Princeton’s Hunger Artists Should Pursue Reasoned Advocacy, Not Spectacle

"As the longtime (and perhaps clueless) alum that I am, I say Princetonians should advocate with information, reason, and earnest debate."

In May 2024, some Princeton students seeking the University’s divestment from Israel staged a week-long hunger strike. I responded with an opinion in The Princeton Tory. Here’s an excerpt:

Depriving one’s body to show commitment does not further the understanding of these issues. These acts of self-deprivation for divestment in fact press non-sequitur solutions to an undiagnosed problem.

Famous instances of threatened and actual suicide by Gandhi, Stockdale, and Thích Quang Duc come to mind as counterexamples. I believe they can be distinguished from Princeton’s divestment hunger strikers. Others may disagree with me on this. I suggest that in any attempt to persuade me otherwise, they do so by proffering information, reason, and earnest engagement rather than by subjecting themselves to starvation.

Please read my full opinion.