When I went to a university, back in the Jurassic Era, I learned subjects I needed for pre-med, I learned to be self-disciplined, I learned to evade ridiculous rules, and I learned to play pranks that need not be discussed at this time. In short, I went a long way toward becoming a responsible citizen. But things have changed.
A young lady we know went off to NYU. For 14 days she was confined to her dorm room except to use the bathroom. Food was brought in. She was fully vaxxed and tested negative, but still has to suffer house arrest for two weeks. Now Yale does them one better, as befits the Ivy League. New arrivals must be vaxxed and boosted, and test negative. But even when they are released from isolation, students still must eat on campus. They are forbidden to eat at restaurants, except for curbside pickup.
Zu Befehl, Herr Dekan! At your orders, Sir Dean.
We can argue about the questionable usefulness of these rules in preventing Covid. But what is unarguable is what kind of student will emerge at the end of this process (assuming it ever ends). Not the responsible, self-sufficient, somewhat rebellious adults who emerged from my university. We are now producing easily frightened, easily led subjects, not citizens of a free and vibrant nation.
The only question remaining is whether this is the unplanned, unfortunate result of an over-reaction to the pandemic, or this is a planned, deliberate mechanism to produce good little fascists. Still, the question is (pardon the pun) academic. In either case, the result is the same.
