Dear College Students, You’re Wrong About Palestine
During college, I fondly remember picking up a copy of The New York Times every morning on my way to class. These days I want nothing to do with the Gray Lady. I stay as far away from the news as I can — or at least, I try.
Of the few headlines I have seen recently, I’ve noticed an uptick in agitation over what is happening in the Middle East. Specifically, a surge of violent protests on college campuses across America.
It’s a bit perplexing to be honest. A decade ago I was one of these students. I participated in groups on campus advocating for peace in the Middle East. But I wasn’t barricading myself in campus buildings nor was I threatening violence if college administrators didn’t bend to my wishes. I never protested for the sake of protest itself, I merely elevated issues I thought were important.
Unlike the Vietnam War — the last time college students violently protested a foreign military incursion — the United States isn’t directly involved in the conflict in the Middle East. The draft hasn’t been enacted and we’re not sending young men off to their deaths in Gaza. While you can argue that America is enabling the conflict, that’s the realm of politics. Average Americans don’t have skin in the game — nor should we.
