AIBU to say that graduation ceremonies are not the place to make political statements?

[anythingbutlillies]

Hard hat on.

DC's graduation today. Fabulous day, but it did not sit well with me that a few chose to unfurl a flag / raise a scarf while they were on the stage.
Just no! So very selfish.

Interested to hear if I am being precious?

Agree. There are serious issues going on in the world right now but the relentlessness of the messaging is just too much sometimes. And I think in the end, it's counterproductive.

If they’re just doing it during their moment on stage I don’t think it’s an issue, unless it’s something offensive

Why was it selfish? It was their graduation ceremony not yours.

Assuming the flags etc were pro Palestinian, I wonder how that made Jewish students feel.

It was actually the ceremony for a few hundred grads.
It takes significantly longer to get your flag out, unfurl it, hold it up and stand there awaiting additional applause than the normal process. Imagine if they all did that! So yes, selfish.

It takes longer than their 'moment' though.

Also, It was such a joyous day, it was wrong to upset the vibe.

Exactly this.
I know, just no need. My DC felt awful for their Jewish friend who was alongside them in the queue.

It's easy for you to say if none of those issues concern you. If your dad is in Ukraine or your aunt in Gaza right now, of course you want to honour them when you get a tiny chance

I agree, these grads are making it all about themselves, it's really not a good look and can be counter productive for the cause they are trying to promote/publicise/whatever.
And at worst, it's very cringey.

What if your aunt was one of the majority who voted for a proscribed terrorist organisation to govern them? Would you be looking to honour her? If so why?

Students have always been political, its traditional, and in my opinion great that they care.

All the pro-Palestian YouTubers I watch are Jewish. Jews are not be nature fond of killing people

Good a place as any I guess. Not something I’d personally get upset about but even if you do, I’d try and focus on the positives; aren’t we lucky to live in a country where people are able to make selfish political statements without fear of being thrown in jail?

I wonder how many of the flags and scarves at the ceremony were Ukrainian, probably zero. Universities need to be stricter about performative political statements at ceremonies such as graduations. Why is it seen as acceptable to allow behaviour which intimidates and bullies a proportion of other students?

Yabu. University is supposed to be about individual thinking, freedom of speech / discussion and open debate.

How on earth do you know what knowledge or experience any protesters might have had?

I admire people who take a stand and who are not afraid to invite criticism and judgment in the hope of making the world a better place.

Considering what's going on in Gaza it's shocking that so few of us take a stand and so many actually don't care and resent being reminded of all the suffering that is going on. Is continuing to live in your bubble at all times really more important than what Palestinians are going through now? If you were living in Gaza wouldn't you wonder who these people are around the world who are happily going on with their lives while they are dying, starving and losing their loved ones?

Jews are not the Israeli government. They shouldn't feel uncomfortable and obviously many of them don't support their government's atrocities in Gaza.

There are a few kids from Russian backgrounds in my dc's school but still at every school performance one of the kids reminds the audience to think about the plight of people in Ukraine. Is that in bad taste as well?

I'm not somebody who takes a stand usually. I hate fuss and I hate drawing people's attention but I admire and I'm grateful to those that do.

At DD’s graduation students were warned that their degree would be revoked if there was any nonsense at the ceremony. What if everyone waved a flag of some sort?

It shouldn’t be allowed at graduation ceremonies. It also doesn’t make a difference to the folks in Palestine anyway. Some student holding a flag is utterly pointless.

Yeah. I don't know why people have so much trouble understanding that a ceremony like this is for everyone there, and they are not all going to share your political views.

How will this improve anything or do anything other than piss off people who are there to watch their child graduate?

Pure virtue signalling. I'm sure they felt very righteous and that's what really matters.

IME, the pro-Palestine protestors are precisely the kind of students who like to try to cancel academics whose views they don’t like. I know two wrongs don’t make a right, but some self-awareness on their part would be welcome.

I think future generations will wonder why we didnt feel the need to do something, even something silly, just to show that we don't agree with the killing, starving and maiming of an entire people, including children. And they will judge us for being so absorbed in our own little, pathetic lives that we didn't even want to know.

Education itself is political and it's students that are at the heart of political movements.
As for Jewish students - Zionism does NOT equate to Judaism, a Palestinian flag should not be offensive to a Jewish person. Israel is an occupational force commiting genocide and if the flag of the people being targeted is offensive then those people need to look at themselves.