Grapevine: Sixties Student Protests Redux? On British Campuses?
Remember the student college campus protests that were held across the United States and Western Europe in the late 60s and early 70s? They arose over the on-going war in Vietnam, perceived intrusive government policies and a myriad of social issues. For the most part they were peaceful, representing idealistic statements from students whose view of the world evolved from their isolation on college campuses. Many were founded on high moral principles; others on socio-political issues. Many of us remember campus sit-ins and marches, perhaps even as participants. Others remember these protests as polarizing events between left and right student populations, disrupting their daily collegiate lives rather than inspiring them to participate.
It’s been over 40 years since the height of those demonstrations. That generation of students now constitutes the aging Baby Boomer population, many with different political and social viewpoints; it’s amazing how post-college economic and financial needs can sometimes change our ideological activism.
Today’s college generation doesn’t seem as inclined to voice their discontent. Certainly there are numerous protests occurring across the globe, but many are carried on outside of college campuses; many are based on governmental oppression of citizens and changing political ideologies.
I read with interest of a protest that erupted in the United Kingdom recently. It proved that the spirit of dissention and activism is alive and well – even if the underlying cause hardly has the same universal appeal and impact as those in the 60s and 70s.
And of course it revolves around my favorite interest: wine.
Protestors on United Kingdom campuses have taken to the commons, with placards protesting the economic and financial policies of universities over social issues that have curried favor with today’s British youth. Their issues: campus life and the plight of the downtrodden.
The genesis was a report in The Guardian newspaper that disclosed information concerning the amount of money spent to purchase and hold wines at prestigious Cambridge University (18,000 students) for the consumption of administrators, faculty, staff and fellows (8,000 in total).
Students seized on this perceived abuse of academic power to lever against two other current student causes: University budget cuts to reduce and outsource campus dining services and raising awareness of the low minimum wages of University workers (approximately $12.50).
The correlation was simple to make: cut back on wine budgets and allocate funds to dining halls and the wages of workers. Their mantra? “Wages Not Wine.”
They may have a point concerning excessive expenditures on wine. According to The Guardian report, total wine purchases by the University’s 31 colleges last year aggregated $5 million, the equivalent of $13 thousand per day. Over the last three years the total was $13 million, an amount asserted by the students as more than ample to offer higher wages to University workers. The wine cellar of one of the constituent campuses, Trinity College, contains 25,000 bottles, valued at over $2.6 million. As one might expect, the cellars have a long legacy, originally endowed by King Henry VI in 1446
The University response to the sit-in protests? Call in the police. The students’ response to the police incursions? Clashes with the police, which resulted in violence and 41 student arrests. Not a good outcome for any of the parties. These confrontations on campus grounds evoked additional demonstrations by students over police brutality and the English equivalent of America’s First Amendment rights.
The ultimate outcome is still uncertain. Are these demonstrations the fomenting of youthful exuberance and idealism? Will they achieve the desired results? Will they result in a coalescence of British youth as they did with American students in the 60s and 70s? Or are they merely a tempest in an English teapot? Perhaps only the light of history will tell.
Nick Antonaccio is a 35-year Pleasantville resident. For over 15 years he has conducted numerous wine tastings and lectures. He also offers personalized wine tastings and wine travel services. Nick’s credo: continuous experimenting results in instinctive behavior. You can reach him at nantonaccio@theexaminernews.com or on Twitter @sharingwine.
