Student tolerance
Working in the media I try not to be hysterical and overreact, as many people do, to the things I read in newspapers or see on TV. The media is a business and therefore they tend to lean more toward the salacious in order to get viewers or sell product. That means they sometimes over amplify the truth. So when I saw, repeatedly, stories about intolerance from students on college campuses I took it with a grain of salt. Then I saw the Mike Pence thing last week and realized maybe this is something we should talk about.
In case you missed it the fine folks who run Notre Dame invited the vice president to speak at graduation. Pence didn’t get 12 words out of his mouth before some of them stood up and walked out on him. Now before you wag your finger at me I know, I know that’s their right and I suppose from the “respect department” silently walking out is better than screaming at him and not allowing him to speak. I also know they’re not my kids so it’s none of my business what they do or how they turn out in this world. That said I do worry about this generation of children we’re pumping out of college.
My parents never went to college but they imparted plenty of wisdom on their children. One of the lessons they taught me is the world isn’t always fair, not everyone agrees with you and you can’t go in the corner and pout every time things don’t go your way. Watching what unfolded at a number of college campuses just in the last few months I can tell some of these young people never learned any of those lessons.
The script plays out the same way every time. Someone on campus invites a speaker and a small group decides that person is not welcome. They then make it clear to the college administration that if the speaker is allowed to visit they will cause as much trouble as possible. In some cases violence is not out of the question. The people in charge quickly come to the conclusion that despite the first amendment it would just be easier to acquiesce to the very loud mob and disinvite whomever was supposed to speak. The irony is that this is happening at colleges that used to be bastions of free speech.
There’s an old saying, not my circus, not my monkeys. I’ve been out of college 32 years now so I shouldn’t care about this but as I said earlier I worry about these young people going from this protective bubble they’ve created for themselves into a harsh world that more often than not doesn’t care about your feelings.
If you lean left Mike Pence probably comes off as a pretty bad guy but rather than run, or in the case these recent graduates walk away, why not engage? In fact when you have a speaker you strongly disagree with run towards the debate not away from it. Arm yourself intellectually with the strongest arguments possible and slay that person you disagree with verbally, out in the open, for all to see.
We used to be stronger than this, better than this, when it came to dealing with people we disagreed with. We would engage them not block them. We would have at it and, crazy as it might sound to those Notre Dame students, shake their hands after.
One of the more popular shows on cable these days is Tucker Carlson and the reason it’s so much fun to watch is he has these intellectual debates with people who think completely different than him on a nightly basis. No one raises their voice or storms off the set, it’s just a vigorous exchange with courtesy displayed at the end. As much as Bill Maher is not my cup of tea he does the same thing on his HBO show, inviting on people he can’t stand and debating them. I may disagree with Maher most of the time but I respect him for that.
One last thought. Ask yourself what’s going to happen to a 22-year-old who goes out into the real world and has to work three feet from someone with opposing political views? How are they going to cope? This cuts both ways not just for children who are more liberal but those who are conservative. We are melting pot in this country and will be exposed to others who don’t think like we do. You can’t just get up and walk out when someone disagrees with you. Well I suppose you can but I doubt they’ll keep paying you, even if you have a degree from Notre Dame. John Gray is a news anchor on WXXA-Fox TV 23 and ABC’S WTEN News Channel 10. His column is published every Wednesday. Email him at johngray@fox23news. com.