BY THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Published September 24, 2001
Last week, campus organizations staged dozens of teach-ins related to American responses to the World Trade Center bombing. The teach-ins have focused on criticizing our government"s response to the tragedy and condemning the backlash against Muslim Americans. Attendance has ranged from a few dozen to several hundred students.
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That the organizers have advertised these panel discussions as "teach-ins" connects the events with the University"s legacy of student activism. The label invokes the imagery and power of the first University teach-in, where 3,000 students stood all night in the hallways of Angell and Mason halls to discuss and protest the Vietnam War on March 24, 1965.
But even the 1965 teach-in had its detractors, and the teach-ins of today are no different. Many students feel that the teach-ins have down-played the tragedy of having so many of our own killed on American soil, but it is a forum for calm dialogue and intellectual inquiry that most helps people to understand the events.
Other students were incensed by teach-in panelists who remarked or implied that the United States" policies gave the terrorists legitimate reasons to bomb the World Trade Center, but any opinion has the potential to incite controversy and spur dialogue.
Some critics also feel teach-ins can be one-sided. Organizers and sponsors of teach-ins should make an effort to encourage varied viewpoints amongst teach-in lecturers. With viewpoint diversity comes an environment more conducive to intellectual debate and open dialogue.
With knowledge comes informed decisions people who understand the teachings of Islam will be less likely to scapegoat its practicers for the actions of a few extremists.
While the teach-ins of today may be even more controversial than the University"s first, the discourse of our community is stronger than ever. While the detractors of the first teach-in used bomb threats to show their disapproval, the new generation of teach-in critics are able to stand up and voice their opinions, ensuring that teach-ins remain centers of learning rather than soap-box platforms.
