“Dueling Protests!”

I arrived at the LionPAC-sponsored “Rally of Solidarity and Peace for Israel and its Neighbors” a bit before noon, and found about 50 (it later swelled to about 100) participants gathered around the American and Israeli flags on the sundial. By 12:10, a succession of well-prepared speakers was flowing as the crowd chatted, cheered, and waved signs and efficiently distributed Israeli flags. The Columbia University Community Stands With Gaza coalition, although it was unable to formally reserve space, mustered more than 50 members, its own American flag, three full-size Palestinian flags, and a bevy of posters to form a silent presence at the base of the Low Plaza steps. Each group was organized, mannerly, knowledgeable, and picturesque. Each stuck like glue to its end of the space.

Between the two crowds and off to the side (a few feet from a nervous-looking group of administrative reps—“We’re the human line!” I heard one woman chirp to another) stood a gaggle of students holding up another sign. Made of all-caps printouts taped to brown cardboard, it read, “We condemn Hamas terror against Israelis. We condemn the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza by the Israeli military. We call for constructive conversation amongst Columbia students. Sign here if you’re interested.” Those holding it explained that they’re an informal collection of students who didn’t feel comfortable allying themselves with either side. They’re not sure what their plans are yet—they might start with a meeting on Thursday—but what they are sure of is that what they saw today isn’t constructive. They want to sponsor bipartisan discussions “rather than standing on opposite sides and screaming,” Eliana Horn, CC ‘11, said. She looked over toward the steps. “Or not screaming. There’s more nuance and complexity than, ‘I’m on a side.’”

This is becoming a familiar refrain both in the context of the current Gaza debate and in broader terms of Columbia activism, but she’s absolutely right. I spoke to ralliers on each side, and the majority were incredibly thoughtful and well-informed. Many took care to say that they “also” consider themselves pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian, that they just want to see the violence end. Just about everyone, in fact, used the word “dialogue” when asked where they’d like to see the campus go from here. So why this?

Protests and rallies can be effective tools—at their best, they showcase a critical mass of voices that are going unheard. They demonstrate to the apathetic and the powerful that more is required from them. That’s not what we’re looking at here. I welcome the idea of like-minded students gathering together for their own comfort as they grapple with a painful and difficult issue, but those doing so must recognize that it does not constitute activism. They are not changing minds, let alone realities—in fact, rallies seem more likely to alienate others from the ralliers’ point of view and trivialize the issues they’re promoting. In more than an hour, I saw only a handful of passersby even pause by the sundial to see what was being said. “Dueling protests!” one girl shouted, rushing past to meet a friend. “I love dueling protests!” I’m tired of seeing important issues become punchlines.

Dialogue, of course, is muddy and slow and easy to bog down. Town halls can lose focus. Panels can devolve into snarkfests over who should and shouldn’t be represented. Small coalitions can be powerless; large ones can be gormless. But Columbians can be—and routinely are—creative enough to move past that. Lucha regularly does awareness-raising work on the subways, sharing information with those who might not otherwise have access to it. Queer Awareness Month, the College University College Democrats, and the Columbia University College Republicans came together in a debate this fall to put queer issues into conversation with presidential politics. SCEG offers guided tours of Manhattanville to publicize the problems it and its neighborhood allies have with the University’s expansion plan. This campus’ activists are too smart and too passionate to continue stymieing the very issues they care most about.

Avi Edelman, CC ‘11, standing with the brown-sign kids in the middle of College Walk, framed our position best: “How can we expect the leaders of these nations to do that [negotiate] if we can’t even get the students on this campus to critically engage?”

Good question.

The author is a Columbia College sophomore. She is the co-editor of the Commentariat, the official blog of Spectator Opinion.