Passing along the halls of the College of Arts and Sciences this morning, I came across a flyer advertising a “teach-in” to be held next week. I am writing to express my frustration with having such a forum labeled a teach-in.
I have attended many of these “teach-ins” here at BU hoping I will actually be attending a proper teach-in. Instead, I have been subjected to one-sided, uninformed and often false justifications for radical beliefs. This is not to say that given the full information I would not agree with the positions expressed. The point is that these meetings are NOT TEACH-INS.
The teach-ins here at BU are often sponsored by would-be hippies, though they have obviously not researched the true meaning of the word. Teach-ins became famous in the 60s. Granted it was a “radical” time, but it does not mean they expressed only radical ideas. They did not take place in the manner many here at BU would have you believe. Teach-ins were long (often marathon) forays into the meaning and history behind controversial issues. They presented BOTH SIDES of an issue in great depth so that the attendees would come away with a broader understanding of the issue from which to draw their own conclusions.
I attended such a teach-in my freshman year as a student at Hofstra University in New York. The topic was the Kosovo crisis, a very serious and salient issue at the time. The forum lasted 10 hours, with nearly 20 professors offering very different interpretations and viewpoints about the subject — views as diverse as paralleling the situation to the Holocaust, the idea that social relativism should prevent U.S. intervention and a belief that the situation was part of a vast Russian conspiracy. We learned about the history of the area, the players involved and the various scenarios relating to consequences of U.S. action or inaction. I came away from that session with a much greater understanding of the issues and felt I had sufficient information to come to my own conclusions.
The “teach-ins” I have attended at BU have included only one side of an issue, usually hosting speakers who represent only the most radical factions. The purpose of these meetings is clearly to indoctrinate a particular viewpoint without reference to history, the facts or the opposing arguments.
So, in conclusion, please stop dishonoring the term “teach-in” by applying it to one-sided political brainwashing.
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