When Ward Churchill’s planned appearance at Hamilton College was cancelled recently after his writing about the Sept. 11 terror attacks was deemed too offensive, it set off a firestorm from free speech advocates. Wesleyan is a place that values free speech, yet we are guilty of the same narrow-mindedness when someone who disagrees with us tries to visit campus. While many students and faculty here find themselves on the political left, too rarely are those views actually challenged by visiting speakers on campus.
The Iraq teach-in sponsored by WesPeace this week, according to organizer Rob Rosenthal, intended to reflect a variety of viewpoints on opposition to the war. This attitude takes us in the right direction, but maybe what we could use is someone who actually supports the war. Too often, the political opposition is rejected as ignorant, or worse, evil. We are not suggesting inviting a speaker who believes homosexuality is a sin or calls pro-choice activists murderers. Still, there are conservative voices from all over that, while they may not convert Wesleyan students to the GOP, could spark an atmosphere of debate that is valuable in order to better understand the issues.
We propose inviting well-respected conservative thinkers to expand the campus discussions. Right-wing journalists such as Paul Gigot of the Wall Street Journal, William Kristol of The Weekly Standard, and William Safire, among others, would challenge students and faculty in a respectful manner. Students might not agree with their views, but at least they will hear new perspectives from the best conservative minds in the business. We encourage all groups interested in debate and discussion to invite such people to campus. If they come, we’re sure students will be ready to engage in an impassioned debate, and hopefully one based on respect and mutual curiosity rather than single-minded rejection.
Those afraid to have their beliefs challenged might not be as confident in their convictions as they’d like to believe. As a campus that believes so fervently in free speech and facing every challenge we meet, it is time to bring our political opponents to campus to see how we hold up. And who knows, maybe some of us will change our minds, or at least be forced to consider it for the first time in a while.
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