The last few weeks college and university campuses have opened for the fall 2024 semester—with highly repressive and often absurd new measures to shut down the courageous campus protests against the genocide in Gaza. Professors who stood with the students are facing serious disciplinary actions. Students are facing new rules designed to shut down protest or speech that is determined to actually put an end to the injustices people are responding to. Will a new McCarthyism settle over academic life or will this be punctured with even more serious and determined resistance that raises the big and fundamental questions as to why this is happening and how to end it?
The University of Southern California opened with a complete lockdown of the campus with students having to show ID to even enter campus, special new security gates at the entrances, and a dampened mood on campus.
The revcoms set up outside the gates and agitated straight up against the lovefest with mass murderers and mass incarcerators that was the DNC and for a real revolution in this time. While some students turned their heads and a couple dug in deeper, most studiously avoided us and kept their heads down as they streamed into the checkpoints. The atmosphere of tuning out the world, likely encouraged by the repression and a lot of wrong verdicts on the protests last year, was heavy.
A few days later, a flyer with "Tips from Tomy Trojan" (Tommy Trojan is the school's mascot) started to get out around campus. (See the flyer to the right.) A school-spirit pep squad even greeted students on their way into campus, calling out these tips: “Put yourself first! The more you focus on yourself the higher your value will be so you can market yourself when you graduate!” Students said thank you as they reached for the tips. Some even snapped their fingers and nodded along. While not surprising given the me-first putrid culture we live in, it was still shocking to see how shamelessly so many people vibed with this gross expression of commodifying oneself and disregarding others.
Then, some students' faces turned to confusion as the pep squad encouraged people to, “Celebrate your freedom and think critically! But obviously, within limits!” Finally, some students' faces turned to shock, anger, or recognition and righteous laughter and applause when the pep squad hyped people up to: “Just keep scrolling when you see images of children being bombed in Gaza!” and, “Definitely do not engage with the revolutionary leader, Bob Avakian, who is talking about an actual need for revolution!”
Many students are still not sure where they stand, and these “Tips” are still just starting to get out, but this is already touching a nerve and stirring up some welcomed questioning among students who are feeling suffocated by the repressive atmosphere. Some have loved it and taken stacks to circulate themselves, citing agreement with the critique of both Trump and Harris and loving the last line of the “Tips”: “It’s fine to be anti-capitalist, as long as you don't intend to do anything about it!”
Staff of different levels from professors to maintenance have signified appreciation. And comments are starting to come into the social media, like this one: "[W]ho ever wrote this, hit me up, imma bake you a cake or a pie—whichever you prefer!"