|
NY TImes reporter booed from stage at commencement speech
via Drudge - My how times are changing!New York Times reporter Chris Hedges was booed off the stage Saturday at Rockford Collegeâs graduation because he gave an antiwar speech. Two days later, graduates and family members, envisioning a âgo out and make your markâ send-off, are still reeling. Guests wanting to hear the author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter are equally appalled. And College President Paul Pribbenow is rethinking the wisdom of such controversial topics at future commencements. This is Pribbenowâs first graduation. Hedges began his abbreviated 18-minute speech comparing United Statesâ policy in Iraq to piranhas and a tyranny over the weak. His microphone was unplugged within three minutes. Voices of protest and the sound of foghorns grew. Some graduates and audience members turned their backs to the speaker in silent protest. Others rushed up the aisle to vocally protest the remarks, and one student tossed his cap and gown to the stage before leaving. Mary OâNeill of Capron, who earned a degree in elementary education, sat in her black cap and gown listening. She was stunned. She turned to Pribbenow and asked him why he was letting the speech continue. He said it was freedom of speech. Pribbenow later said when people stop listening to ideas, even controversial ones, it is the death of institutions like 157-year-old Rockford College. In tears, OâNeill left the ceremony. Her husband, Kevin, sat in the audience with their daughter and was as indignant as his wife. âThis is a ceremony. ... The day belongs to the students. It doesnât belong to a political view,â he said. Hedges, a war correspondent, criticized military heroic ideals that grow during war. The fervor sacrifices individual thought for temporarily belonging to something larger, he said. Hedges sympathized with U.S. soldiers. He characterized them as boys from places such as Mississippi and Arkansas who joined the military because there were no job opportunities. How about that open-minded eastern elitist attitude huh? âWar in the end is always about betrayal. Betrayal of the young by the old, of soldiers by politicians and idealists by cynics,â Hedges said in lecture fashion as jeers and âGod Bless Americasâ could be heard in the background. After his microphone was again unplugged, Pribbenow told Hedges to wrap it up. Get off the stage jerk Elinor Radlund of Rockford read Hedgesâ book on war and was horrified at what she said was the audienceâs rude behavior. She was indignant she couldnât hear the speaker. Elinor, of course, can't spell her name properly, either âThey were not behaving as people in an academic setting, where youâre supposed to be open to a great many ideas,â Radlund said. Pribbenow said Rockford College takes no political stance, but the job is to challenge students. He reminded audience members of the liberal arts collegeâs commitment to listening to other viewpoints. Spontaneous reaction led 66-year-old Gerald Kehoe of rural Boone County down the aisle in his first time to protest anything. He was hurt to hear a verbal attack on the country. He attended Saturdayâs commencement to watch his daughter graduate, the fourth from Rockford College. Rockford College political science professor Bob Evans said itâs a reminder of the âraw edges of emotionâ on the issue. A student who rushed the stage could face reprimand although he still received his diploma. âItâs important to go on the record that itâs inappropriate behavior,â Pribbenow said. Posted by: Frank G 2003-05-20 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=14498 |