John McCain has Clearly Struck A Nerve
In a few short weeks, I will be graduating from Columbia University. Through real relationships and purely digital ones, stemming from my days on www.cucommunity.com and www.campusnetwork.com (sadly both have closed their doors), I've been exposed to a wide range of people and their beliefs. A lot of what I’ve seen has been well-intentioned activism, and a lot of it has been the self-important aggrandizing of those just needing a cause to hold onto, to justify their existence. This has been the biggest godsend that Columbia could have given me. John McCain's pending presence on our campus, May 16th, has exposed the limits of our liberalism; it has put out in the open the rift that has been growing between liberals and the self described "oppressed" conservative movement on our campus.
In our lives, we should welcome diverse opinions, if not to open our eyes to new truths then to reinforce our own. Columbia College Class Day is different, graduation is meant to be a celebration of the work we have put in during the last four years. The speaker is a reflection of those values which we as a group hold nearest to us. At Columbia, if those values were not progressiveness and diversity, I would be embarrassed to attend the school. When the news about McCain first came out there was an initial petition circulating, damning McCain for his affiliation with Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. Jerry Falwell is an extremist for the far-right, it was ludicrous to put John McCain in the same boat or to argue that his presence represented his endorsement of Falwell’s beliefs. One could argue that McCain’s presence at Columbia was an endorsement of our generally liberal egalitarian views on the world.
Recently a friend of mine, Kate Mahoney began circulating a new petition. The central point is, “John McCain does not speak for us”, that he holds very conservative viewpoints that are completely at ends with our student body. Many have spouted off that the university setting is the perfect forum for diversity of ideology and they are correct, but protesting the choice of McCain as graduation speaker is no issue of free speech. What it reflects is a terrible decision by the administration and student governing board to extend an invitation to a controversial political figure, especially one far to the right of the majority of the university. Graduation is a time for celebration, not controversy and political activism. While I look forward to McCain’s speech and do not anticipate anything other than “you are the best and the brightest, go forth and make our country proud with your contribution, bye bye”, his selection has brought out the worst in us.
On the newly formed http://www.mccainatcolumbia.com , the site was intended to serve as a forum for discussion. This is what it has to offer.
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Kate Mahoney,
Oh Kate, you also come from a spoiled upbringing. You also got indoctrinated in the ways of elite. And to make yourself feel good you oppress others with your intolerance of other ideas. but keep up the work, because of people like you the voice of liberals is subdued and you hate is evident.. \Shame on you... Hater
Bob Kerry (CC '06)
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Laura Cordetti,
You come from wealthy family. You are pampered and have no idea what the real world is like. Ive got an idea, give up all your money and get a 60 hour a week job. But please stop preaching you spoiled BRAT who has nothing better to do...
-- Laur is spoiled rich girl (CC '06)
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Kim Sue,
Please dont "enter the world". Please spare us your agenda on hate.. You hate all who disagree with you. You hate all who speak up for what they believe but you dont.... KIM SUE YOU ARE A HATER
-- KIMSUEHATES (CC '06)
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Laura Cordetti - GET A LIFE and get a job too. You poor thing!
-- Tom (Contributor)
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I don’t understand how voicing your opinion became such a call for hateful speech to come out of the woodwork. The hypocrisy that runs amuck in these comments is almost appalling, but not surprising. Perhaps it is the liberalism that dominates the campus that causes those of the more conservative persuasion to act out in desperation with ad-hominem and irrelevant personal attacks. This reminds me of my friend Laura being physically threatened after voicing her pro-choice sentiment. That was two years ago, we clearly have moved very far. The overarching sentiment in these website comments are that the some of the other comment writers are unqualified to make a judgment on the speaker because they are rich, don’t speak up for what they believe in, aren’t in the “real world”, etc. The fact of the matter is that many of the individuals being attacked have had a history of standing up for what they believe in and embracing their activism as a forum to make others more aware of domestic and global injustice. Their involvement is completely independent of monetary wealth and it is sad that anonymous commenters somehow equate privilege and economic stability as factors disqualifying one from participating in the public forum of ideas. Columbia’s liberalism continues from one generation to the next as it is obvious from the comments, the other side doesn’t have much to offer.
2 comments:
I've read this thread with much amusement.
Right now your young mind is like raw meat that has been marinating for years in the cocoon of a school well-known for its liberal orientation.
Twenty years hence, after grilling over the heat of real life, you will probably emerge as something beneficial.
If you add a few years of searing at a $25k/yr job the end result will be just about right. (...and no cheating if you're a trust fund baby... live on only what you earn!)
I certainly hope you don't over-cook - leather is tough to chew - but right now... well... you don't want to hear it - but you do have a lot to learn.
As a former priviledged young Leftie, I know what I'm talking about. ;-))
...Oh, and considering New York the center of the universe... that smacks of elitism, doesn't it?
You're young and now is the perfect opportunity to experience other areas of the country.
For your personal growth (as vs. your financial growth) the best thing you could do would be to take a non-descript job in a small city in some other area of the country unfamiliar to you.
Your choice of course. Money usually wins out, even with liberals.
I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that New York is the center of our world, or at the very least, one of the centers. It's not elitism, it's just based on where world commerce is conducted, where art gets its start before permeating to the mainstream, etc. etc.
I think you're right, a non-descript job in a small city somewhere outside of the east coast would do a lot for personal growth. I would see a side of America that is much different from NYC.
I work in South Florida, at a non-descript job, doing productive work that drives the economy. Although I make about 2x-3x more than $25k don't give up on me, at least i'm not a trust fund baby.
I was privileged, you're right, so were you. If anything, being financially well off has done nothing besides make me even more aware of social and financial inequity. I worked hard for my entire life; success and positive personal growth are not mutually exclusive.
There are a lot of things that "real life" have made me aware of. A huge part of my salary disappearing to taxes, etc. And you know what? I'm more than happy to sacrifice the money, because A. I can, and B. even in a government that is not as efficient and effective as it needs to be, I think it's helping a lot of people who were not as lucky as myself.
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