Is there any doubt in anybody's mind that anti-war protesters are just narcissistic children with too much free time on their hands? If there is, perhaps the latest mini-controversy at the University of Maryland will convince people otherwise. An editorial cartoon was published that some people found offensive, so there were protests, which the newspaper rejected:
Dozen of students continued to protest outside The Diamondback's newsroom yesterday, some saying they would continue to protest at the newspaper's office even if no one is there until an apology is made.See? It's all about the protesters. They want to feel like they're doing something, regardless of whether they're accomplishing anything."We're getting the message out, even if they're not here - it's symbolic," said Justin Valanzola, a junior special education major. "We're here to do something. We can't be apathetic anymore."
Comments (2)
The universal condemnation that the paper has gotten by the school administration and more so by the school of Journalism, is most unfortunate but not surprising. It says so much about their political point of view that they are falling all over themselves to attack the paper. I do not believe for a second that if they had published something equivalent that favored the Palestinian point of view that the paper would have been condemned so vehemently by the administration. I am very surprised and heartened by the fact that the Diamondback editor has stuck to his guns. More power to him.
By the way, the accusation that the cartoon was racist is hilarious. The last thing that
I noticed was that "Pancake Girl" was white. I guess if you support Palestinians you become one. Why in the world should this traitorous individual (she was teaching the Palestinians to hate the US as well as Israel) be treated as a martyr?
Posted by Richard | March 21, 2003 9:39 PM
Posted on March 21, 2003 21:39
You jest, but there is a lot of truth in what you say. A big block of the protesters at any big demonstration in a given city will be the same people, the so-called professional protesters who don't really care about the cause, they just like to protest. Most of these types are the aging hippies of the Vietnam era, or those just a bit younger who felt their influence.
Posted by Gary Collard | March 22, 2003 2:52 PM
Posted on March 22, 2003 14:52