Student Conservatives Drop Leaflets on Campus from Plane

The Dartmouth branch of the national conservative student organization Young American Lads (& Ladies) for Freedom recently organized a campaign to drop thousands of leaflets over the campus from a small aircraft. The propaganda technique, which found its first major use during World War One, was well suited to Dartmouth College, said club president Chip Atterton. “It’s a small space. They’re penned in and losing morale. Hitting them with a blast of agitprop right now could be the difference that makes them break ranks and actually pay attention to us.”  The group described its goal as “forcing the student population to consider views outside of the liberal hegemony and hopefully getting them to please, please, finally take us seriously, please.”

The leaflets, which consisted of an article and an advertisement for a talk to be held later this week, fell from the sky over the Green, Baker-Berry Library, and some of the more centrally located dorms and academic buildings this Wednesday. Students who were outside at the time described the experience as “confusing” and “terrifying” as the papers dropped from the low-flying plane “momentarily blotted out the sun” and “covered the Earth like a cruel parody of fresh snow.” The Dartmouth Democrats and other left-leaning student groups have reportedly instructed their members not to read the propaganda out of fear that it may affect morale. Additionally, some students have complained that the sheer volume of the papers has made the already muddy traversal of the Green nearly impossible.

The Young American Lads (& Ladies) for Freedom have stated that they consider the campaign a resounding success, as students outside of their immediate political sphere “physically looked at things which reflect our beliefs.” However, no report could yet be made about the content of the leaflets, as no one has yet picked one up.

– IR ’21