Journalist, author, and Harvard Divinity School graduate Christopher Hedges addressed Occupy Harvard last night before a lecture at Harvard University, and before abandoning his room at the Harvard Faculty Club to spend the night in a tent in occupied Harvard Yard. Here’s video of what he had to say:
12 Responses to “Christopher Hedges at Occupy Harvard”
on November 29th, 2011 at 8:10 am #
[…] Christopher Hedges at Occupy Harvard This entry was posted in Boston and tagged defend-freedom, harvard-faculty, hedges, […]
how many people are there? 10? 5?
As a Harvard graduate who always felt out of place while I was there — and only gradually realized that the bright public school kids like myself were no more than window dressing at an institution devoted to grooming the next generation of the plutocracy — I applaud Chris Hedges for telling it like it is. I also applaud the current generation of Harvard undergraduates for being at the forefront of the Occupy movement, which is very much in contrast with my own student days in the 1960’s, when Harvard lagged years behind institutions like Berkeley and Columbia. I wish them all the best.
I’d ask you then- would not rather see the young future leaders of Harvard join the Occupy Boston movement, and serve the greater whole rather than just the Harvard University?
It seems rather….comical honestly that they have their own micro- movement with its own micro-issues when this is a macro issue.
he seems really gung ho- other than only spending one night. Did he elaborate on why only one night?
What a farce! Occupy Harvard is a gated community with security guards at checkpoints 24 hours a day! This is genius on the part of the university in that they’re protecting their golden gooses with their golden trust fund eggs… God forbid someone breaks out in a rash! What rebels! Showers, hot meals, state of the art tents… nice bathrooms… Real edgy…
$
If these kids had any gumption, they’d be down in Dewey Square with the real occupiers… Nice gesture on Hedges’ part to bed down with these poseurs.
So I’m in this other place pretty much unrelated to Occupy whatever but somehow people travel in the same circles and all go to Occupy Boston. Someone mentions doing something with their friend from HDS and strangely I knew exactly what it stood for. This Christopher Hedges person is also from Harvard Divinity School and I get the feeling much of Occupy Boston centers around it. We do all travel in the same circles or in my case avoid the circles and avoid my family and my caste. Now we have a private Occupy movement in Harvard Yard with people expected to come around to the rear entrance to visit or pay their respects or whatever. And now we are going to have Newt Gingrich for president. Probably for 8 years.
“Harvard Divinity School graduate.. abandoning his room at the Harvard Faculty Club to spend the night in a tent..”
.
Or as Jesus Christ would say; “Dude there’s this big booger type thing in your eye.”
The movement has taken on the slogan “Occupy Everywhere”. (see Democracy Now http://www.democracynow.org/2011/11/25/occupy_everywhere_michael_moore_naomi_klein ) In this sense, everyone is entitled to make a statement about whatever place or institution that will shed light on the victims and the perpetrators of the inequality. Chris Hedges is a hero and was one of the first public voices that gave credibility to the movement at its inception as he immediately understood its power. He is one of the people who forged the path for the movement, like our beloved Howard Zinn.
Harvard represents many aspects of the movement today. During the 80’s anyone could walk through Harvard yard, and attend socialist meetings that were held there. The whole atmosphere changed in Harvard Square as the commercial facade masked the growing divide between the rich and the poor and the dumming down of society. The safety of female students was threatened and security was increased in Harvard Yard.
As an institution of learning, it attracted brilliant people. Luminaries of the movement towards sustainability came out of Harvard, despite the policies that plague its ethical standards. Consider the former Harvard economics professor, Jeffrey Sachs, who now heads the Earth Institute at Columbia University. His books are: “The End of Poverty”; “Commonwealth”; and the latest, “The Price of Civilization”. He left Harvard for The Earth Institute to deal with the pressing issues of the day, the global crisis and the immediate need for practices in sustainability.
We need to stay on track.
“the commercial facade masked the growing divide between the rich and the poor and the dumming down of society. The safety of female students was threatened and security was increased in Harvard Yard.”
.
Would you Harvard people please stop acting like you are so high and moral and are victims like the rest of us? One of my daughter’s friends had to walk the same streets and wait for her school bus in the same area her father had been shot and killed by an enemy street gang. This was when she was 8 years old. Can’t you at least let us have the dignity that comes not being part of your system of privilege? Do you have to also steal this last thing from us?
I’m sorry I worded that badly. Not a Harvard person myself but have friends who went to the business school, medical school and the divinity school…. What I meant to say regarding the security, I remember going on campus 25 years ago for talks or gatherings, music, and didn’t have to show an I.D. Now it seems you need a Harvard I.D. and I figured it was due to the attacks on women. Of course, all over the city women, men and children should feel safe. Over the last 30 years, as the middle and poor classes have seen little room for improvement, social services were cut and crime increased. The Wall St. Gang is responsible for sucking away the prosperity that is the right of all classes.
I’d ask *you* then- would not rather see the young future leaders of Harvard join the Occupy Boston movement, and serve the greater whole rather than just the Harvard University?
It seems rather….comical honestly that they have their own micro- movement with its own micro-issues when this is a macro issue.