When U.S. Air Force serviceman Aaron Bushnell lit himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., in February, far too many applauded the 25-year-old’s very public, viral, suicide protest.

Cornel West called him a “dear brother” and praised his example, saying, “Let us never forget the extraordinary courage and commitment of brother Aaron Bushnell who died for truth and justice.”

Green Party presidential hopeful Jill Stein honored Bushnell and exclaimed, “May his sacrifice deepen our commitment to stop genocide now.”

What is happening right now on college campuses around the nation was no doubt encouraged by his radical act. The TikTok generation aches for belonging. Unlike their elders, they share their lives and much of their demands online. A quick observation of Generation Z and you can tell social contagion is real.

How they experience and interact with the world is far different from their parents and grandparents. But in other ways, they are just a repeat of the former. Disquiet and detachment among young people are nothing new. 

Members of this generation were born between 1997 and 2012. They make up most of the aggressive pro-Palestinian protesters we see at universities nationwide. Their collective focus is not releasing Hamas’ hostages. This is quite telling.

Instead, they are quick to talk about the supposed evils of the Jewish community, Israel, and Zionism. They are dishonest about the circumstances that led to the current conflict and more than willing to intimidate those who oppose them.

Hamas is responsible for the murderous rampage, taking of hostages, and the related suffering that follows. But this is never mentioned because it would make their protests meaningless.

They join the mob, even if they’re admittedly uneducated about the situation. They are willing to defy orders and get arrested or suspended for the cause. In their minds, they are brave revolutionaries blazing a trail in a history-making stance against oppression. In reality, they are privileged young adults who exist in a bubble and who know little of life. 

The images, sounds, chants, insults, and threatening nature of these protests are jarring. There is clear antisemitism on display. Jewish students feel unsafe. Numerous administration and faculty members support this behavior. The legacy media cheers it on. It is also another example of this universal truth: The youth are often wrong. 

As an older millennial, I witnessed the angst of my generation in our early adult years. I’ve read and heard about the student and civil unrest in my parents’ generation, most notably during the Vietnam era. The same type of hysterical nonsense and clamorous mob behavior is on repeat. The fact that any of these protests are hostile and sustained does not make them right.

There’s a tendency for some to view exhibitions like this as worthy because they go against the “ruling class” and the standard social order. For the young adults who are participating, it’s new, fresh, bold defiance. For anyone who has taken stock of the generations before, it’s the same game. This time, it’s more constantly shoved in our faces thanks to our online world. But that doesn’t make the youthful mob correct. 

Perhaps figures such as West and Stein praise extremism because they’ve never fully grown up. But approval is no proof that protests are morally right. First Amendment protections don’t disqualify anyone from criticism or further action as deemed necessary by institutions of higher learning.

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We can have conversations about measures taken to disperse protesters and bring order back. But there is nothing wrong with dealing with mobs who park themselves on college lawns, openly support the actions of a terrorist group, and harass others. 

The younger generation is passionate and can easily assemble in protest for a cause. So what? It doesn’t mean anyone must bend to their whims. After all, we’ve seen this before. 

Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.