Monday, April 26, 2010
What did I tell you? You cannot make this stuff up. Yes, some of the bratterati at Brandeis are complaining that controversial speaker Michael Oren is going to be commencement speaker without their prior consent. Via Jeffry Goldberg, there's even a Facebook page set up to moan about it, and presumably protest it.
It's nothing unusual for students to complain about a commencement speaker chosen without their OK. (Do they ever get an OK? They complain anyway.) The irony is, of course, for those who missed it, that Brandeis is a Jewish school and hotbed of Zionism, and Oren is one of Israel's most impressive Ambassadors ever...and he's being rejected for being an Israeli.
There is a typo in the title
Fixed, thanks.
It's amazing that Jews can't stop sniping at each other long enough to notice the long knives advancing under the walls of the tent...or do they see, but simply ignore?
I guess that is why Marcuse was given a big warm embrace at Brandeis.
The real issue here is the far Left is now the mainstream Left and this has negative consequences for Western Cvilization, self destruction, immolation, suicidal nihilism, subjugation to the other, regression.
"Bratterati"! I love it!
I wouldn't say Brandeis is a hotbed of Zionism. Maybe, but I get the distinct sense, from articles and news releases that Brandeis is afflicted with the disease of Campus Intolerance through Tolerance. In other words, let all the insane maniacs have the mike in the name of 'balance'. And then of course most of the maniacs turn out to be....big shock....antisemites.
I'm disappointed that The Justice (the school paper) came out with an editorial against the selection of Oren as a speaker--as he would be "too divisive".
No matter who the university chooses, there's the noisy group of far lefties on campus who are going to moan and groan about it for some reason or another.
/Brandeis Alum
They should replace him with Ann Coulter.
Oh, now that would be funny.
Ok, here's the thing: there's going to be Palestinians graduating at that commencement. Also, Israeli arabs. Also, jews who don't support Israeli policy. Do you have to do this to them on their graduating day? Really?
Last year, when Cory A. Booker, mayor of Newark, did commencement, people were bothered that he wasn't a big name, but that's not protest-able. Who complained about Friedman doing commencement? But Oren... this is indicative of the consistently dissent-deaf administrative behavior, like when they squashed "Voices of Praise" or tried to sell the Rose.
Whatever, Paul Simon is going to be singing.
Brandeis is a school that was established with Jewish money, has a center of Israel Studies and a center for Jewish film. It's non sectarian, but Jews are still a high proportion of the student body and the faculty. That the doors are open to all, including so-called Palestinians, is a tribute to the school.
Should Jewish students at Boston College, Regis College or Stonehill College, three local Catholic schools, have a grievance if their graduation speaker is someone from the Archdiocese or from the Vatican?
And why should an Arab-Israeli object to Michael Oren, his country's ambassador to the US. (An Israeli-Arab, i.e., someone whose primary identity with with his clan or tribe, well, that's a different story. If an Israeli-Arab is unhappy being a citizen of the only democracy in the Middle East, he would be well-advised to move to one of the 22 Arab countries where he can be proud of being in the majority culture.) Butg before bailing out on Israel, the Arab-Israeli should note that Arabs sit as judges in the courts and serve as Consuls and Ambassadors in the Foreign Service. Can you name one Arab or Muslim country that offers such opportunities to its minority citizens?
I would look further into this story. Some have decided to protest, but many are strongly in favor of Oren. Many more are ambivalent or against but strongly against disruption at commencement. Check out the Justice online and the comment boards for the lively debate going both ways. Additionally, there is a petition in support of Oren with 1970 signatories.
http://www.petitiononline.com/OrenDeis/petition.html