Letter of the month — February

• Published March 01, 2008

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Peer group behavior to blame for riot

In the wake of the riot at The Evergreen State College after the Dead Prez show, it is important that we resist the kind of moral panic that some would seek to provoke. I am of course grateful that no one was seriously injured and, though I believe physical resistance to the police may be justifiable in some cases, it would be stupid to pretend that something so noble transpired given the circumstances.

However, it would be even stupider to claim that the scuffle is somehow a symptom of a wider pathology or moral sickness within TESC.

I am responding here to comments suggesting that TESC is somehow a breeding ground for this kind of behavior. Let me remind us of the ongoing tradition at countless state schools across the nation of drunken rioting following football or baseball games or, seemingly for no reason at all.

If we are looking for a root cause, let us look to peer-group behavior, rather than progressive, thoughtful education.

Edward Waisanen, Tumwater