For the love of a God, you said…
Note: I started out writing this the other night as a letter to the State News, but it kind of changed along the way into more of a personal reflection. Still, I felt pretty good when I finished it, better than I’ve felt about a piece of writing in a long while, so I decided to polish it a bit and share it with y’all.
Letter from an Occupant
I vaguely remember last spring when I voted in the ASMSU elections, taking a few seconds between listlessly scanning Facebook and staring blankly at a paper I was supposed to write on Tocqueville to log in and check a few boxes. Mostly, I remember being mildly bothered that there were only two people running in Madison for two seats on Student Assembly, and the recollection of seeing one name plastered on posters throughout Case Hall as “The RIGHT candidate for ASMSU,” detailing involvement with various conservative organizations. However, I just let it pass, didn’t vote for the guy (I don’t recall even putting a write-in down), and got back to the aforementioned hallmarks of college life.
Fast forward to about a week ago, when a friend alerted me to the statement posted by said candidate (now officeholder) on the ASMSU website (scroll down, its hard to miss) outlining his positions and goals as a member of Student Assembly. The mild unease of a few months back quickly exploded into outright anger and dismay. The positions taken by this representative- the college’s representative, my representative-were, in my opinion, not only shortsighted and crude, but bordered at times on downright hateful, aligning more with fringe figures of the right wing such as Pat Robertson that the supposedly mainstream conservatism of the current administration. As I continued to read, I swelled with righteous indignation. This is an outrage… an embarrassment, I thought. Something had to be done to stop it.
It wasn’t long, however, before I was deflated by the realization that in essence, we’d already failed by letting this individual slip in without notice, let him go unchallenged in an election and take office no matter what views he held. I would venture to guess that a majority of students in James Madison College would disagree with the assertion that homosexual groups ob campus support the spread of AIDS, or that a Caucasian Caucus should be formed to counter the Black Caucus. I’d even imagine a fair number would be as outright appalled as I was. Nevertheless, we find ourselves, represented by an individual who not only believes these things to be true, but proclaims them openly and proudly. If this isn’t a failure of the democratic process at the hands of the people, I don’t know what is.
So as not to be overdramatic, I do realize that in the grand scheme of things, one right-wing nut will achieve very little of his agenda and will likely tire of representative government very quickly. The principle of the thing, however, is still nothing short of shameful to me. Have we, supposedly the leading proponents of public service and policy, become so self absorbed and vain that we fail to notice the issues right outside our front door? Are we so arrogant and cynical that we no longer care? If this is the state of affairs within James Madison College, I can only see one of two possibilities-either our peers in the university at large are faring even worse, or we’ve become so isolated and elitist from the rest of the school community, so sure of our place in things, that we fail to not only lead, but to do anything.
As much as I sincerely hope the latter isn’t true, as I turn the mirror on myself, I worry that it may be a possibility. Where was I last spring, after all, when the opportunity arose to serve my college? If I recall, I was patting myself on the back for half-finished work in a policy seminar, brooding over the breakup of a five month relationship that ended two months prior, and downloading leaked copies of new DVDs and albums and writing about them ad nauseam in my blog. Arrogance, angst, apathy-I’ve known them all…guilty as charged. But at least for me, it’s time for a new leaf. Call it an awakening if you like, but it’s been a long time coming this summer, from Ralph Nader’s speech to the passing of Mr. Weitzel, and finally this. It’s become clear that some change has been long overdue, and it needs to start with me.
Letter from an Occupant
I vaguely remember last spring when I voted in the ASMSU elections, taking a few seconds between listlessly scanning Facebook and staring blankly at a paper I was supposed to write on Tocqueville to log in and check a few boxes. Mostly, I remember being mildly bothered that there were only two people running in Madison for two seats on Student Assembly, and the recollection of seeing one name plastered on posters throughout Case Hall as “The RIGHT candidate for ASMSU,” detailing involvement with various conservative organizations. However, I just let it pass, didn’t vote for the guy (I don’t recall even putting a write-in down), and got back to the aforementioned hallmarks of college life.
Fast forward to about a week ago, when a friend alerted me to the statement posted by said candidate (now officeholder) on the ASMSU website (scroll down, its hard to miss) outlining his positions and goals as a member of Student Assembly. The mild unease of a few months back quickly exploded into outright anger and dismay. The positions taken by this representative- the college’s representative, my representative-were, in my opinion, not only shortsighted and crude, but bordered at times on downright hateful, aligning more with fringe figures of the right wing such as Pat Robertson that the supposedly mainstream conservatism of the current administration. As I continued to read, I swelled with righteous indignation. This is an outrage… an embarrassment, I thought. Something had to be done to stop it.
It wasn’t long, however, before I was deflated by the realization that in essence, we’d already failed by letting this individual slip in without notice, let him go unchallenged in an election and take office no matter what views he held. I would venture to guess that a majority of students in James Madison College would disagree with the assertion that homosexual groups ob campus support the spread of AIDS, or that a Caucasian Caucus should be formed to counter the Black Caucus. I’d even imagine a fair number would be as outright appalled as I was. Nevertheless, we find ourselves, represented by an individual who not only believes these things to be true, but proclaims them openly and proudly. If this isn’t a failure of the democratic process at the hands of the people, I don’t know what is.
So as not to be overdramatic, I do realize that in the grand scheme of things, one right-wing nut will achieve very little of his agenda and will likely tire of representative government very quickly. The principle of the thing, however, is still nothing short of shameful to me. Have we, supposedly the leading proponents of public service and policy, become so self absorbed and vain that we fail to notice the issues right outside our front door? Are we so arrogant and cynical that we no longer care? If this is the state of affairs within James Madison College, I can only see one of two possibilities-either our peers in the university at large are faring even worse, or we’ve become so isolated and elitist from the rest of the school community, so sure of our place in things, that we fail to not only lead, but to do anything.
As much as I sincerely hope the latter isn’t true, as I turn the mirror on myself, I worry that it may be a possibility. Where was I last spring, after all, when the opportunity arose to serve my college? If I recall, I was patting myself on the back for half-finished work in a policy seminar, brooding over the breakup of a five month relationship that ended two months prior, and downloading leaked copies of new DVDs and albums and writing about them ad nauseam in my blog. Arrogance, angst, apathy-I’ve known them all…guilty as charged. But at least for me, it’s time for a new leaf. Call it an awakening if you like, but it’s been a long time coming this summer, from Ralph Nader’s speech to the passing of Mr. Weitzel, and finally this. It’s become clear that some change has been long overdue, and it needs to start with me.