The First Rule About Campus Conservatives…

Brian Cook

A lot of folks are having a laugh over this story, about Francisco Nava, a campus conservative, anti-condom activist at Princeton, who beat the crap out of himself in order to blame it on "thuggish," pro-sex activists. (The New York Sun, Robbie George and--wait for it--David Horowitz all bought Nava's pretty transparently dubious story hook, line and sinker.) I wonder, however, if there isn't a deeper, more profound and quite radical political logic at work in this incident, something along the lines of Slavoj Zizek's reading of Ed Norton's self-flagellation in Fight Club--that "in order to attack the enemy, you first have to beat the shit out of yourself." Perhaps leftists can learn something from Nava, when it comes to committing ourselves to the point of physical sacrifices if that's what it takes to realize our political ideals. Perhaps…nah, nevermind. This dope's antics are just too frickin' hilarious.

Please consider supporting our work.

I hope you found this article important. Before you leave, I want to ask you to consider supporting our work with a donation. In These Times needs readers like you to help sustain our mission. We don’t depend on—or want—corporate advertising or deep-pocketed billionaires to fund our journalism. We’re supported by you, the reader, so we can focus on covering the issues that matter most to the progressive movement without fear or compromise.

Our work isn’t hidden behind a paywall because of people like you who support our journalism. We want to keep it that way. If you value the work we do and the movements we cover, please consider donating to In These Times.

Brian Cook was an editor at In These Times from 2003 to 2009. He now works on the editorial staff of Playboy magazine.
Illustrated cover of Gaza issue. Illustration shows an illustrated representation of Gaza, sohwing crowded buildings surrounded by a wall on three sides. Above the buildings is the sun, with light shining down. Above the sun is a white bird. Text below the city says: All Eyes on Gaza
Get 10 issues for $19.95

Subscribe to the print magazine.