The author, a conservative and proud alumnus of Columbia University and Paul, Weiss, reflects on how these institutions succumbed to pressure from the Trump administration, which threatened funding and contracts. Although viewing this capitulation as tragic, they argue that expecting heroism in such large institutions may be misplaced. Instead, they suggest that reducing government coercion would be the true solution, acknowledging the difficulty of defying authority in practice. The actions taken by Columbia and Paul, Weiss provoke a debate about moral versus pragmatic responses to political pressure.
Unhappy is the land that needs a hero, wrote Bertolt Brecht in Life of Galileo. Heroic resistance by large institutions to government demands may be impossible.
Both Columbia University and Paul, Weiss faced coercive demands from the Trump administration, leading to painful compromises to maintain their funding and contracts.
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