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From: smithrd@gc49.UUCP (Randy D. Smith)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: good news...
Message-ID: <262@gc49.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 24-Apr-86 17:57:46 EST
Article-I.D.: gc49.262
Posted: Thu Apr 24 17:57:46 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 25-Apr-86 01:33:11 EST
References: <530@ucbjade.BERKELEY.EDU> <1588@ism780c.UUCP> <280@parcvax.Xerox.COM> <1950@ism780c.UUCP>
Reply-To: smithrd@gc49.UUCP (Randy D. Smith)
Organization: AT&T Technologies, Guilford Center, NC
Lines: 39

In article <1950@ism780c.UUCP> tim@ism780c.UUCP (Tim Smith) writes:
>
>I don't think disrupting a school is constructive.  If they want Berkely
>to divest, then they should convince the administration with rational
>arguments that it is in the interests of the school to do so.

I think the people who built the shanties at the University of North
Carolina were probably surprised that the Board of Governors agreed
to hear their rational arguments in a quiet, peaceful setting.  Really
threw them off guard at how human those administrators were.  Of course,
the decision of the Board of Governors after hearing their arguments
was to delay making a decision.  They thought it would be best to decide
at their next meeting on April 24.  Of course, classes end that day, and
the students would have exams and heading home to think about.  But the
Board had listened to their rational arguments, right??

> If the
>school does not agree with them, then they should refuse to associate
>with the school, not throw a tantrum.
>
>For example, if I found out that the supermarket I shop at ( Ralphs ) was
>helping to support apartheid, I would take my business to another
>supermarket, and let Ralphs know why...
>-- 
>Tim Smith       sdcrdcf!ism780c!tim || ima!ism780!tim || ihnp4!cithep!tim

Not a good analogy.  (1) Ralphs is presumably a *NON-GOVERNMENT-SUPPORTED*
business concern.  (2) The bond people build between themselves and their
schools is not at all like that between themselves and their grocery
stores (a closer analogy would have been possible if Ralphs were a co-op
that people had more of a vested interest in).  (3) Were picketers of
businesses that discriminated against blacks in the 60s wrong?  Should
they have limited themselves to a simple economic boycott, as you seem
to be suggesting?  Or did some good result from the consciousness-raising
that the picketing generated?
-- 
				Randy D. Smith	(919) 279-5312
			  AT&T Federal Systems, Guilford Center, NC
				    ...!ihnp4!gc49!smithrd