Saturday Miscellany

First, strange to see my alma mater, Brown University taking important action against student protesters. When students called for a ceasefire in Gaza by occupying an administrative building, the university called the police and had them all arrested:

After dozens of Brown University students occupied a school building calling for cease-fire (that’s the one where Hamas keeps hostages and keeps fighting but Israel stops! For peace! #Now!), Brown had the cops come and arrest them. They booked the kids right there on campus. “To expedite the process and avoid processing arrests in two locations, Brown DPS arranged with the Providence Police Department to conduct all arrest processing on-site in University Hall,” a university spokesperson wrote in a statement to the student paper. Watch the university administrators deliver the news to protesters here. I must say, I’m shocked that Brown University did this. Normally the Ivy League sends in what the students call Basic Human Rights (masseuses, therapists, more therapists). But the times, they are a-changin’. Get out by 5, or we’ll call the sheriff. 

Second, from the Times of Israel-- no relation to its New York namesake-- a poll of Palestinians. Would you believe that the vast majority of Palestinians approved of the October 7 massacre? And that they also approve of Hamas?

A wartime opinion poll among Palestinians published Wednesday shows a dramatic rise in support for the Hamas terror group in the West Bank, with backing appearing to have ticked up as well even in the devastated Gaza Strip, and an overwhelming rejection of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, with nearly 90 percent saying he must resign.

The poll found that 72% of respondents believe Hamas was “correct” to launch its October 7 onslaught, with 82% in the West Bank and 57% in Gaza backing it.

The findings by a Palestinian pollster signal more difficulties ahead for the Biden administration’s postwar vision for Gaza and raise questions about Israel’s stated goal of eradicating Hamas.

Daniel Greenfield adds this point:

78% 'Palestinians' would vote for Hamas only 16% for the Palestinian Authority leader that Biden wants to put in charge of Gaza

Third, as for the massacre itself, Chris Cuomo saw the video and reported:

Today I was among the journalists who have attended a private screening of the raw footage of October 7th and I want to express to you what I saw since it’s not been made public. It’s been a very heavy day. A decision was made that Jews are less than human, and treated that way in words and deeds..I now know that’s exactly the message Hamas sent on purpose — at scale. I wasn’t aware of that before. I saw bodies were burned but I did not understand or appreciate how intentional the effort was - they did it methodically, you hear it in the voices, the commands the ease, the excitement of finding and mutilating victims.

Of course, every sentient being who has seen the tapes has had the same reaction. It’s time to stop pretending that it did not happen.

Fourth, regarding the arrant stupidity of American college students, George Will has this to say:

Today, the desire of Hamas to complete the Holocaust is applauded by moral cretins in academic cocoons (some Princetonians chanted “Globalize the intifada”), too uneducated to understand the grotesque pedigree of their enthusiasm.

Fifth, journalist Elad Simchayoff adds this to the mix:

This is a truly remarkable piece by @WSJ A poll of 250 American students showed vast majority support the “from the river to the sea” chant. 53% couldn’t name the river & sea. Some said Caribbean (?!) More than 10% thought Arafat was Israel’s first president (?!) More than 25% didn’t hear about the Oslo accords. After learning a handful of basic facts about the region, more than 67% said they now reject the chant.

Sixth, on the hypocrisy watch, John McWhorter writes this in the New York Times. He is emphasizing the different attitudes toward black and Jewish students in America's universities:

It surely feels like being on the right side of social justice these days means shielding Black students even from all but nonexistent harms while essentially telling Jewish students, who are being actually assailed verbally, to just grow up. But to train young people, or any people, to think of themselves as weak is a form of abuse.... [A]nyone who has made the mistake of thinking that a healthy Jewish soul must endure ongoing calls for the extermination of Israel might at least consider that a healthy Black soul can endure a sour tweet, a talk by someone who has opposed racial preferences and even the Mandarin expression 'nèi ge.'"

Seventh, one recalls, because one wrote about it a couple of days ago, that everyone hates China. Everyone also believes that China is imploding, and that we need not gin up our engines of competition to defeat it in the current clash of civilizations.

As I have pointed out, this feels a bit too much like wishful thinking.

Closer to home, the European Union has not been doing very well at all. They are our friends and allies, so it is unseemly to point it out, but still.

This from Nellie Bowles, for the Free Press TGIF.

The nations of Europe, which together have invented nothing except Ozempic in the last twenty years but remain very beautiful and very mean, gathered to ensure their losing streak continues. They put in some new artificial intelligence regulations and took a picture being so proud of themselves. First of all, I don’t actually know that there is anyone in Europe with the ambition and skill set required to build artificial intelligence of any consequence. And for me, this is good. We need artificial intelligence to be pioneered in America. Imagine French AI? It would be sexy, sure, but also rude, and then disappear all summer. You want some Italian AI screaming at you across the kitchen? Europe knows that. And so Europe said: we’ll sit this one out, by law. You’re welcome. 

Eighth, on the home front, and in the political arena, Donald Trump has been on a serious roll. He leads all Republicans and even leads Joe Biden in state polls.

And yet, Karl Rove raises a point that I have been pondering. Trump’s insistence on talking trash about other Republicans might very well come back to bite him. Remember that Ronald Reagan declared that the eleventh commandment ought to read: Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican. Dividing the party against itself does not feel like a good electoral strategy:

Then there’s Mr. Trump’s name-calling. He sarcastically intoned at a rally that his supporters shouldn’t call Chris Christie “a fat pig.” Ms. Haley is “Birdbrain.” Mr. DeSantis is “DeSanctimonious.” Mr. Trump claims each of his GOP opponents would be “a puppet nominee . . . who will do the Deep State’s bidding” and “get along with the sinister forces that are destroying our country.”

Mr. Trump has never been able to control his delight in lobbing slurs and abuse at his opponents, including Republican competitors and their grassroots backers and donors. It hasn’t hurt him in the GOP race so far, and it didn’t in 2016. Some of his most loyal supporters seem to delight in it.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a cost down the road. Front-runners should work to unite their party and make it easier for intraparty rivals and their supporters to come on board. Mr. Trump’s gutter assault on party rivals makes that much harder.

His scorched-earth attacks on his Republican challengers and their supporters could cost him the nomination or, worse, the general election.

Ninth, on the gender dysphoria front, that would be the transmania front, it turns out that the vast majority of children who think that they can change sex by changing their minds-- are really gay.

So, it’s all about homophobia. Who knew?

Canadian physician Roy Eappen explains:

Research shows that some 80% of children with “gender dysphoria” eventually come to terms with their sex without surgical or pharmaceutical intervention. Multiple studies have found that most kids who are confused or distressed about their sex end up realizing they’re gay—nearly two-thirds in a 2021 study of boys. This makes sense: Gay kids often don’t conform to traditional sex roles. But gender ideology holds that feminine boys and masculine girls may be “born in the wrong body.”

Tenth, on the therapy front, Abigail Shrier, author of the seminal work about transmania, entitled Irreversible Damage, makes the following observation about our lust for therapy:

America threw more preventative "mental health resources" at Gen Z than at any generation prior. Therapeutic techniques guided how these kids were parented. Our kids were treated to "Social Emotional Learning," and "Empathy Education," and "Restorative Justice" at school.

America threw more preventative "mental health resources" at Gen Z than at any generation prior.

Therapeutic techniques guided how these kids were parented. Our kids were treated to "Social Emotional Learning," and "Empathy Education," and "Restorative Justice" at school. 

Our mental health interventions were counterproductive: they made our kids sicker, sadder, and more afraid to grow up.

As it happens, Shrier is introducing us to her new forthcoming book, Bad Therapy. Dare I mention that I have gone over these points ad nauseam on my blog and on my Substack. Therefore, I am happy to encourage everyone to read her book.

Eleventh, the hot news of the week comes to us from Bill Clinton, of all people. A recent book claims that Bill Clinton was less than impressed by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. 

In his immortal words, that campaign "could not sell pussy on a troop train.” 

It’s about what you would expect from Bill Clinton.

Last, but not least, I am happy to announce that I have some free consultation hours for my coaching practice. If you are interested, contact me at StuartSchneiderman@gmail.com.