From now on, Syracuse University is going to punish you for being present whenever, wherever, an “act of hate” is committed: the bystander will be as guilty as the person who actually does the deed.
Disregarding the question that immediately presents itself in 10-foot-tall flaming orange neon letters, “Then who the devil wants to go to Syracuse?”, we come to the next question: what exactly is an “act of hate”?
What–are the creators and enforcers of these policies entirely free from hate? They hate the haters, don’t they? So what would they consider an act of hate, to be punished by university authorities?
How about wearing a MAGA hat, or a “Re-elect President Trump” button? Would those be “acts of hate”? We know, don’t we, that hardly anyone anymore dares express a non-left-wing opinion on any subject. But suppose you said or did something that exposed you as a pro-lifer. Would you be deemed guilty of “hate”?
What would happen if you said, “White people are to blame for every single thing that’s wrong in the world, and they ought to be killed off”? Think you could say that without the U getting all bent out of shape? But of course you could! College professors everywhere say things like that every day.
Syracuse is going to install “new methods” of surveillance in the dorms and elsewhere. If you happen to be standing somewhere in the student lounge when An Act Of Hate is committed, and the spy-cam spots you–well, again, why did you want to go there in the first place?
Now, could we establish this new legal doctrine outside the fascist bell jar of the university? Like, all the customers who were in the bank when it got robbed, they’re also guilty? No doubt this would appeal to Democrats: they’d throw everyone in jail except the robber. But wouldn’t the whole thing be just blatantly unconstitutional?
We are dealing with head cases who think it makes them righteous, virtuous, to hate hate. The fact that we let head cases take over our schools and universities speaks very poorly of our judgment.
Let’s see if Syracuse’s “bystander guilt” formula spreads to other colleges.
You’re paying how much to go there? You couldn’t find anything else to do with all that money?
Honk if you agree there must be no more public money for the universities. Shouldn’t be any more of your money, either.
