Disruptive students deserve a good kicking

Editor,

The hubbub at the recent meeting of UNM Israel Alliance speaks volumes about the character of the Students for Justice in Palestine and the (un)Occupy protestors. They are childish cowards. They insist on their own First Amendment rights as a mob while simultaneously denying those same rights to all who disagree with them.

They came not to exchange ideas at that meeting, but to disrupt it. This nonsense has no place in a university and should be stopped. These junior terrorists-in-training are nothing but two-bit punks with a gang mentality. The lot of them should be expelled.

A university should be a place where an adult exchange of ideas can occur, not one where overemotional, supercilious twits are allowed to shut down opposing points of view. These brats are obviously not yet fully potty trained, and, as such, have no business here. Let them play in the street until they have learned how to mind their manners.

And before they and their ilk whine about being insulted and offended by this letter, they should consider that it was their own actions that brought it about. There is no basic right not to be offended, and some folks need more help than others to grow up. It’s time these children learned what their parents couldn’t, or wouldn’t, teach them.

It’s been my experience that we humans require three lessons before we fully grow up.

First of all, we need to learn how to take “no” for an answer without crying about it. Secondly, we need a good kick in the butt to fully learn lesson one. Thirdly, and most importantly, we need to have a really sound belly laugh — at ourselves.

I would have preferred to help these kids with the third lesson, but that can’t happen until they have learned first two. These darlings didn’t get a fraction of the kicking-around they deserved and they’re still crying, so I’ll help where I can.

Some may respond to my position by saying: “I feel xyz.” I don’t care about what or how you choose to feel. Your feelings are relevant only to you and those close to you. In the world of thoughts, feelings have zero mass.

I’m willing to listen to and consider your own thoughts on a given matter, but before you can voice those thoughts, you must have them. Don’t confuse beliefs with thoughts. Suppose you tell me: “I believe that xyz is true.”If you can’t tell me why you believe xyz to be true, you haven’t moved significantly beyond feelings.

Finally, don’t confuse parroting the party line with having your own thoughts. It may come to pass that you endorse the party line, but get there under your own power.

And that is why shouting down other points of view, especially at a young age, is so destructive. Hearing other points of view allows you to more fully develop your own.

John Bauer
UNM retiree