First, this may be a post that will upset people. There is a larger problem going on in the Middle East, people are dying. It is someone’s parent, child, brother, sister, and friend that are paying a sad price. In no means do I want to lower the importance on the loss of innocent life, as I do not have a clue on how to help the situation. There are a series of good charities to help pick one I have. If you are living in a bubble reading this years later, on October 7th, 2023, Hamas engaged in terrorist attacks on Israel. Even saying that statement I know some people will immediately disagree. 

And that is what happened in some of the so called ‘Top’ Colleges in the US. Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia and others a series of events happened. At Harvard one student group authored a letter which has caused a lot of outrage. Companies rescinded job offers of students who signed it, donors have threatened the schools and even a previous president of Harvard spoke up against it. UofP is facing loss of donors and backlash for its festival that has speakers who are known antisemites. And there are widespread issues across campuses. While many see this as a disaster, to me the real problem is what the schools do not see as their mission. 

Schools exist to educate. Hopefully, their goal is to create well rounded adults who understand freedom and respect everyone. In the U.S. we have the freedom to speak. That implies is your enemy, the person you despise and has the opposite view of you has the right to speak. Freedom does come with both responsibility and limitations. Limitations include not being able to defame someone and not inciting violence. You are also responsible for your words and the possible actions and reactions that might happen. The worst is being cancelled. 

These institutions need to step up. Instead burying their heads in the sand and hiding and getting the students and even the public into the classroom. Use this as a teaching moment so that it is ok to raise issues of what is happening and ask for help, but the killing of innocent people is not the answer. Condoning the killing and blaming someone else for the actions is not. Instead of teaching people how to express themselves and get heard and promote change versus the ugliness that school campuses have turned into.  

In situations like this where anyone is suffering and the children of people you know are on the front line it is hard to be objective. I have said before you should not be responsible for your first thought, but you should be for your second. Schools need to use this as a teaching moment. The schools that do that are following their mission of education, otherwise they are just reacting. Doing nothing is doing something. Silence is an action… 

This opinion is mine, and mine only, my current or former employers have nothing to do with it. I do not write for any financial gain, I do not take advertising and any product company listed was not done for payment. But if you do like what I write you can donate to the charity I support (with my wife who passed away in 2017) Morgan Stanley’s Children’s Hospital or donate to your favorite charity. I pay to host my site out of my own pocket, my intention is to keep it free.  I do read all feedback, I mostly wont post any of them.

This Blog is a labor of love, and was originally going to be a book.  With the advent of being able to publish yourself on the web I chose this path.  I will write many of these and not worry too much about grammar or spelling (I will try to come back later and fix it) but focus on content.  I apologize in advance for my ADD as often topics may flip.  I hope one day to turn this into a book and or a podcast, but for now it will remain a blog.   AI is not used in this writing other than using the web to find information.Images without notes are created using and AI tool that allows me to reuse them.