Civility, please

If there’s one thing I learned when Ehud Olmert came to speak at Tulane, it was this: Tulane students have never seen a protest before. After the presentation, I walked outside McAlister Auditorium only to find Tulane students and a group of protestors engaged in verbal assaults too inappropriate to repeat in this publication.

Let me be frank, I am not taking sides on the Israeli/Palestinian issue nor do I wish to assert any opinion on the conflict itself. What I will go so far as to say is that what I witnessed after Olmert’s presentation was absolutely irrational and embarrassing not only for the people involved, but for the entire Tulane community.

I understand the high degree of tension that arises whenever the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is discussed, but not to the extent that was brought forth in the wake of Olmert’s speech. Israeli and Palestinian supporters began to hurl countless insults with almost palpable rage. From what I saw, no physical confrontations broke out, though I certainly saw a few individuals ready to throw punches. Having transferred from one of the most politically active schools and student bodies in the country, UC Santa Cruz, it’s safe to say I’m no stranger to protests or rallies. But never in all my experiences have I witnessed such indecent behavior on the part of protestors and the on-looking crowd.

As I found myself in this situation, I couldn’t help but notice the irony of my surrounding environment and the context in which it was taking place. I began to ask myself, “Isn’t the university supposed to be a setting in which ideas can be freely expressed and people can argue in an academic and rational manner?”

And even though I thought I knew the answer to that question, I found myself in the middle of what essentially resembled the inability of the Palestinian and Israeli parties to rationally engage in a positive and healthy discussion. For that moment in time I wasn’t at Tulane University stuck in the middle of a mob of angry people between McAlister Auditorium and Irby Hall. Instead, I was engulfed by the Israeli/Palestinian conflict itself amidst the hatred and chaos that reflects the way in which these two groups of people feel toward one another.

It makes absolute sense that individuals become very emotional when discussing this topic. But with that being said, the university setting must not be overwhelmed by such emotion that the academic atmosphere is replaced with inappropriate behavior that perpetuates, rather than solves, a conflict that needs the utmost attention. Out of all of our institutions, colleges and universities should be the place where one can expect controversial topics to be explored in a rational manner.

Democratic societies are dependent upon, above and beyond all else, the free circulation of ideas so as to diversify the values and opinions within the public sphere. Hence the college campus serves as the most suited forum to facilitate the circulation of such knowledge. Unfortunately, on Oct. 13, I watched the Tulane community stray from this mission and become drunk with passion.

Shawn Riley is a transfer student from UC Santa Cruz. GO BANANA SLUGS!!!! He can be reached for comment at sriley3@tulane.edu.