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ShaquilleProfittSecondEssay 3 - 20 May 2024 - Main.EbenMoglen
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The Quiet Rebellion: Interpreting Bellerophon Taming Pegasus in the Context of Censorship | | | Over the last months, we have witnessed both the rise of dissent and the decline of free speech. Student protests have demonstrated that universities are not insulated from the broader societal and economic challenges affecting them. Indeed, activism on Columbia’s campus is not new. In 1968, students created handwritten flyers inviting people to join in solidarity to voice concerns over Columbia University stealing land and resources from nearby Harlem. The flyers boldly proclaimed, “Stop Columbia’s Gym Crow” and “The big steal is on.” This demonstration sparked one of the largest protests and mass arrests in NYC. Columbia’s proposal to build what activists characterized as a segregated gymnasium in city-owned Morningside Park ignited outrage within the Harlem community. Students staged a takeover of Hamilton Hall, holding a dean hostage for 24 hours, while hundreds of students later occupied five campus buildings. The echoes of the 1968 protest may have faded with time, but the legacy continues to resonate today on the South Lawn with students of all views using their voices to protest. These students refused to stand silent amidst the excessive and pervasive police presence on campus. I hope their refusal to remain silent will inspire others to rise against the specter of increasing authoritarianism.
In the shadow of Bellerophon, the recent events and arrests on Columbia’s campus underscore the critical importance of safeguarding free speech. As we navigate these turbulent times, let us draw inspiration from the courage of students before us. By steadfastly refusing to be silenced, we can uphold the legacy of Bellerophon and Pegasus as symbols of resilience rather than repression.
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Throttling the horse to death wouldn't be taming, would it?
This is not the least inventive interpretation of this sculpture I have read. Various reasons have been advanced over the years why this object is somehow related to the law school, but I believe none of them. I think it is merely a blot on the landscape, bad art. At the scale of the miniature model that's in the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Netherlands, it's vaguely interesting. The problem is its grotesque magnification.
It would improve the essay, in my view, to ask what it bears beyond its metaphor. That censorship is bad we are likely all to agree. What has happened to the university this spring seems to me a failure of the lawyers, among others. Lauding the courage of student rebels in 1968, who were facing the draft more than the were facing the gym, should perhaps induce an actual historical comparison, The Cox Commission report might be a good place to start/
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