Colleges have displayed inordinate sensitivity to speech, which, in a charged political environment, might give way to violent interactions between students. They even erased the line that separates speech from violence, deeming speech itself an act of vandalism and assault. That ethos trickled down to the student body in colleges, which have become hostile toward “extreme speakers.”

The response from colleges to antisemitic activism strikes an ugly contrast with the permissive approach to student activism that we’ve all witnessed (with varying degrees of dismay) for the better part of a decade. Behind every double standard is, of course, a single standard. In this case, the double standard is that Jews are not subject to the coddling that other ethnic and religious minorities on American campuses experience. The single standard is that whatever constitutes progressive activism at the moment enjoys the presumption of righteousness.

That’s what has put these college presidents back on their heels. We’re not seeing an attack on free speech or academic freedom. There is no principle at all in the dock. Rather, at issue are college administrators’ efforts to mollify the most threatening elements on campus — who need an outlet lest they turn against the administrators and faculty who have coddled them for so long. If the turning of these tables discomfits the academy, you can certainly see why.