I was thoroughly pleased Tuesday when I saw many fellow IU students protesting Charles Murray, whose 1994 findings on economic-biological determination helps perpetuate the most vicious and racist parts of our economic system.
Though to be frank, especially after my past two months of studying in Argentina, the popular ways of organizing in the United States Left have begun to trouble me.
It is of course necessary to oppose speakers like Murray and the fact that our University finds it necessary to employ so many IU Police Department officers simply to secure a speaker.
Criticism is necessary in a political fight, and I would be doing a disservice to IU students to not share what I have experienced in Argentina and how it has changed my political views.
To illustrate: weaving through a march of thousands in the streets of Buenos Aires on my way to class does not even faze me anymore. Mass demonstrations are merely part of the city’s scenery. Workers and students are extremely cognizant of the economic policies that seek to impoverish them, and therefore well-oiled organization is a rational, necessary response.
The political problem that best explains what I mean is student debt. Argentines become appalled when I explain the U.S. education system, especially because public education is free in Argentina.
The other night I went to a dinner party with my homestay family, and some of the guests called me over to discuss U.S. politics and my thoughts on Argentina’s political life.
One woman, who I was told was a well-known actress, asked me “Why do you have to pay tuition if you go to a public university?” I looked at her blankly, as it might have been the hardest question anyone’s ever asked me. “I don’t know,” was my confused response.
Don’t forget that IU is selling an experience, not an education. It is more than happy to comply with an economic system that punishes students with endless debt.
Though fighting Murray is important, widening our scope of protest is necessary for creating actual resistance.
luwrobin@umail.iu.edu
