Let me first say this: I am a good person, for the most part. I hold doors open for people and eat my vegetables. I cry when dogs die in movies. If I annoy someone while driving, I feel bad about it. However, I am not a miser hoarding a Smaug-esque pile of wealth (read: college student). I do not scoff at homeless people in the streets or at advertisements on the television showing dying children. I am a humanitarian just as much as the next person.
That being said, I am a conservative political thinker. Do not throw rotten tomatoes at me yet; the soapbox I stand on is not one of politics.
I am a student at an average university in California. As contemporary history can reinforce, colleges are stomping grounds for the liberal agenda. My school is no different. Politics are discussed among my peers every day, be it in the classroom or on social media. However, I find that their discourse lacks one essential thing: an opposing side. Students validate each other's mutual opinions and smash the opposing argument, allowing no true progress to be made.
Because of my beliefs and this close-minded climate that I live in, I have always been afraid to speak my mind. I fear that if I voice my opinion, I will get cast aside or pegged as a crazy right-wing lunatic. As soon as my viewpoints are revealed, I lose all credibility. I was even discouraged to write this article, for fear of immediately being disregarded. After opening up to a friend, he told me that he could not believe my right-leaning political tendencies (I tend to side with libertarianism, specifically). "I don't know how someone so intelligent and aware could be so dumb." I don't know either! If you think so highly of me, perhaps you should do me the courtesy of thinking my ideals through.
I have seen people my age on social media make announcements urging people to "unfriend" their profile if you are not in agreement with their social and economic opinions. Of course, there is a natural urge to be around like-minded people, to have a team. We can see it throughout the world's history of tribes, societies, and even sports. But as humans (college students in particular), should we not want to broaden our perspectives and world views? Is that not one of the reasons that students pursue higher education in the first place? It makes no sense to isolate ourselves in social bubbles comprised of only those that are similar to us. With actions such as this, we are declaring ignorance. We learn no new perspectives and thus are trapped in a perpetual state of intellectual stagnation.
Do not think that I write with the intention of putting my beliefs on a pedestal. I do not mean to be condescending or finger-wagging (well, maybe a bit of the latter). My beliefs are not necessarily more right or wrong than those of my peers. Instead, I am asking for respect. If you do not know everything, do not argue as if you do. Respect the beliefs of those around you, even if they are completely opposite from your own. The essence of a productive argument is open-mindedness. Be respectful of the viewpoints of your conversational sparring partner. Opinions will either enlighten you or reaffirm your original beliefs.
So, liberal college students who want so fiercely to fix a broken world, I'll end with this: most people do. Instead of casting entire demographics of people aside, let us work together. Let us communicate and troubleshoot and stand corrected. Let us not isolate ourselves but instead come together on our commonalities. We are humans. We want what is best for humanity. Surely this is something that we can all agree on.
