Yoon and Piper: The Bigger Picture
Over the past three days, the campus has had mixed reactions to the sit-in at Parkhurst. Most of the criticism has focused on specific demands of the “Freedom Budget” and the protestors’ tactics. Yesterday’s opinion pieces in The Dartmouth (“Casler: The Circus in Parkhurst,”April 3, 2014 and “Gil: Erroneous Occupation,” April 3, 2014) condescendingly dismissed the protest as a “circus” that is “wrongheaded and politically inept” and “erroneous.” We believe these responses are too quick to criticize and miss the bigger picture. Instead we challenge students to understand the movement’s underlying goals and acknowledge disruptive activism’s potential impact.