However, at some point, inconvenience can become excessive, can reach a point where the negative effect on others becomes too great, too unfair to those persons. Where is that point? I think that's probably highly situational. Like the infamous road blocking tactic many protestors employ: having your commute lengthened is one thing...having an ambulance significantly delayed is another.
As for these protests at my alma mater, I think we have to look at the balance between the right to protest and the right of other students to go about their education and faculty to do their jobs without undue interference...the key being what constitutes "undue." I don't know enough about the specifics here to know if the latter is occurring. Students at Columbia or any other academically challenging university are often under a tremendous degree of pressure; the course of study for most majors is hard. What might constitute a tolerable inconvenience under ordinary circumstances might be "oh, this is just what I f*king need right now" stuff. Conversely, the protestors might be taking care not to go too far in terms of their effect on others (especially if they have the slightest degree of common sense about human nature...).
That, of course, presumes that they're actually trying to effect change by bringing people around to their POV. Sometimes protests are just venting, and that's okay. But venting should, IMO, be done in a way that doesn't harm the cause you're venting about.
My 3円 worth...
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