> “But many Michigan State College students, overhearing the arguments between the unionists and the businessmen, quickly perceived the situation as a challenge to their sovereignty and to their eating places,” they wrote.
I'm skeptical of the idea that this was all the result of a big misunderstanding. Students were often recruited to act as strikebreakers in the early 20th century.
There's a book that deals with this subject, Strikebreaking and Intimidation: Mercenaries and Masculinity in Twentieth-Century America. Football players were especially valued.
I think you're mischaracterizing the article though. It doesn't claim it was all a big misunderstanding. It says the students didn't like the disruption to local businesses , simply because it was disruptive. It was viewed as a bunch of outsiders coming in and controlling their city.
Isn't that just the obvious explanation anyways? That a group of people come into your city and shut down your businesses is going to piss people off? Of course people are going to oppose outsiders shutting down people's livelihood.
xhevahir · · focus · HN ↗
I'm skeptical of the idea that this was all the result of a big misunderstanding. Students were often recruited to act as strikebreakers in the early 20th century.
There's a book that deals with this subject, Strikebreaking and Intimidation: Mercenaries and Masculinity in Twentieth-Century America. Football players were especially valued.
nonethewiser · · focus · HN ↗
Isn't that just the obvious explanation anyways? That a group of people come into your city and shut down your businesses is going to piss people off? Of course people are going to oppose outsiders shutting down people's livelihood.