“Men and women rarely admit their fear of freedom openly, however, tending rather to camouflage it—sometimes unconsciously—by presenting themselves as defenders of freedom…But they confuse freedom with the maintenance of the status quo;” – Paulo Freire, Preface, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

  I have been trying to wrap my head around what not only the admin at Oregon State University is saying it’s doing for “freedom of expression” but also, the empty echoes that reverberate around the country from the top outward that have escalated since October 2023. I fucking despise it. 

  Sure, the dealings in half-truths and outright lies are what institutions were built on. They don’t have to be though. Especially when these institutions also needed to draw people to them based on “values”. These values so to speak on the university level are “Critical Inquiry”, “Academic Freedom” and “Freedom of Expression” according to Oregon State. However, in stating these values, in an email from the Vice President’s office, the very next line is that they are constrained in the ways they can meet the encampment’s demands. So your hands are tied? Like the way in which the IOF ties the hands of Palestinians they are forcibly detaining in the prison camps? Or in a different way, Rob? As I was then referred to the website where I got reference materials from (CIRCULAR REASONING!!!!), I won’t wait for a second reply. 

  These purported values are nowhere to be seen as the admin retaliates against those on the SUPER Oregon State negotiating team. The student code of conduct charges being used against them are as follows: 

 4.3 (5c) Disruptive or Disorderly Conduct 

 4.3 (12) Failure to Comply 

 4.3 (16) Unauthorized Access or Use 

 4.3 (23) Other University Policies 

 4.3 (25) Collusion 

 This is cop shit. Oppressor shit. What are the other policies?  Also, who are they colluding with? WHO IS IT? Are you using the same shit as the ICJ defense? ***bangs head on keyboard ****

All of this, while the reason for our solidarity, Palestinians are being subjected to conditions that no person should have to deal with in their lifetimes. More and more “war crimes” are going unchecked (hospitals targeted and taken out, blocking and targeting of humanitarian aid) and this admin can only do so much. Sorry. Sad face emoji. Oh we are late to indigenous teach in workshop.