Another semester is upon us and, as always, political debates will be practiced in every college on campus.
Geologists will speak of grants and the amount of funding different administrations have given to climate change research.
Archaeologists will watch the situation in Israel, salivating to get to some of the underground yet to be discovered. English majors will draw historic figures out of symbols and metaphors, and political science students will divide into two basic groups: liberals and non-liberals, or it could be said, conservatives and non-conservatives.
As always, politics will be everywhere. Students ability to buy prescription eyewear with or without an exam is politics. One just hopes things will come back into perspective, as this is a nation of approximately 307 million people.
If one is hard-pressed to raise a consensus on pizza toppings with a party of three, one will be harder-pressed to come to a consensus on issues concerning the economic recovery.
Palestine will have its fair share of both bleeding hearts and anger directed towards it. ‘Socialism’ will be an expletive for some, and a godsend for others. Initiatives will arise around campus concerning new buildings and funding.
Issues like racism, both avowed and secreted, will point some in one way and others in another. The roles of government and religion will be expounded by those who claim one way is better than another.
As our differences begin to arise and the divide of our beliefs becomes obvious, remember there are religious conservatives from all faiths who would give their last dime to a charity for inner-city youths, but would never consider appropriating the same sum for a state budget to welfare. There are liberals who will jump on the bandwagon for reform, but only if it does not interfere with their schedule.
We will see anti-Zion Jews and Muslims who care nothing for politics or terror. The one aspect of all these groups that makes them equal, whatever that word may mean, is they are all right. Every viewpoint has validity. The world is not monochromatic and is unable to function with one opinion. The thought of one opinion running our local government is wholly undemocratic, but all too recently, the stances from all sides have become less coherent and more partisan.
Each liberal owes the conservatives for creating the hero reformers. Conservatives owe liberals for giving them something to conserve power from. At best, ‘power’ is another word with dubious meanings.
As we find a divide in the population, we must remember politicians have a tendency to overreact to public opinion, so long as it is the opinion from those who brung them. Then the pundits will fill the minds of their audience.
As Americans, we should be mad at politicians, not each other. They play off our sentiment. Liberals are not responsible for the problems of the country, nor are conservatives.
Most of our liberals truly are more moderates than they know, as are conservatives. Americans are a cultural group, though God himself would have problems seeing how.
We work for one thing: America as Americans, not only as individuals, but also as a whole.
This year, try to examine everything by giving opponents the benefit of the doubt. Assume they are as right as you are. Foster some respect for each other’s views, and you can learn a lot.
Fostering a dissonance against those who differ in party label only makes things worse.
Abdul Khan is a political science senior and may be reached at [email protected]
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