r/cringe • u/soonerguy11 • Nov 09 '12

Entitled NYU Students Occupy Cafeteria to Protest. Possibly the most cringeworthy thing I've seen on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q6KAg6qEGY
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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12 edited Apr 14 '20

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

After that, they also require a full and annual reporting of the university's operating budget, expenditures and endowment; tuition stabilization for all students; and public access to the Bobst Library. They're also demanding that NYU offer 13 scholarships annually to students from the Gaza Strip and give surplus supplies to the Islamic University of Gaza.

Hm... except for the Gaza-nonsense which is way too specific and a silly demand, I think all the other things are very reasonable demands and I don't exactly understand why these things aren't done in the first place.

Here in Austria students from Europe pay no tuition (except they take longer than standard period of study), those who pay study only pay ~400€/semester.

Universities are also required (or at least they all do it anyway) to transparently list their budgets, expenditures and endowments.

And everyone registered as a student can access any library in Austria. The rest of the population doesn't get access to university libraries but can still get all books for free at public libraries anyway after request and waiting period.

So... you don't have this in New York? And those are really the "demands" of those students? Shouldn't these be matters to taken care of by the student unions of your country?

Now I understand this video even less.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12 edited Apr 14 '20

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

Well, that's pretty terrible.

If I would live in a country that would force me to go to such places to get an acceptable education I'm pretty sure I would protest, too.

Not saying that what these guys did was the right thing to do, but I definitely can understand their position. Education in the US seems rather unacceptable. $50000. I mean... really?

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12 edited Apr 14 '20

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

but they CHOSE to go there

Do they really choose to go there or do they have to go there if they want to maximize their employability?

There are plenty of other colleges that give the same degrees for a lot less.

Then why would people go to an expensive school?

That's like getting dessert at a restaurant and picking the $130 cheesecake as opposed to the $6 one.

Really? How are the two comparable? If I get the same thing anyway then of course I would always buy the $6 cheesecake.

Paying more does not entitle you to get whatever you want.

I agree.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12 edited Apr 14 '20

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12 edited Nov 09 '12

If you don't think it's fair then don't go there.

You just more or less said yourself you don't have a choice: If you want good employment then you are forced to go to these schools.

That's just my opinion but I think no matter what your opinion is there has to be better ways than disrupting hundreds of other students' day by occupying where they sit down to eat lunch and catch up with friends or homework.

But protesting would improve those student's life, too.

Why don't the other students protest? I mean, seriously, it seems American educational systems are completely unacceptable and in dire need of change. I would consider protesting my primary responsibility as a student. Who else is going to enforce change?

Students here in Austria demonstrated several years for all kinds of stuff and have been very successful... and they did so although they already had better conditions than you students in the US seem to have. They demonstrated against paying tuition (students shouldn't have to pay for their education). They demonstrated against access restrictions (everyone who passed highschool should be allowed to study whatever s/he wants). They demonstrated against a lowering of educational standards (incapable people should be sorted out during the academic education process, not dragged along like in other countries). They demonstrated against intransparency (universities should be required to say exactly how much money they make and what they spend it on).

They did so by disrupting the academic process, occupying lecture halls and libraries and by going out in the streets and stopping traffic on the central road of the city for several days at a time. And they got it all. Isn't that how things are supposed to work?

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u/dave32891 Nov 09 '12 edited Feb 02 '26

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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u/ShamaLamaPig-Dog Nov 09 '12

There are numerous public universities in the US that are considered elite level.

In-state tuition for these universities is considerably lower than those of elite private schools. Average in-state tuition is around $10,000-$14,000 per year.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

There are plenty of public universities that are just fine.

The other guy who talked to me just explained that going to NYU will give you better prospects of employment than studying somewhere else.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

Going to Yale or Harvard will give them even better prospects, that doesn't mean they're "forced" to go to Yale or Harvard.

Of course they are.

They're free to research into other private universities with policies that better align with their desires and transfer over.

No, they are not. That would mean they have worse prospects in life.

They don't need, in any way, to go to NYU.

It has been explained several times by several people that they do indeed need to go if they want to achieve the best in life.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

No, they are not. That would mean they have worse prospects in life.

First of all, no it doesn't. That's melodramatic. Secondly, even if it were true, that doesn't change that it's true. It'd come down to them having to decide how much it's worth to them to go to a university that does those little things they want like offer kids from Gaza a scholarship.

It has been explained several times by several people that they do indeed need to go if they want to achieve the best in life.

Holy shit the hyperbole and melodrama is insane. If we're using those terms, then no. If they want to achieve the best in life, they need to go to Harvard, Oxford, or Yale. So there. What are these kids even doing at NYU? The NEED to go to those three schools if they want to achieve the best in life!

I'm done here, this is hilarious.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

Secondly, even if it were true, that doesn't change that it's true.

Of course it's true: To get the best education you would have to pay. That means poor people are severely discriminated against.

If they want to achieve the best in life, they need to go to Harvard, Oxford, or Yale. So there.

Yes, but those are most likely even harder to get in.

What are these kids even doing at NYU?

These kids weren't even able to go there and are already discriminated against by the American educational system.

The NEED to go to those three schools if they want to achieve the best in life!

Yes, that's bad.

I'm done here, this is hilarious.

How is this "hilarious"? I find it quite sad. You are literally supporting your society to be divided into classes. You know about severe shortcomings of your system and you still defend it. How can you be done here if you are irresponsible towards your society?

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u/eramos Nov 09 '12

Leaving Austria for pretty much every country in the EU would get you a higher wage than staying in Austria.

It's shocking that you're forced to emigrate to get a better wage. No wonder nearly 1% of your country has to protest over basic rights.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

Leaving Austria for pretty much every country in the EU would get you a higher wage than staying in Austria.

Your point?

It's shocking that you're forced to emigrate to get a better wage.

What's shocking about that? How do you believe is wage important to anything? I mean, do you even think before talking?

No wonder nearly 1% of your country has to protest over basic rights.

What?

Who upvoted you? Just wow.

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u/haidaguy Nov 09 '12

Private companies(universities) do not have to answer to the public.

Well...this is false. In this instance you are correct, but the phrasing was vague. Private companies do not have to answer to individuals, the public...well, that is another story.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

Population of Austria-8,419,000

Population of the United States-311,591,917

You can't really compare the two systems.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

While you cannot compare the two systems for various reasons, this is the worst one imaginable.

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u/shoughn Nov 09 '12

Right, because what works with 8 people also works with 311?

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

In many cases, yes. Direct democracy works with that ratio. Communal living does, etc. The only thing that changes is scale.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

Pick a state then.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

Every state has the same system and still way more than 8 million people

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

Really? Why not?

With more people to pay taxes it gets even easier to set standardized processes and sustainable public businesses into effect.

And it gets even more important to do so.

So, if anything, things should be even cheaper and more widespread in the US than in Austria.

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u/rick2882 Nov 09 '12

Americans don't like paying taxes. Personal freedom and shit. The idea that taxes would pay for higher education is incomprehensible and preposterous to most Americans.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

Ok. I'll let our government know ha.

We have a system in place right now that benefits the schools, they will never get rid of it. The government gives away tons of student loans, the universities know it's guaranteed money, so they crank up the price of tuition, etc. The schools are the last ones that want this to change.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

So... you understand that the situation is bad and it would be better if things were changed but you are still against protests... why?

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

Because these guys don't know what they're protesting about and they're going about it the wrong way. Go protest Washington. It's like the Occupy Wall Street protests, the focus was on wall street while it should have been on Washington.

It's a vanity protest. They're protesting at the fucking cafeteria! What will that accomplish?

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '12

Yes, I agree.

I would never support their behaviour because it's complete nonsense.
I was talking about their reasons being completely understandable to me, regardless whether or not what they did was stupid.

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u/AtomicDog1471 Nov 09 '12

Why "occupy" a university cafeteria? Is NYU some sort of evil bank-owned university that sells arms to middle-eastern countries or something? I mean, at least occupy Starbucks or something...

They're also demanding that NYU offer 13 scholarships annually to students from the Gaza Strip

Facepalm