(From Press Release) – A coalition of student and community groups will be counter-protesting the Davis College Republican’s event for Milo Yiannopoulus at 6:30pm in front of the Science Lecture Hall 123. This coalition stands against the fascism, white nationalism, xenophobia, and misogyny which Milo advocates. We refuse to allow a platform to fascism, and will be intervening to ensure this event does not happen.
We argue that dedicating campus facilities and resources to host and therefore legitimize a white nationalist runs completely counter to the stated goals of the University of California and serves as a direct threat towards traditionally marginalized groups on campus. If the University of California, Davis is indeed committed to “maintaining a climate of equity and justice demonstrated by respect for one another,” then campus administrators must rescind the use of campus facilities for this event and condemn the presence of white supremacy on campus.
In lieu of administrative intervention, we the community will unite to ensure that we protect those who are most vulnerable. After the election of Donald Trump, an individual who mirrors Yiannopoulos’ platform in many ways, we’ve seen a sharp increase in attacks on women, queer, and POC people right here in Davis. This protest will be one step towards ensuring the safety and protection of these community members.
For more information please contact:
SDS: Students for a Democratic Society
SWERV: Students and Workers Ending Racial Violence
There was a letter to the editor from the Yolo Rainbow Families coordinator in the Enterprise today, which stated:
How would Yolo Rainbow Families have the University do this? I watched the video of the Wisconsin Milo Y. talk, and the person targeted by the joke, which was offensive, wasn’t in attendance. Should the campus police have stopped his talk just before he uttered the words? If Milo Y. verbally attacks someone in the audience, would they have the police make a judgement call and arrest Milo Y.? Stop him from talking? If an adult is not ready and able to handle being attacked by a known provocateur, why would they go to his talk and expose themselves to him?
I have watched several videos of him and I find him at times offensive, but no more so than many edgy comedians. In interacting with people, he uses the same disabling tactic that Rush Limbaugh uses: he gets people emotionally upset, then tears them to pieces. The average Limbaugh call was under two minutes as he hung up on them when they were so upset they could no longer defend themselves and either startied yelling or could no longer put together a cohesive argument.
I figured out Limbaugh’s tactic in the early 90’s when he was at KFBK in Sacramento. I called him, and when he tried to bait me I backed off and didn’t bite. We then had a very pleasant and funny five minute talk. He realized, either consciously or subconsciously, that I had figured out his game.
In watching videos of Milo Y. appearances, I found I agreed with a lot more of Milo Y’s political points than I would have been led to believe from reading letters and articles about his appearances. He is extremely talented at baiting people into becoming extremely upset and then tearing them to pieces. Rather than fight him, a much more effective tactic would be to not react to him. There will always be bullies in the world, like it or not; best not to play into their game.
Alan – I’m pro-free speech. However, having had a lot of conversations, I think people who have non-traditional gender identification and sexual orientation feel very vulnerable right now. I also think people are looking for a fight right now and he’s the one thing that’s not 3000 miles away. I would argue therefore – you are taking their fight too literally.
I agree with most of what you said. As you say, some people are looking for a fight. Milo Y. is a very skilled fighter. Given that he just signed a $250,000 book deal, he doesn’t appear to be losing the fight. I agree much more with the tactic presented in the recent Phoenix Coalition letter that spoke of concern for Milo Y.’s views and questioning the motives behind the invitation. They stopped short of calling for him not to speak.
I imagine it’s quite a scene on the west side of campus about now. I’ll keep my distance.
Yeah I decided to go out to eat with my family rather than cover it
Alan and David… think you have both chosen “the better part”…
http://abc7news.com/uncategorized/uc-davis-cancels-milo-yiannopoulos-martin-shkreli-event-after-protests/1701927/
I guess he wasn’t so tough after all. Hilarious.
How so? I’m sure he would have spoken. He doesn’t seem to fear anyone (and he probably should). The College Republicans reportedly cancelled the event after consulting with the UCD police.
This hasn’t even begun to play out.
Alan… one of the early accounts was the jerk tried to ‘plow his way thru the crowd’, but that was an ‘early’ account, so I don’t put much stock in it… you are correct… this has a long way to go to “play out”…
According to the info Don posted, there were some “violent interactions’… Milo got his way… the protesters should take great “pride”, in handing the jerk additional publicity/notoriety.
Well done protesters…
Another link… https://www.facebook.com/CBSSacramento/videos/10154123514455671/
Howard, you are quoting Milo, and what he said is simply not true, unsurprisingly, in his usual inflammatory style,
While the ACTUAL report was:
“A UC Davis police spokesperson says there were no broken windows and no reports of hammers. One person was reportedly arrested inside of a building during a security sweep for resisting arrest.”
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/milo-yiannopoulos-martin-shkreli-uc-davis-event-canceled/
Actually, I was not… was quoting KGO (Don’s link)[early reports]… and there was pushing and shoving (apparently misreported as ‘violence’, in the original KGO account)[you can see some of the pushing and shoving in the link I cited… not a lot, but it happened]… I wrote nothing of hammers nor broken windows [reread my posts, if you are capable]… when I read about that (hammers and stuff), it was also in the context that they were untrue statements, attributed to the jerk and refuted by UCD police… I am so disinclined to quote anything the jerk spews, your post about me quoting him is both laughable, and personally offensive, to a high degree.
Please get real, and get your hands out of my mouth… have a good evening… (and remember, your ‘free speech’ gives you NO right to attribute to me quotes I did not make… think they call that ‘faux news’)
Howard
Take it easy .
Just don’t like someone putting words in my mouth/posts that aren’t there… I hate/resent (yeah, that’s the emotions) “bullies’, and was feeling bullied…
Thank you for the thought, Jerry (sincerely/appreciated)… I’ll pet the dog and ‘chill’. you actually made a good call about my reaction… still working on my two new year resolutions… to be more of the adult, and to stop making new year resolutions.
Howard
Not wort it. Myself I got excited as well once a while and I am asking myself later : What for ? This Milo does not give a damn about anybody . His is Milo . Th UC Davis YR should condemn themselves for damn idea to stir the pot with Milo .
Not sure why you are so defensive. You used the word “violence” and the only one in the KGO report that used that word was Milo himself. Instead of becoming so offended, perhaps reread your own post. I’m glad you are “so disinclined” to quote the jerk — I completely agree. But a bit more circumspection is perhaps called for here?
I will also note that you cite the jerk by name… please note I have consistently refused to, as I don’t want it to give him any credibility/publicity/notoriety. You have, by using his name, perhaps given him yet more publicity… I refuse to do so…
FRIDAY AND 13th . Finally somebody took care of the Milo Garbage Pail Kid
http://gpknews.com/2016/09/topps-and-riot-fest-team-up-to-offer-exclusive-gpk-set/mad-milo/
http://geepeekay.com/
Why did this article vanish from the list of articles today?
I am liking Hexter’s take on this:
Disgusted by the protestors. Not for being there, for shutting it down. Fools. You played right into his hands, and you don’t even know it.
That would be a good follow up… from what I read/saw, half the accounts said UCD cancelled it, the other half say the YR did… it’s still early, ‘tho… suspect the truth is somewhere in between…
Oh, and I agree, as I previously posted, they did indeed play into his hands, yet I got labelled as supporting the jerk’s contentions… whatever…
Alan
Two thoughts regarding your posts of yesterday.
“If Milo Y. verbally attacks someone in the audience, would they have the police make a judgement call and arrest Milo Y.?”
Now that is an interesting question. I would say the answer is, it depends. What if his “verbal attack” stops just short of a direct call for someone to physically attack the person, but someone takes it upon themself to do so….sort of the tactic used by the president elect when he would say during rallies that an individual should have been “roughed up”. What if he praises that kind of violence in the past and suggests ( but does not demand ) that it is what real men do and should do now. It is indeed a judgement call and this is exactly what we pay the police to do to prevent physical attacks. It is their job after all to prevent violence and maintain the peace.
“Disgusted by the protestors. Not for being there, for shutting it down. Fools. You played right into his hands, and you don’t even know it.”
I think that your disgust is misdirected. Here is my read on disgusting in this case.
1. The event was not cancelled by the protesters. The Young Republicans made the invitation – disgusting. MY – disgusting for profiting from exploiting other people’s fears. Campus approval of the event – reasonable in my opinion but still disgusting since they had only disgusting choices placed before them. Protesters – misguided since the protest should have come as a direct counter to his words, not in advance. But please note that the protesters had no power to “cancel” anything. If one is going to be “disgusted” by the cancellation, that should be directed towards whomever did make the call, whether the administration in consultation with the police or MY in consultation with his handlers/security.
Finally, how do we know if gaining publicity was the intent, not specifically for MY but for the protesters themselves, not individually for profit, but to demonstrate the power of their collective voices ? I would not claim to know all of the intentions of those who took action so as to be able to determine whether or not they were played, or whether the ultimate play out will be exactly as intended by the protesters.
The more these emotionally skewed portrayals and the veiled intolerance behind them are put out there, the more they undermine their own causes, imo. Vulnerable or just hypersensitive? I have personally seen many such charges taken out of context and then given a life of their own, inciting a reactive sort of fear and loathing of which they then claim to be the victims. “Anti-fascist” in this case seems to be a bit of a Freudian slip. Are these invites done partly out of spite or to prove a point? Perhaps. But possibly also because the likes of Milo can so easily push the buttons that have been so adeptly installed in these young peoples’ psyches through years of social conditioning and programming for useful triggering when some aspect of a broader agenda is threatened.
Free speech includes that which one may find repugnant. So who becomes the arbiter of what qualifies as inciteful speech? The offended? That’s become a pretty low bar in some locales.