Haidt: US university campuses are 鈥榚xploding鈥�
Social psychologist says universities have failed to enforce boundaries for behaviour
The social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has told the 麻豆约拍 that American university campuses 鈥榓re exploding鈥� because administrations have 鈥榥ever made clear boundaries鈥� on what was acceptable student behaviour. Talking about student protests against the war in Gaza that have engulfed universities across the country, the New York University professor said while 鈥榩rotests and slogans鈥� are 鈥榥ormal political speech鈥�, tented camps that 鈥榖lock students from going to class, well that鈥檚 wrong鈥�.
鈥業t鈥檚 against university policy and it interferes with the basic functioning of the university鈥�, Professor Haidt told HARDtalk. 鈥淣ow of course if you want to do civil disobedience and do that, you can do that. And then you should pay the consequences. The whole point of civil disobedience is you're willing to go to jail for it.鈥� Haidt鈥檚 own office building at New York University was the site of a tented camp by protesters, dozens of whom were arrested.
Speaking to Stephen Sackur, the professor said that since around 2014, universities have tolerated students shutting down speakers they do not like. 鈥榃hat happened was nobody ever did anything about it, and that sent the message that if you are protesting for certain political causes, you can do and say whatever you want, you can intimidate people, you can threaten people, and nothing's going to happen to you.鈥� He said this was the 鈥榖ack story鈥� for explaining the behaviour of students in the current protests.
Asked if the protesters today were similar to the famous student protests across the United States in the 1960s, Professor Haidt said that although there is 鈥榗ontinuity鈥� because such historic protests were often anti-war, 鈥榯here was a very different spirit鈥� to today鈥檚 protests. He claimed that whereas the spirit in the 60s was 鈥榦f joy鈥�, today鈥檚 student activism, 鈥榠s very, very different. There鈥檚 not the spirit of joy鈥�.
