Students on Bruin Walk Monday saw a simulated military
checkpoint, a mock suicide attack, posters that portrayed students
as Nazis and a sign that read “Crackers 4
Crackers.”
Supposedly, all of these displays were meant to educate
students. But in reality these displays were a sad reminder that
UCLA is not always a place where constructive behavior is the
norm.
Monday’s demonstrations were the latest in a series of
programs put on by UCLA student organizations that restrict
independent thought and diversity of opinion. Groups responsible
for such demonstrations present a party line and make every effort
to sell it in its entirety. They do little to foster real
understanding. The events themselves provoke controversy and anger
but not much else.
The simulated military checkpoint was part of Palestinian
Awareness Week and was created to show the plight of Palestinians
facing Israeli occupation.
The most notable reaction to the check points was a student who
walked up and said “boom!” The mock
“bombing” was apparently a form of counter-protest
meant to illustrate what the student saw as the necessity of
real-life checkpoints.
Much like a video depicting young Palestinian terrorists ““
shown by Bruins for Israel during Islamic Awareness Week ““
the simulated checkpoint and heated rhetoric did more to anger than
educate. It was an inflammatory and offensive spectacle.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Bruin Walk, students set up an
unrelated display portraying members of the Bruin Republicans as
Nazi officers. The display also included a sign that called for a
“Crackers 4 Crackers” outreach and retention program to
help white students by providing them with saltine crackers.
The students running the display said it was organized by
individuals who belonged to various campus organizations including
the African Student Union, MEChA, the Academic Advancement Program
and the Black Graduate Student Association ““ but that the
display was an independent protest to the Bruin Republican campaign
in its attempts to label MEChA as “racist” by comparing
them to Nazis.
The only communication between the Bruin Republicans and the
students protesting them was an extended middle finger and threats
of a lawsuit.
College student organizations have every right to organize loud,
controversial protests. But, here at UCLA, a cycle of “tit
for tat” retaliation and escalation characterizes the
interaction of many campus groups.
Some students have suggested that friendly debate and dialogue
are empty concepts when opposing sides have nothing to say to each
other. But isn’t it better to attempt this kind of
communication then to just shock and insult people?
As it stands, many of the protests on this campus seem driven by
propaganda and inaccurate rhetoric. Student leaders must ask
themselves what their goals really are, and if they are serving
them with their current tactics.
When people label others as Nazis, refer to Apartheid regimes,
or use racial slurs, most students will ignore their real
messages.
They either turn away in disgust or worse, resolve to hit back
harder.