<p>I am a pretty radical liberal. Is berkeley still the bastion for the radical left that it was back in the day? Are there real student groups doing real things to change our world for the better? Is revolution looked down upon? do students use their free speech rights? how is it at Berkeley for a radical? lol im not crazy or anything i just enjoy reading a little Marx from time to time...</p>
<p>Doesn't come close to the 60s; heavily diluted politically; there are student groups, but none of which unite the campus as a whole; majority of the radicals are old crazies who reminisce the good ol' days; stereotypically Asians are politically apathetic, and at Berkeley it shows--you see Asian activists, but they are FEW and FAR in between.</p>
<p>EDIT: Not to mention our generation is far more conservative and career-oriented; no one gives a **** about finding a philosophy of life or making a difference; they care about the dollars.</p>
<p>UCSC is far more radical than Cal is, lately. </p>
<p>That said, you will find a student group for whatever you fancy (or else you can make one and find people who will join), and they do tend to be pretty active.</p>
<p>the66afghans, do you consider yourself representative of "our generation"?</p>
<p>Berkeley is still extremely liberal. It doesn't have all the crazy hippies it did in the 60s, but it is still liberal by a majority. About a third consider themselves moderate. And about 10% consider themselves conservative. A small percentage also consider themselves to be very very far left (i.e. radical).</p>
<p>You would fit in well.</p>
<p>To me, a freshman, most Berkeley students seem moderate. I dunno, radicalism as a whole is pretty much dead now. Good riddance.</p>
<p>Well, yes. UC Berkeley is still a college, and still in Berkeley, which is a particularly left-leaning city in a left-leaning region of a left-leaning state. Nevertheless, it doesn't stand up to its reputation in the '60s as a bastion of radical liberalism.</p>
<p>Honestly, my year at UCSC told me they're waaaaay more the place to go if you're into daily demonstrations and committed staff/faculty participation. It's not that it doesn't happen here, it's just that it's not what it used to be or is in other places.</p>
<p>There is support for whatever your political/social leaning, but none of them is so active as to drown out the others or serve as the backdrop for the rest of campus.</p>
<p>There are statistics collected periodically on Berkeley's students. There are more than a few radicals, and the majority are liberal.</p>
<p>Nah. Doesn't come close. The city is far more crazy liberal than the students. Most people I run into, if I press them, will say they are "liberal" just cuz it's the popular and neutral thing to say. The politically active congregate in BCR or CalDems. Radicals usually join the ISO or something.</p>
<p>Most activists are so on issues rather than on ideology. You'll see lots more people interested in say "ending the war", "universal health care", and "LGBT rights" and "ending affirmative action" than those supporting a pure party plank.</p>
<p>Believe me, Berkeley is still very liberal in general. However, I encourage you to reexamine your views just for...logic's sake. Especially that "revolution" business...</p>
<p>not going to lie, a part of me wishes i could have attended berkeley when it was at the height of its radical-ness</p>
<p>Trust me, there are plenty of 'radicals' at Berkeley. Some people are genuinely radical and I admire them for their beliefs, regardless of whether I believe/agree or not. On the other hand, there are a lot of faux-radicals at Berkeley because Hating the Establishment is en vogue and they just run their mouths about stuff they don't understand. I, personally, also have a distaste for radicals because when I was at Berkeley was just before and after the Iraq War started and there were a lot of flareups between Israel and Palestine. To me, the radicals did not come across as seeking change that would help the common person. They seemed either to only seek to redistribute power to themselves or disrupt our lives by pulling fire alarms or storming classes during midterms or harassing and threatening students who don't agree with them. It goes both ways though, do not get me wrong.</p>
<p>Its one thing to demonstrate and show your passion and a clear vision for what may be a better future. It is another entirely to disrupt and hurt someone's prospects (who may otherwise agree with you but has other priorities than protest... like GOING TO CLASS) for a better future.</p>