Staff Writer Something I think we can all agree on is how proud and amazed we were at the Cause assembly. Here were students who bravely got on a stage in front of the whole upper school and expressed who they are. The rawness and truth in their words was awe-inspiring. The whole assembly probably wouldn’t have happened if Latin were not such a tolerant place. We want people to be who they are, to love who they love, and to believe what they believe, free from scrutiny and judgment. Although Latin is such a tolerant place socially, I often feel there is little political tolerance. Around election time, when the school was abuzz with talk of Obama and Romney, liberal students at Latin, an obvious majority, I found, often didn’t understand why people would support Romney. Even Facebook was flooded with Latin student posts saying things like, “if Romney gets elected, I’m moving to Canada!” When Obama succeeded in winning the election, there were huge sighs of relief among the Latin population. There is nothing wrong with believing Obama is the better choice, and there is nothing wrong with verbalizing it. As a tolerant community, people should be able to state which candidate they are in support of. But that’s just it. I often find there isn’t the same tolerance extended towards conservative students. When Pilar Neumann and I started Young Republicans of Latin, the first political club Latin has had in a while, we met strange reactions. Here we were, 2 conservative juniors surrounded by an ocean of blue (and orange!) liberal thinkers. So who would be coming to our club? Would we be meeting every clubs block with only us 2 talking about stuff we already agree on? Well, we hoped not. As part of club’s mission, we wanted to unite conservative students. We wanted to give them a place where they could come and be supported for not wanting to move to Canada if Romney got elected. We wanted to give them a place where they would be comfortable speaking as a Republican, in the same way that members of the Cause felt comfortable expressing themselves in front of the entire upper school population as LGBTQ. But what is tolerance among a small group of students if they are going to leave the club’s politically homogenous pond and go back into the big Latin ocean that doesn’t extend that same political tolerance? That’s why we want everyone. If you are a Republican, a Democrat, and Independent, questioning, anything in between, we want you to come to our club. We want you to push your own boundaries, leave your own Latin bubbles, and venture into new ones. We want to educate people about what conservative ideology is, erase the mythology that all Republicans are oppressive to women’s rights. Just because buffoons like Akin are Republicans, doesn’t mean all Republicans share his ideas. We hope that in educating and by fostering a supportive environment within our club, we can do the same throughout the whole school community. We want to get rid of the bad connotations and the glares that students receive when they say they’re Republicans. We don’t want people to be afraid to believe in what they believe in anymore. So now that I have thoroughly pushed my own club onto all of you, I hope you’ll attend the next meeting. But really, I hope that Latin can be politically tolerant in the same way they are tolerant of all those who are a minority. In doing so, they no longer stand out awkwardly as a minority, but are accepted as a member of the community.]]>
Political Tolerance
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byoung • Dec 20, 2012 at 3:52 pm
First of all, I usually would not comment on my own article. But, I do feel like there are some comments here that need to be addressed.
Peter, your tuition isn’t really paying for there to be a Young Republican club. Your tuition is paying for your education, and Latin also offers you a multitude of clubs to enrich your experience. I don’t partake in several clubs at Latin, and I don’t feel like my tuition is being wasted on them. I believe clubs should be allowed a place at Latin. This is something that makes Latin great.
Second of all, I respect that you don’t see a necessity for a conservative support group. Perhaps this is because you are not conservative. I know several conservative students at Latin who do not openly talk about their beliefs because they feel that they will not be treated with tolerance and respect. I have witnessed many jokes and attacks directed towards conservative students, and I do not think this is ok.
I would agree with you that there is misunderstanding on both sides. I also understand this is the nature of American politics. I do think though, change comes from within. If we want to start understanding both sides so we can make an informative decision about what we believe, we need to educate. I think it’s silly to say we need to stop polarizing and separating when we are taking no action to do such a thing. There is no point in talking about change if we aren’t going to implement it.
To address some other comments made, I in no way think that Republicans anywhere face the same difficulty that members of the LGBTQ community face. I understand the bravery and courage that is needed to be open about your sexuality, and I am not placing this on the same level as being open about your political beliefs. With this article, I simply intended to show how open and tolerant Latin is towards students, and how this same courtesy should be extended to Republicans, another minority. I do not want students walking the halls feeling isolated or targeted for anything and I do think minorities often feel this way.
I am also Jewish, and while I would agree with Peter we are very tolerant towards Jews, I don’t think this means there is any less need to have JSA.
Again, I would like to reiterate that I have no malicious intent behind this article, and I am very sorry if anybody saw the article in this way. I encourage you to come to the club and talk about these issues in person.
pwiggin • Dec 20, 2012 at 8:37 am
There’s something funny about this. Who has been intolerant? Yes, among politically active students at Latin, a majority is liberal. But where are the bullies? Does any conservative not feel “comfortable speaking as a Republican” in class or in the halls? I know William Pritzker, Andrew Nadler, and Brian Greenblatt gladly talk my ear off about their conservative politics, just to name a few. Many Democrats misunderstand Republican policies, sure; many Republicans misunderstand Democrats’. Its hard to like both sides when they spend all their time fighting each other.
I don’t have a problem with this group, but it seems like a strange thing for my tuition to pay for. In the same way that Jews are a minority at Latin, but are tolerated perfectly well (and would be even without JSA), I don’t think we need a conservative support group.
pneumann • Dec 19, 2012 at 11:29 pm
Nadja: We wanted to make it clear that the club was intended to be a place for Republicans (and those who are simply interested in Republican ideology) to come together and talk to others who have similar takes and views on current events. Sometimes it’s difficult to do so in such a democratic school so this just creates a super accessible forum for us to get together, you know? I think someone should definitely create a general political club but that’s just not what we were going for (:
Kristina: I think you’re totally right- comparing the issues surrounding those coming out and openly stating their sexual orientation is completely different than political affiliations. I think her use of the comparison was just as an example to show what a great and accepting community we are in- so why should people be scared to talk about politics. Also, I feel that it’s safe to say that nobody attending Latin believes women’s rights or gay rights aren’t important but there’s a general misconception about Republicans in regards to these issues. We’ll definitely be discussing these misconceptions at our meetings because more often than not I think people see Republican vs. Democrat issues too generally when really it’s a lot more complicated.
Hedy • Dec 19, 2012 at 9:58 pm
Ha, a “forum.”
kmensik • Dec 19, 2012 at 9:54 pm
I beleive everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and people shouldn’t begrudge one another for them. However, when differences arise in issues like politics, it is expected that people become vocal and impassioned with their opinions. Especially politics, especially when issues become personal. For a lot of us, this was the first, or one of the first, election cycle during which we realized how much they could affect us. And I think for many girls, even beyond liberal-leaning girls like myself, there was a realization that many conservative policies /ideoligies could very much affect our lives, ability to make fundamental, deeply personal choices, could very much hinder the progress that gender equality has made in recent years.
I think most of us realize that not all republicans share identical ideas or ideographs, but we know that politicians of a respective party often cannot stand against ideas of others of the same party if they want to get elected.
I really hope that kids at Latin can separate their treatment of people from their attitudes toward the beliefs these people hold, but I must defend that with many social issues that high-schoolers are concerned with (gay rights, the rights of women over their own bodies) it quickly becomes personal, and impassioned.
I think it is great that there is a forum where we can discuss these issues. While there is an enormous difference between coming out (or thinking of/trying to) and being accepted, supported, for one’s sexual or gender orientation (something that is not a choice and is often a target of persecution or just cruelty by others), I recognize that Latin is a hotbed for political debate. All of us are trying to find our own political beliefs, and should accept each other despite differences, even differences that are so severe (and again, personal), that it may seem impossible to bridge.
I’d love to come to a meeting!
nknox • Dec 19, 2012 at 9:49 pm
I was just wondering why you guys chose to call your club the Young Republican of Latin club vs Politics club or something of the sort, if it is a politics club? Just curious.
randruzz • Dec 19, 2012 at 9:46 pm
Blaike, I thought this was a well written article! It was articulated nicely, and definitely summed up how it feels to be a republican at Latin. I’m looking forward to the first club meeting.
pneumann • Dec 19, 2012 at 8:51 pm
Oops, response*
pneumann • Dec 19, 2012 at 8:50 pm
In responso to Josh’s comment- I hope you don’t think the comparison was belittling anything; It’s obviously far more difficult and takes much more strength to come out as part of the LGBTQ community I think her intention with the reference was simply to say that if we’re in such an inclusive community why are people still worried to share things about themselves like their political affiliations?
jmartin • Dec 19, 2012 at 8:36 pm
When and where does your club meet? I am not a Republican but I’m really interested in talking about this stuff because this is the first time ive ever seen a republican compare themselves to the LGBTQ community.