Student Unrest

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31681, 17 May 1968, Page 10

Student Unrest

Sir, —Student unrest, like the restlessness of the rest of society, can be cured only by introducing economic democracy. Power remains in the hands of the wealthy, and our limited social democracy only pretends to be government for the people. The ugly scenes when a student demonstration was broken up in London showed the transition of the police from their proper role of protecting the community to one of defending privilege. The television item justified my opposition to demonstrations by showing how police brutality is provoked: vicious baton attacks on unarmed students, putting the boot in, and dragging by the hair. Poverty amid plenty; gross inefficiency in production, distribution, and exchange because private enterprise has frittered away our great technological advances; racial intolerance; the inevitable resort to war to keep capitalism viable—all could be solved if students concentrated on working calmly for socialism. —Yours, etc., VARIAN J. WILSON. May 16, 1968.

Sir, —The like of “Discipline” and “Peace with Honour” are like ostriches. They have little contact with reality or the outside world except through their television. They accept the status quo without question, but are outraged by youths’ refusal to do the same. It never occurs to them to question why youth is in rebellion; it is much easier to stick to their old conservative concepts of our society. Their lack of effort to understand will only lead them to further frustration, and for some to join the growing numbers in mental institutions. Our society has grown into a selfish, business-obsessed, decadent rat race. There is no stable human relationship, no love, but only hate and a striving for personal success. Our films, magazines, and

advertising are riddled with sex and one-upmanship, but society wants only your money, not indulgence. That is why we must go on to the streets.—Yours, etc., P. G. SUTTON. May 16, 1968.

Sir, —Tom Beer explains student power, tritely telling us student unrest is nothing new. This old form of student youth, aware that it has to get out of a chrysalis, that it is changing mentally, and that the change means get going to keep up with the world, feels so inadequate to do the latter that it cries aloud for the ever-changing world to change pleasantly in its own direction. It attributes its own nausea to outside influences and transfers it there to snipe at. Tom Beer proclaims: “Power lies in the streets.” That is the trite conclusion about an avant-garde. There have always been guttersnipers, caterpillars which have never got themselves beyond the chrysalis stage, and bog themselves down as a permanent rearguard.—Yours, etc., A. B. CEDARIAN. May 16, 1968.