That is unbelievable, sad, and outrageous

U. Penn. soiled not just itself but "the Palestinian cause" very badly on this one. They're mistaking the forest for the trees, which in this case means mistaking policy for principle. I.e., telling the public that a policy of censorship is in tune with a principle of justice or of the self-determination of a people.

When "the Palestinian narrative" relies on censorship of criticism -- not of its right to exist, but of its practice-as-a-substitute-for-politics of the indiscriminate murder of civilians (i.e., terrorism) -- for its continued existence, then that is no Palestinian "narrative" at all: it's a "party line" designed to fool, cajole, seduce, lull, intimidate, etc. everyone, including Palestinians themselves.

Randi:

Welcome to higher education.

Geewillikers....What a surprise indeed.

I was told by some enlightened readers of this blog, not too many posts ago, that universities were the bastion of light and truth.

That they were shocked...just shocked....that anti-semitism....anti-Christian....and PC censorship were running rampant on college campuses.

They wanted proof....
I think they received it here....

Jeremiah:

I'm not sure that U. Penn can soil the Palis any further than they have already soiled themselves.

The so-called Palestinian narrative has, from its inception, relied on terror and lies, and of course the supression of any democratic thought among its own people.

I once supported a separate Palestinian state. No longer. They have convinced me through every deed and thought that they are the most unworthy people on the face of the earth. They deserve only scorn.

Just to clarify, this is Penn State we're talking about, not the University of Pennsylvania, the private Ivy League school.

(Just as an aside: Penn State is a football farm team masquerading as a huge university. How huge? Get this: 1 in 7 Americans with a B.A. or B.S. have attended either its main campus in State College or one of its several feeder junior colleges in other parts of the state).

Also to be clear, saying "Harvard or Columbia or Penn State are bad places; don't go there," is kind of like saying "New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are bad place so don't do there."

I'm fairly sure that about half the faculty and maybe 75% of the student body at a blue chip state school like Penn State feel the same way as we do about censoring the exhibit. Even at super-liberal Columbia, most students found the most ourageous liberal campus causes to be stupid or offensive when I was there. I considered and considered myself a liberal at that time and still publicly scoffed at the silliness, which thankfully, did not include much anti-Zionism in my day.

Some of those wiser students today must hate to see their parents' tuition money go to these evil losers... as I hate to see much of my tax money go to evil, lazy and sometimes very counterproductive ideas and programs in my city, state and nation. The alternative is not for me. And while cloistered communities, like let's say the Hassidic community in New York City, might think they've safely withdrawn, they have not. The political games they play to survive are par for the course, sometimes even worse. They're not stupid, this is the world we live in.

The bottom line... as always... is if you choose to live in the big world and go to school, work, and baseball games, you're gonna have to find the good parts, avoid the bad ones, and do your best to get the best out of it all. And while I wonder how many of even our brightest American 18-year-olds can achieve that, I am comforted by the fact that so few of them even graduate, let alone make it to age 30, believing any of this bunk.

Robert and Lance, you should be somewhat comforted to know that the reason these radicals are on campuses is because the real world won't have them. In fact, they're not only on campuses, but invariably in departments with the least vocational value. (It's a known fact that the best moderate and conservative minds often come from law school, med school and business school departments). If you're looking for loonies, check out the art, literature, and relatively newly-created Middle Eastern studies departments. Personally, I'd rather have these guys sullying up the classroom than the boardroom.

Is there any kind of petition we can sign to protest this horrible step??

Jake:

All fine and valid points. However, one must be aware that what's going on is not an isolated incident. The Jihadists are counting on just your kind of laid-back attitude. They counsel patience and a never-ending attack on Jews, Christians, Israel and Democracy. It's the kind of creeping fascism that gripped Germany and ultimately all of Europe.

And it's happening in France right now. And they can't seem to stem the tide.

So, while I understand that this is not widespread, the fact that the university faculty buckles like seat belts to these savages is a terrible sign.

Once these savages take over the art and lit departments, well, history and anthro and math and everything comes next.

These people are quite serious in their warlike intentions, Jake.

The question is: are we seriously ready to fight them or do we continue to dismiss them as unimportant loonies?

You know my answer.

Irina:

I know of no petition. Perhaps you can go to the U's website and write them a letter expressing your outrage.

Oops, Penn State. Of course!

Robert, I did put "the Palestinian cause" in quotes. Having been introduced to this dark forest mostly through Western academics and intellectuals, I am trying to follow my footsteps back out of that forest. I still believe that every person and people has a right to their own "narrative" (or "story"). Call it a defective product of my Hellenizing, or assimilating, education, if you like. I may even agree with you.

There's nothing in what I said that indicates I don't want to fight. The questions are: 1) Are there enough friendly bodies and minds on said campuses to join us? and 2) Is control of these campuses worth fighting for?

My answer to both questions is "yes." One thing these radical faculty often never learn is that the student body is often better motivated and less willing to listen to their baloney than they think. And when they get a few faculty members to support them, they're really in trouble. That's what happened and continues to happen at Columbia, and it's costing some these bad guys speaking gigs and money elsewhere.

Also, I think our secular universities are worth fighting for. They all have enough redeeming value to make sure this doesn't go any further. And one thing's for sure, we're not going to win this battle by withdrawing and letting the barbarians take over.

Do any of these universities have their own online message boards for the free exchange of ideas?? At least that way nobody can threaten bodily harm.

I love this blog and the commenters who bring such clarity to these topics. I use your thoughts often in my conversations with clients. It is amazing how often I see a stunned look of amazement as I give the uninformed, alphabet-news watchers a different way to think about a topic. Thanks Jake, Lance, Robert, Jeremiah, Randi, Pearl, etc. You make this blog my favorite stop in cyberspace.

Chaya:

I have no idea. Check it out and let us know.

Suz:

Glad we can bring clarity to your business life. We do what we can to bring order out of chaos.

"Hat tip to the always excellent blog Solomonia."

BTW, thanks!