During these protests a number of interesting things emerged. The first was that a form of revolutionary cosplay appeared to be going on. Students did not require “humanitarian aid,” but a large number seemed to enjoy the pretense, as well as the identity that the protests gave them. After the first encampment at Columbia was cleared, a second encampment sprang up. And like the first, it seemed that part of what was on offer was an identity for students who clearly felt they didn’t have one but deeply needed one.
