This excerpt is from a story in The Daily, the University of Washington’s student newspaper, that was published online on May 2, 2024 (read it here):
James Pfeiffer, professor of global health at UW, encourages people on campus to go down and engage with the encampment and in dialogue with protesters.
“Go talk to some students,” Pfeiffer said. “As long as you are not being openly hostile, people should go and talk to them and learn from them to understand what they are doing, why they care, and why it’s so important to them.”
Pfeiffer has biked past the encampment each day on his way to and from work.
“I was there yesterday and I was blown away by what I saw,” Pfeiffer said. “I saw circles of students and study groups talking about heavy issues … what a fantastic thing to be happening at a university.”
Yeah, until somebody holds up a phone and starts videorecording:
I don’t know when this YouTube video was made; it was posted on YouTube on May 8, 2024, which is 6 days after The Daily story. I stumbled on it while surfing YouTube, a frequent pastime of mine.
The blurb under the video identifies the man in the video as Dr. Pfeiffer. He matches Dr. Pfeiffer’s photo on his UW website page (here), so I don’t doubt it’s him. And there’s no doubt he’s pro-protesters, not someone who just bikes by the encampment; see video here.
Now let’s talk about dialogue.
There’s very little dialogue about politically-charged subjects these days, and a lot of people talking past each other. That’s what this is in the video. About the only people you can discuss political issues with are people who agree with you. It seems that in our country opinions are set in concrete.
Which is all fine and good. People have a right to their views. But don’t go around saying “go talk to some students” and then do this.
I have nothing against Dr. Pfeiffer. I’ve never met him. I think his academic role, global health, is highly important work. He’s the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for his academic department, and I support that. I probably agree more than disagree with him on Israel-Palestinian issues, too. But I’m against hypocrisy.
I don’t know the backstory of this confrontation. I won’t assume the “student” provoked protesters or Dr. Pfeiffer. I’m a lawyer, and trained to deal in facts and evidence, so my position on that is, I don’t know. Often more went on than you see in an edited video, but I don’t know what led up to this encounter. But I deeply question Dr. Pfeiffer losing his cool the way he did here.
This isn’t the right occasion for me to lay out my views on the campus protests around the country, but I will say this: The YouTuber’s blurb referring to “the Hamas encampment” on the UW campus is a smear. Protesters have been called antisemitic, and that’s a smear. Being against the war in Gaza isn’t pro-Hamas. Disapproving of Israel’s actions in Gaza isn’t approving the Oct. 7 atrocities committed by Hamas.
The issues are complicated, and that’s why there’s plenty of room for dialogue. What’s lacking is people willing to engage in it, and I’m saying that of both sides. Of course, it’s easy for me to sit here posting this on a blog where nobody can reply to me, and I’m conscious of that. I’ll just say that I don’t believe there’s any writing skill I have, or magic wand I can wave, to get people to talk to each other. It’ll happen only if they want to.
What comes to my mind right now is a poem from another war and another time of antiwar protests. It goes:
If you are able, save them a place inside you,
And save one backward glance when you are leaving,
for the places they can no longer go.
Be not ashamed to say you loved them,
though you may, or may not have always.
Take what they have left, and what they have
taught you with their dying, and keep it as your own.
And in that time that when men decide, and feel safe,
to call the war insane, take one moment,
to embrace these gentle heroes you left behind.
It was written in January 1970 by U.S. Army Major Michael Davis O’Donnell, who was killed in action two months later. While it’s not very directly in point, I’m posting it here because of its theme, which is to take what you can learn from others and “keep it as your own.” It’s a plea from a soldier, at a time when America reviled its soldiers sent to fight an unpopular war. It’s a plea for dialogue.
Supporters of Israel and Palestinians don’t have to be against each other. I see a bridge; it’s our common humanity. People engaging with each other through rational discussion is what makes understanding possible.