A Marxist student group at the pricey Swarthmore College has disbanded following some introspective efforts that led its members to learn that they were precisely what they were fighting against—both affluent and white. It’s no surprise given that Swarthmore’s students tend to be both those things.
In a farewell letter acquired by Campus Reform, a former member raised issues about how the group’s founding members were “entirely white, with the exception of one person of color,” and that none of them had working class or low-income backgrounds–the very people they pretend to represent in their efforts to promote communism within and outside the liberal arts campus.
A hotbed for leftist progressivism and political correctness, Swarthmore costs $63,550 for a single year of tuition, fees and room and board. Swarthmore’s $1.9 billion endowment is worth more than the entire gross-domestic product of Belize.
Screenshots acquired by the website revealed the demise of the Swarthmore Anti-Capitalist Collective (SACC) in March from the group’s private Facebook page, which was largely prompted by the letter, in which the former member complained of the group’s “unproblematized anticapitalist politics.” He raised issues with the group’s “history of abuse, racism, and even classism” for not having the knowledge or lived experiences to speak on the issues they were championing.
The farewell letter leaked to the publication alleges that “not one of [the founding members] are from low-income and/or working class backgrounds,” arguing that “low-income people of color should never be an afterthought in a group whose policies supposedly focus on their liberation.”
Speaking to Campus Reform, Swarthmore Conservative Society President Gilbert Guerra maintained that the group was largely supported by out-of-touch liberal elites.
“From my understanding SACC disbanded because they realized the makeup and tactics of their group was at odds with their espoused principles,” said Guerra. “Their main support based was middle-upper class white kids who enjoy jogging.”
Guerra said that the organization “didn’t do anything noteworthy during their existence,” with little impact on campus discourse. He added that while new leftist groups are being formed to “resist during the Trump presidency,” it remains to be seen whether they “will be any more sustainable than the past couple of leftist groups that have splintered and fizzled out.”
The student leader added he hoped to see the group’s disbandment as a motivation for apathetic students to become involved in more conservative organizations.
Earlier this year, 80 student environmental activists were shocked to discover that they could be punished for breaking the college’s rules—in stark contrast to Evergreen State College’s anarchic proceedings.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter.
