Talking politics in the Ballroom
ill Ayers, an educator in Illinois, was on campus last Thursday.
Ryan Johnson
Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: News
Two days later, he decided to take part in a sit-in that ended up getting 39 people including Ayers arrested. He served 10 days in a county jail for the stunt, and said it showed him how outnumbered his side really was at the time.
"The myth is that everyone knew that the war was wrong," he said. "There were only 39 of us, and maybe a couple hundred at the rally."
He added that the majority of his campus opposed his group's actions against the war.
Most people would now say that the Vietnam War was a mistake, but he said that wasn't the view at the time. He said that there's a parallel between that situation and the current Iraq War, which has dwindled in popularity since beginning over five years ago.
He said much like the criticisms of today against those who promoted slavery in America in the 1800s, more people say they would stand up against the injustice than actually would have happened at the time. Ayers challenged the crowd to "link our consciousness with our conduct."
He said that he is often asked what someone should do to get involved, since they can't do everything alone. "My answer to that is can you do anything, because anything is all that's required," he said. "Where are we in history and what is history demanding of us?"
Audience questions
Many of the audience's questions were about his views on the current list of presidential candidates. Another issue brought up was Ayers' own infamous past in the Weather Underground, including his part in bombings of government buildings by the group.
A question about some of his quotes in newspapers in recent years suggesting that he didn't have remorse for his actions resulted in a quick conversation about his past and how it fits into his life as an activist.
He said he's often asked if he regrets his actions. "My response is you can't be 63 and not have regrets," he replied.
But he also pressed for historical understanding of the group and its work. "The U.S. government was killing 2,000 people a week on a lie," he said. "To call that violence in comparison to 2,000 people a week being murdered strikes me as odd."
Open discussion
Ayers said in an interview with The Dakota Student after the presentation that he was glad that everyone, both supporters and opponent, had decided to come see him that night. "People should disagree. I'm glad the kids came," he said, referring to members of conservative student organizations that were at the event before walking out as he answered an audience question.
"I don't think we can move forward if we don't have dialogue," he added.
Ultimately, Ayers said that he hoped people that saw him speak would walk away with a simple lesson - "Be a moral person."
"The myth is that everyone knew that the war was wrong," he said. "There were only 39 of us, and maybe a couple hundred at the rally."
He added that the majority of his campus opposed his group's actions against the war.
Most people would now say that the Vietnam War was a mistake, but he said that wasn't the view at the time. He said that there's a parallel between that situation and the current Iraq War, which has dwindled in popularity since beginning over five years ago.
He said much like the criticisms of today against those who promoted slavery in America in the 1800s, more people say they would stand up against the injustice than actually would have happened at the time. Ayers challenged the crowd to "link our consciousness with our conduct."
He said that he is often asked what someone should do to get involved, since they can't do everything alone. "My answer to that is can you do anything, because anything is all that's required," he said. "Where are we in history and what is history demanding of us?"
Audience questions
Many of the audience's questions were about his views on the current list of presidential candidates. Another issue brought up was Ayers' own infamous past in the Weather Underground, including his part in bombings of government buildings by the group.
A question about some of his quotes in newspapers in recent years suggesting that he didn't have remorse for his actions resulted in a quick conversation about his past and how it fits into his life as an activist.
He said he's often asked if he regrets his actions. "My response is you can't be 63 and not have regrets," he replied.
But he also pressed for historical understanding of the group and its work. "The U.S. government was killing 2,000 people a week on a lie," he said. "To call that violence in comparison to 2,000 people a week being murdered strikes me as odd."
Open discussion
Ayers said in an interview with The Dakota Student after the presentation that he was glad that everyone, both supporters and opponent, had decided to come see him that night. "People should disagree. I'm glad the kids came," he said, referring to members of conservative student organizations that were at the event before walking out as he answered an audience question.
"I don't think we can move forward if we don't have dialogue," he added.
Ultimately, Ayers said that he hoped people that saw him speak would walk away with a simple lesson - "Be a moral person."
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