h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hey Bran, remember the chat we had a while back when I was still in high school about the May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State?

Well, I was gravely misinformed about it, and I'm afraid I passed my misinformation on to you. Now I will attempt to rectify that.

I told you that everyone "knew what happened" and that the nation grieved but did not point fingers. I couldn't have been more wrong.

The May 4th shootings further polarized the pro and anti establishment camps in U.S. society. The pro-Vietnam, conservative, respect-for-authority, law-and-order type people, including many of the residents of the city of Kent, were almost (and in some cases not even "almost") GLAD the guard opened fire. One Kent resident even told a reporter that she "wished they had killed more".

On the other hand, the anti-war movement was outraged, and the Kent State incident caused similar show-downs on other college campuses, even one that was fatal, Jackson State.

Alan Canfora (www.alancanfora.com), one of the wounded, (as well as others) claims that Governor Rhodes conspired with President Nixon to "put the protestors in their place" when he sent in the National Guard. There is no hard evidence of this, but it is true that Rhodes did consult with Nixon before making the decision, and he has refused to discuss it ever since. He took his motives to the grave this month when he died. Most activists still don't forgive him for his decision, his lack of ever apologizing our even explaining, and his pre-May 4th denouncements of the protestors as "the worst kind we harbor in America. Worse than the brownshirts, worse than the communist element..." Upon his recent death, Canfora wrote a merciless "obituary" headed "Butcher Rhodes Dies".

Victims of the shootings and their supporters formed the May 4 Task Force to commemorate the shootings. The Administration tried to crush this, as they wanted to put the incident behind them. The students didn't let them. Every year there has been a demonstration to commemorate it. There have been many conflicts about May 4 over the decades between the M4TF and the Administration and conservative sector of the student and faculty population. This year the allocation committe just denied M4TF the funding they usually give for their annual event, even though there was no irregularity in procedure. One student senator explained his vote by saying that "most of us weren't born when it happened, and most students would just like to get past it". This obviously is a matter of opinion since every year 3,000-5,000 people flock to the event.

This is a long-standing controversy that has never really gone away. The wounds of May 4, 1970 may never really heal. I hope you have a somewhat better idea of what happened that day. If you ask 10 eye-witnesses they will tell you 10 different stories, but I guess that's the whole point I'm trying to make.

Hi Zarq
Thanks for all that. I must say that I liked your version better as it said more about the humanity of people ... but it is better to be informed than blissfully ignorant in cases like this.

How are you going by the way. Are you at university now? How is the study going?

I am still plugging away at the PhD which I hope will be done by the end of the year.

All the best
Bran

Yes, I'm nearing the end of my freshman year at Kent State. I've been heavily involved with activism here, especially with the new anti-sweatshop group, CHANGE. I am CHANGE's webmaster
[link removed by moderator]

By the way, I attended the appeal for the May 4th Task Force today. about 50 supporters showed up, including many students, and some community members and eyewitnesses, even Alan Canfora, one of the wounded protestors. Student Senate moved to send the case back to allocations, and there is a high probablity they will get funding after all. It's too late to get Martin Luther King III to speak as was planned, but they'll find someone. Anyway, I think it's great because the annual commemorations 1. Ensure that new generations learn about an event that had very high historical significance 2. To honor the victims and most importantly 3. To maintain a beautiful cultural tradition that promotes peace and social justice in a unique and powerful way. May 4th Task Force's motto is "Inquire, Learn, Reflect". I would add "Act" to that, but basically that's exactly what the annual commemorations drive thousands to do every year.