The Irony Age

 

I was sitting on a bench across from the Monument to Desegregation outside of the McKissick M\useum at USC yesterday when a diminutive instructor with a piercing voice led a group of students up to it.

The instructor -- probably a graduate student, probably Middle Eastern as noted by her appearance and accent -- made a point of telling the class they were not interested in the bronze figures, just the base of the monument. They could read what it was about elsewhere. She asked them what minerals seemed to be present in the base, directed them to their study sheets, and walked them through a visual analysis.

Clear and precise instruction, yes, but it struck me as curt and dismissive of the significance of the statute. I wondered if, in light of the current political climate, instructors -- perhaps those most vulnerable -- have been instructed to steer clear of anything that might lead to trouble with Big Brother, that might be reported by an anti-woke crusader in the class, that might bring ICE knocking at doors?

Since we are in the Irony Age, I did not fail to note that these questions came to mind in front of a memorial to openness, in front of a museum dedicated to cultural awareness, in a structure that once was the storehouse for the university's collected knowledge. Pity.