made was letting law enforcement teargas people. When the cops started that riot, the numbers outside swelled and it radicalized so many other people not just downtown NYC but all over the world really.
The whole world IS watching, and I know it’s trite these days, but “Yes we can!”
I know it’s premature to ask this right now, but I ask it as often as I can. Is it a good time, to call a general strike?
http://flag.blackened.net/ati/canciones/generalstrike.mp3
You have all these resources at your fingertips and enthusiasm to change things and you barricade yourselves in a cafeteria? There is REAL oppression in the world and the private organization you applied for not opening their books for you isn’t it. Gaza will still be in turmoil when you get bored with them and move on to your next flavor of the week. Like Darfur. Like Somalia. Like the Balkans. Like Burma. Like Zimbabwe.
Finally opening up this issue to larger dialogue and bringing it forward is success, regardless of whether demands are met. Furthermore, even if you disagreed with the demands being fought for today, the actions of the NYU administration should make it painfully clear that, regardless of what you may support, you have no actually voice with how this administration is run. NYU will only go through with what the board of directors deems is appropriate, and as has been painfully demonstrated, do not seek nor will they listen to the will of the student body.
And for the imbeciles who find that the claim for amnesty demonstrates some form of cowardice, I recommend you do yourself a favor and drop out of NYU right now, as you clearly do not posses the slightest of intellectual capacity that I would hope any NYU student has. None of those who protested had amnesty when they occupied Kimmel, and yet they did it anyways. They knew full well that they may not be given any sort of amnesty, and yet had the courage to stand up for what they believe in.
Finally, it’s extremely easy to take shots at people who have the courage to stand when you spend your days crawling miserably on your belly. Before you can even begin to contemplate an attack on TBNYU!, you should ask yourself when the last time you stood up for something you believed in against an authority that grants you no power but that which you take “illegaly”.
[...] morning, a forty-eight hour “sit in” orchestrated by “Take Back NYU!” (around a fairly schizophrenic agenda) ended in [...]
frankly i don’t see how any of this was inspirational. the press tore the group to shreds and the general image presented to the public was that of a self-aggrandizing group of misguided faux political know-nothings. the fact that the “demands” made included full amnesty, requests for things the institution already provides or inane policies, as well as politically based charitable efforts that are in no way a private institution’s responsibility — all of which they failed miserably to achieve — did not help.
sure, private educational institutions have a lot of problems, especially NYU. but holding a large dance party and making a list of irrational demands isn’t a way to combat the ills of higher education. the Grad TA strike didn’t work, but at least they had a specific and common goal, one based on a right that was taken away from them, rather than something that was well established before they decided to attend the school. if you don’t like a private institution’s policies or practices, it’s simple enough (and cheaper) to just not attend in the first place.
i understand the passion that goes behind charitable efforts for politically controversial, troubled areas like Gaza, but lumping such ideals in with personal demands regarded a specific institution’s policies does nothing but trivialize the situation. if you want to help Gaza, form a charitable organization, do some fund raising, lend your support in ways that are active. don’t lump it in with a bunch of garble.
if this was inspirational in any way, i sincerely hope it inspires students to think logically and reasonably about the issues they wish to address. this “protest” was a goddamn mess, an insult to the greater NYU community, a waste of time and other people’s money.
Eric
NYU alum Class of ‘08
“Before you can even begin to contemplate an attack on TBNYU!, you should ask yourself when the last time you stood up for something you believed in against an authority that grants you no power but that which you take “illegaly”.”
Oh yes. Anyone who criticizes your masturbatory little group of Abbie Hoffman wannabees is EEEEVIL and just doesn’t understand…
More arrogance by kids who are legends in their own minds. There are plenty of activists out there who know how to stand up for things in an effective manner. You would do well to dump your self-congratulatory celebration of failure, sit down and learn something from people who quietly fight for these causes every day.
I applaud this attempt to bring these causes out into the open. Visibility of finances and student representation are important, and too many student don’t think about where their pennies are going. However, I will point out that your choice of tactics have done little more than cause more trouble for these causes in the future.
People are not THAT familiar with this group or cause. Going from an occasional Facebook presence and side note at University functions to the folks who are trying to barricade themselves in a dining hall was too hasty and not well planned. Starting with smaller level protests, rallies, fliering and the like would have been a more intelligent way to bring these things to the general population’s attention. Yes, it’s hard work and can be really disheartening when you’re facing a population that really doesn’t care because after all 70% or so are paying through their trust fund. But trying to pull off the barricades that happened at CUNY Queens back in the 70s when there is no unified front or idea, or even knowledge, is a recipe for disaster
Also, I will agree that having 13 different demands was too much. Weed and prune out things that are not immediately necessary. Accountability should be called for; asking for public access for Bobst library or for examination of the lifted Coke ban can probably wait.
Finally, yes, you need people who won’t back down, or at least an image that won’t back down. Trying to save yourself by making your first demand against any disciplinary action is selfish and weak. Consider what you guys are doing: you are immobilizing a major part of the campus, and where students dine to boot. Perhaps that could be wise tactically, as you guys thought they would roll over as they did at New School, and that the student body, indignant at the evil administration for not giving into your demands, would demand support. Unfortunately, all it does is piss people off when they can’t eat, or if they are locked into their practice rooms, unable to leave the building because *you* are trying to shut down the building, a you that is very unknown. There’s no way the campus would try to lift any punishment, especially since there is no widespread public support. So if you’re gonna dance, learn the moves, and the fact that sometimes, if you do extreme things, your going to have to sacrifice.
I believe you have the right to protest, and I support you all for your beliefs. However, you are not going to make much headway if you don’t change your tactics, or at least be able to tough out hunger, pepper spray and other things. I sacrifice my safety every time I go out protesting for my causes. I accept the fact that people are trying to identify me, are willing to follow me home, harass me at my place of work, and I may face severe legal harassment for my deeds that is unwarranted (and I’m not paranoid, these things really do happen to me and my comrades). If none of you are willing to accept even the minor difficulties that comes with protesting against a major private university, you have to question how much you truly believe in your cause.
Look, I’m all for thoughtful protest but the magnitude of this failure is embarrassing to those associated with NYU on many levels. The shortcomings of these proceedings really diminishes the goodwill and ethical intents of the students.
While many students and alumni could understand your push for more administrative transparency and student voice, to supplement that by jumping on the Gaza bandwagon, in itself already a politically, religiously, and ethnically polarizing topic was completely misguided and shortsighted.
As such, many of your tacked on pork demands were biased, controversial, and unrealistic. Furthermore, your initial demand for amnesty simply displayed a lack of commitment and willingness to accept the consequences of your actions furthering reducing your credibility.
If you are kicked out of housing or expelled, then you are simply getting what you deserve. There were many other options that you could have peacefully pursued yet ignored and skipping to instead grandiose less effective means may seem romantic but, well this is where we are now I suppose? Tis life. I wish you guys the best. In the future, perhaps think things through a little more thoroughly before illegally taking over a school cafeteria and having an all night dance party eating high horse vegan delights.
Excellent critique, Mike. Often, I feel it’s pointless to give critical feedback on actions, since it usually just brushed aside as being negative rather than constructive or diagnostic. Just a few notes on specific occupation demands:
3) A fairly broad version of the NYU budget has to be in public record to maintain their non-profit status. It may not have detailed departmental breakdowns, but it’s something. At a public university, students are legally entitled to that information.
4) Students working under federal work study are legally unable to bargain collectively. Beyond that, they have all the labor rights of regular workers, as well as other stipulations in their favor under the regulations governing that federal program. Read the “Federal Work Study Operators Manual” for more info, as these rules are routinely, illegally violated. Part-time and hourly employees can organize through a standard card count, if there is a bargaining unit on campus already recognized for the same type of work, affiliating with them could be a good bet. Graduate TAs and research assistants do have a right to organize, and would have successfully at NYU under Bush if he hadn’t appointed an anti-labor NLRB.
7 &
Right on in spirit, but good luck at an elite private university in Manhattan. NYC is a deeply Zionist city, and many students, alumni, and citizens will not support what they will view as a “pro-terrorist” occupation. Everything is interconnected, but making tactical choices to win the battle is sometimes necessary. Maybe more neutrally language encouraging divestment would fly.
Actions in private institutions really are different than public ones. It was amazing how successful the New School occupation was, given that. The recent bad press, the faculty vote of no-confidence in the president, and the political culture of NSSR probably helped. But NYU considers itself an honorary Ivy League school, and the class backgrounds and/or aspirations of the students and alumni are evident in their comments, as well as how they conduct themselves around NYC. It’s very different from organizing in CUNY. Keep pushing for a Student Trustee, but I doubt that it will ever happen, as trustees and administrators are hostile to the concept in the public sector colleges where they are legally mandated.
This is funny. Spoiled rich kids staging a protest w/ laptops, bathroom breaks, 13 demands, catered food etc.
Wow. Sad and pathetic are the least of your problems.
And with Wall Street collapsing, your Daddy won’t be able to pay for next semester.
Dear Delusional Students,
To claim this as a victory is about as coherent as Hamas claiming victory last month after Israel bombed the crap out of the Gaza strip for two weeks killing over a thousand Palestinians. Where is the victory? They provoked the Israeli government into killing civilians which then enraged the whole muslin world (and beyond)? Do you think that your claims of brutality on behalf of the university and the indignation that it may or may not create within the student body are comparable?
It appears that the best tactic that terrorists and misguided student protesters have is to provoke those in power to abuse in the hopes of gaining sympathy.
Look, I’m all for thoughtful protest but the magnitude of this failure is embarrassing to those associated with NYU on many levels. The shortcomings of these proceedings really diminishes the goodwill and ethical intents of the students.
While many students and alumni could understand your push for more administrative transparency and student voice, to supplement that by jumping on the Gaza bandwagon, in itself already a politically, religiously, and ethnically polarizing topic was completely misguided and shortsighted.
As such, many of your tacked on pork demands were biased, controversial, and unrealistic. Furthermore, your initial demand for amnesty simply displayed a lack of commitment and willingness to accept the consequences of your actions furthering reducing your credibility.
If you are kicked out of housing or expelled, then you are simply getting what you deserve. There were many other options that you could have peacefully pursued yet ignored and skipping to instead grandiose less effective means may seem romantic but, well this is where we are now I suppose? Tis life. I wish you guys the best. In the future, perhaps think things through a little more thoroughly before illegally taking over a school cafeteria and having an all night dance party eating high horse vegan delights.
Thank you TBNYU for your inspiring actions! Radical students at University of California, Riverside and and across the nation have been watching. We will continue to fight alongside you and hope for the best here and in Gaza.
peace!
Jan: You’ve posted on almost every single update here, usually repeating the same thing again and again. While some of your arguments/criticisms are valid, and I agree wholeheartedly with them, the fact that you feel compelled to voice them in every thread, and then throw in unnecessary cheap shots makes you seem like a reactionary, exactly what you accuse these kids of, not someone who legitimately cares about progressive change as you imply you do. If change is important to you, I imagine you would offer constructive criticism instead of comments like the strawman you level at EJ, seeing as the controversy and attention this occupation drew means that there was an energy and enthusiasm which, though misguided, could be channeled for better purposes in the future.
What I thought may have been an interesting movement proved today that it comprised of selfish and spoiled brats. For God’s sake, “NYU CUT OFF THE INTERNET!” The fact that this is used with capslock makes me laugh. I guess the administration knew that if you took a college student’s precious internet, they would go nuts. And that’s sad.
The coalition has given a bad name for students of NYU. Especially someone like me who has been grateful to be here, and never accepted a cent from family members to pay my tuition. It’s so embarrassing I cannot even go further explaining the wrongs that this coalition has committed. The actions speak for itself. There’s no use even giving a detailed list of opinions on the matter because after witnessing and reading of the actions that have taken place in the last 48 hours, I know the true horrid nature of Take Back NYU is stubborn, immature, and spoiled.
And I’m not just gonna see here and complain about this like others probably may, nor am I gonna go out of my way to waste time trying to convince others to stop you.
If I ever see an ad for TBNYU in any form, I will destroy it. That’s my contribution.
Here’s some Constructive Criticism:
Don’t try some bullshit stunt like this again. And if you do, it would be a good idea to put someone smart in charge. Which means you’ll probably need some new members. You may have had legitimate concerns, but you alienated everyone who might have supported you with all the illegitimate ones. Not to mention the fact that you. guys. attacked. police. too. THAT was pretty stupid. Besides, there’s nothing brave about asking for amnesty. Real protesters know that making a difference may mean getting arrested or getting expelled. You just got bored and wanted to look important while skipping class.
This was the biggest waste of time.
EJ - couple of things:
“Finally opening up this issue to larger dialogue and bringing it forward is success, regardless of whether demands are met.”
This is a tautology, since “success” would be bringing it forward: you are claiming you brought “it” (what specifically, I don’t know, given the scattered demands) forward to prove that you brought it forward. Also, it’s naive at best (and dishonest at worst) not to recognize that there are degrees to success. It’s difficult to see how this is a very strong success, when TBNYU failed to achieve real popular support, or any of their demands, or even the most basic of negotiations.
“Furthermore, even if you disagreed with the demands being fought for today, the actions of the NYU administration should make it painfully clear that, regardless of what you may support, you have no actually voice with how this administration is run.”
Not necessarily. It means that TBNYU didn’t succeed. That may be due to poor organization and unrealistic demands on TBNYU’s part as much, if not more, than to NYU’s behavior. The fact that TBNYU failed to get NYU to listen does not mean NYU won’t listen - it means they DIDN’T listen, to THESE PARTICULAR people. Big difference.
“And for the imbeciles who find that the claim for amnesty demonstrates some form of cowardice, I recommend you do yourself a favor and drop out of NYU right now, as you clearly do not posses the slightest of intellectual capacity that I would hope any NYU student has.”
You don’t have the clout to call your opponents imbeciles and expect a good response - especially since the people you are calling imbeciles are part of the pool of NYU students, not the administration you claim to be fighting. Not only is this a pathetic “rebuttal” (ad hominem), it’s a very stupid move on your part if you genuinely want to improve your image, “solidarity,” and support. Please stop alienating people. If nothing else, it should be inescapably clear by now that you cannot do this without a very, very, very, very, very large amount of help.
“Finally, it’s extremely easy to take shots at people who have the courage to stand when you spend your days crawling miserably on your belly.”
Needlessly insulting colorful language aside: The fact that it is easy to criticize TBNYU does not make those criticisms WRONG. The fact that TBNYU members did something with steep consequences does not mean they did anything intelligent, noble, or brave. This isn’t grade school. You don’t get ANY points just for going out there, ever. Everything must be earned.
Look around.
Very few people are disturbed by the IDEA of a protest. Very many - including some of your supporters - are against the WAY this PARTICULAR protest was executed. This isn’t about “standing up.” It’s about HOW these people stood up, what they said, and what they tried to ACHIEVE in doing so.
i can’t believe the occupation ended so soon! thanks for your bravery, and thanks for standing up, even though many of your classmates are undemocratic and unwilling to inform themselves. every struggle has its mistakes and its lessons to learn. those who stood up were speaking their minds and pointing out the tyranny of the administration. the fact that the admin responded by lying about being willing to negotiate, by taking away people’s dorms, and by suspending students for using their freedom of speech should make you more angry and worried than anything else.
“If change is important to you, I imagine you would offer constructive criticism instead of comments like the strawman you level at EJ”
OK, want some constructive criticism? Read Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” and then sit down and figure out how many of those rules you broke with this effort. This is a classic of organizing for change and surely your group knows about them. If you don’t, you have some reading to do.
“Nice try… now do better.” Is that constructive enough?
The cause is good, the tactics were childish. Your movement needs new leaders, stat.
I hope you idiots get expelled.
Logic, I understand your surprise at the apparent lack of human sympathy being displayed by critics of the protest. Perhaps I could shed some light on the matter. In todays tough economic times, a lot of really good, hardworking, intelligent people are just scraping by, some are even dying right here in our own nation. When these people, see others, who are, priveledged, naive, cocky, entitled, overzealous and (apparently: judging by their actions) relatively unintelligent, whining about their poor fragile sensibilities, the knee jerk reaction is one of dehumanization and hatred. It is a shame that these kids, who represent the wealthiest 5 percent of the worlds income could not make themselves look a little more sympathetic, but ironically their overpriced books and overpaid professors could not teach them that humans who are suffering do not feel sorry for rich people who complain. Should we be sympathetic, yeah probably, but most people will not be. It is wrong but it is understandable and right now it is a fact of life. To you protestors, I know you are well intentioned but I beg you, smarten up, get with the times and do some thinking of your own about how to accomplish what you want.
EJ: “Anyways” is not a word.
I have a question that perhaps someone here could answer for me, did TBNYU try any other mediums before this protest to get the attention of NYU towards their goals?
Also why so many demands at once?
It’s jarring how sadistically so many nyu students are responding to their classmates attempt at something meaningful.
There’s a defensive, blood-thirsty and quickly dismissive attitude dripping from so many of these comments that seems reflective more of a Ny Post approach to news than what I would expect to be a mildly liberal NY university.
Whether or not you fully agree with all their demands (and I’m not sure what is disagreeable - at worst just unfeasable) I wish I saw people excited about their peers engaging wildly in something, in the name of ideals that I would think many of you at your core may have once believed in.
The gut reaction to our generations rare attempts at action, and their failures, should be support, and in turn, sympathy. Sad so many prefer annonymous, snarky dismissiveness towards everything.
Actually, it seems quite a few people ARE disturbed by the “idea” of a protest.
Although i don’t know whether this protest was noble or not the response of NYU (etc) sure isn’t making me take THEIR side. In fact, quite the opposite: their paranoia and rigidity make me much more suspicious of them than the possibility that some of the protesters might be “immature kids”.
Hint: NYU are supposed to be the adults here, the students are supposed to be kids.
I lived through the ’60’s: the Chicago Convention, Days of Rage, SDS, Weathermen, etc. You are a bunch of pathetic little wannabe’s. I’m so sorry that GWB had to leave office, so you wouldn’t have “His war” to protest. Did you sit around the campfires at your Socialist Sleep Away camps listening to the balding hippies talk of the glory days?
You are laughable. I hope you keep this drivel you are writing, so you can look back on it when you’re ion your 40’s or 50’s and see what a pathetic lot you really are.
http://nattyadams.blogspot.com/2009/02/this-is-what-democracy-looks-like-shit.html
Dear Kids,
Having lived through, if not young enough to have participated in, the Columbia University strikes…and being one of the few persons to have read the book that came out of the Commission on the Columbia Strike…I must say I was puzzled when the news of your strike hit the headlines. That is why I decided to see what you had posted on your website.
I’m still a little perplexed by your mission, but am glad to see that one of your issues is the proposed unionization of your graduate student instructors. Two friends of mine, being older, were tenured professors at their colleges. What began happening in the 1980s was the denying of tenure to professional teachers and the simultaneous hiring of adjunct professors who received no benefits or insurance and were denied even the remotest possibility of ever becoming tenured professors. That upset my professorial friends greatly. I’m glad to see that you are trying to at least bring up the issue.
Best of luck!
Don’t worry. Mommy and Daddy are lawyers. They’ll get you out of this one. And hey - you can always go back to Sarah Lawrence.
[...] demands. Nevertheless, the official TBNYU! blog, with characteristic detachment from reality, insisted that the occupation had “made a [...]