Author: Alex Graves
Share our similarities, celebrate our differences. As a self proclaimed liberal, there are many aspects of Occidental that I enjoy; take for example, the regular visits of influential liberal thinkers to Los Angeles, such as Barack Obama. I also enjoy having other minds around me that share my views. I won’t lie, it’s damn comforting.
This year, however, I have become agitated by what I perceive as the hyper-liberal environment on this campus. For example, take our divisive President George W. Bush. If somebody were to ask me what I thought of him, I would instantly say that he’s an idiot, incompetent and just maybe the worst President this country has ever seen, although history will be the ultimate judge. Yet, when I see signs stating “Impeach Bush for War Crimes” and hear people express similar beliefs, I find myself increasingly frustrated.
While I do not personally support the war in Iraq (which I assume is the source of these beliefs) I do not publicly call for Bush to be tried for war crimes either. Slobodan Milosevic and leaders of the Nazi Party after World War II- these people carried out genocide and deserve their punishment. Bush, on the other hand, is targeting terrorists and extremists.
Conservatives and Republicans are heavily outnumbered on this campus. When the large majority of the student body and faculty are liberal, it creates a sense of complacency for liberals and what I perceive as a hostile environment for conservatives. Last month, when classes were held outside as part of a protest against Bush, every conservative I knew did not participate if given the choice. This was not because they did not wish to engage in conversations about Iraq, but rather because they suspected, as did I, that the conversation would be heavily one-sided and the views of conservatives would be drowned out. Judging from my friends’ reflections of the event, this was more or less what took place.
The current complacency has fostered the development of increasingly radical liberal beliefs due to the lack of counterpoints to keep the rest of us in check. Some may blame this on the unwillingness of conservative students to voice their opinions in class. Yet, if you knew the response that your opinions would receive, would you? As this continues, liberals on this campus move themselves further and further away from the other side.
Somebody once made a statement to the extent that we should learn more from our differences than our similarities. The recently deceased author, M. Scott Peck once expressed a similar idea that embodies the mission statement of Occidental, “share our similarities, celebrate our differences.” This concept extends beyond politics and it should be a part of all topics of conversation. Right now we are arguing with each other instead of listening and learning. Instead of moving forward and better understanding each others’ beliefs, we are mired in frustration because the words of each side are falling on deaf ears. I, for one, would like to see this change.
Alex Graves is a sophomore Politics major. He can be reached at agraves@oxy.edu
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