Bipartisan Discourse

MLK Day’s events proved that at its core, our school holds intellectualism and freedom of speech above subjective partisanship. Indeed, this school prides itself in its diversity, and there is no reason marginalized political groups shouldn’t have the same support from our community as anyone else would. After an unworthy response to my remarks on Islam and civil rights by the moderator of the MLK Day panel, a movement took shape on social media condemning the moderator’s disrespect and attack on thoughtful dissent. The movement was and is bipartisan, and it’s still developing.

Conservative students on campus have feared voicing their opinions for too long. Conservatives have been condemned as homophobic or racist simply because of their political affiliation. Their complaints have been dismissed as privileged and spitting in the face of true civil rights. Exeter has replaced intellectual discourse for a war on “offensiveness.” Political correctness no longer seems to be about civility and harmony, but rather about pushing a particular agenda and worldview that “safety” and “comfort” are more important than free speech, diversity, discourse, debate and facing the world head-on.

I would like to thank the majority of the Exeter community for their support of political and intellectual diversity. I would like to thank Exeter’s liberal community for showing conservatives that it’s OK to voice differing opinions and that democracy and student solidarity trump the Republican/Democratic divide. But there is still a lot of work to be done.

I’ve heard influential and popular students say that conservatives shouldn’t hide and that if they want to be respected, they should voice their opinions since no repression of their freedoms exist. That is a lie. Many conservative students I had never met came to me after the assembly, thanking me for symbolically illustrating the hatred they have felt for too long. Many of them told me that they have been isolated, that they have lost friends and that their popularity has suffered for being conservative. Things like, “I can’t believe you’re a conservative, you’re actually a great guy,” and “How could you be so smart and support Nazis like Ted Cruz?” are offensive attacks students on this campus have been hearing for years and remarks that are tolerated by our community as a whole. They aren’t jokes. They are a systemic generalization of conservatives and should be addressed as issues parallel to homophobia and Islamophobia.

I know many people would be horrified for me to compare the problems I have faced as a conservative to the problems homosexuals, women, Muslims and other minorities have faced. I’m not. But a large part of those who came to talk to me were minorities who identified as conservatives. They were black, Indian, bisexual and Jewish. They have for a long time been afraid to come out as conservative because students and faculty here, as well as the media in general, have portrayed conservatives as privileged white kids and Republicans as the party of white supremacy. They are the students I refer to when I talk of oppression.

Although most professors and faculty I have spoken to support me on this issue and agree conservative opinions are indeed belittled on campus, this isn’t only a cultural or sociological problem. It is also to a large extent an institutional one. Certain faculty members on campus are extremely biased in terms of their political beliefs and aren’t afraid to silence those who disagree with them. I have witnessed and heard stories of teachers calling Republicans stupid. This isn’t just true for social issues like abortion, gay marriage or religion. There is an unregulated bias against free-market and pro-business economics as well, and those students who support supply-side economics in history papers have seen their work objectively devalued because their opinions on labor unions were “wrong” and “anti-poor.”

One event that recently occurred demonstrates the extent of this institutional war on conservatism: A professor I’ve befriended, and for personal reasons shall not name, told me that he overheard colleagues referring to me as “that Trump-like kid at the MLK Day assembly.” This is a perfect example of the hatred conservative opinions face from those who are supposed to be our teachers and our mentors. It proves that one can’t voice an opinion on sensitive subjects like Islam without being condemned for bigotry and racism. This disgusting and unworthy remark on the part of an Exonian professor is paralleled with those accusing the women raped in Cologne of being biased, Christian Islamophobes. I never said Muslims should wear special signs to differentiate them from others. I didn’t talk about any specific policy surrounding the Syrian crisis. I stated legitimate concerns many liberals and conservatives have surrounding the refugee crisis.

For all those students attacking conservatives for not voicing their opinions, this is a perfect example of oppression. These professors are the ones grading your papers. They are the ones writing your college recommendations and moderating your Harkness discussions. This sort of antagonism towards conservative students is not worthy of Exeter. A conservative applying to schools often finds that he or she must repress his or her opinions. Before saying things on social media like, “Conservatives hiding behind the veil of anonymity are repulsive,” students should consider why conservatives may do that. There are moral absolutes on this campus held by faculty and students alike, and these are unfair.

I hope this movement for free speech doesn’t stop here. I hope the discussion continues. I hope liberals and conservatives will continue to fight hand in hand for justice and diversity.

Thank you Exeter.