The Left Learns the Perils of Safety-ism—the Hard Way

The New Center: A Wednesday Newsletter From Sohrab Ahmari

It turns out that Audre Lord, the “Do-the-Work” guru of the identitarian left, was right about one important thing: You really can’t dismantle the master’s house using the master’s tools. It’s a lesson today’s university left is learning the hard way as their institutions crack down against their Gaza encampments and other protest activities—using the business end of the same “safety” and “harm” ideology that until recently was used mainly to discipline the populist right.

Witness the “reflection papers” student protesters have been forced to write as part of NYU’s punishment process. The instructions require students to “write a clear, well-developed response that demonstrates you have thought about all aspects of the issue/decision/behavior that resulted in your involvement with the Office of Student Conduct.” Specifically, students must ponder “who was affected by the incident,” including “you,” “others involved,” “property,” “the NYU community,” and “society as a whole.”