Op-Ed: Be mindful of our bubble

To our average student, the idea of a Ben Shapiro event is laughable, and the face-off against the Mooch makes us proud.

Democrats and liberals are a dime a dozen at Tufts, and I think it’s worth examining the consequences that emerge from this. One, it creates an environment where some peoples and minorities can feel accepted. But two, debate becomes inherently one-sided. Too often, opinions from the right, even the moderate right, are simply not put forward.

We live in an exceptionally polarized country these days, and the fact that Tufts is an accepting environment for people who would be discriminated against elsewhere is a blessing. Whether you’re gay or trans, an immigrant or African-American, Tufts is full of people who don’t care about whatever stigma society tries to attach to you. This is a rare and precious thing, and we should protect it.

That being said, the other consequence of our overwhelmingly liberal student body is that we unintentionally sideline Republicans. You’re a fish out of water if you’re a Republican at Tufts, and that makes it harder for you to express your views to our community. Even if you’re just a moderate conservative, when you compare yourself to the average Tufts student, you’re a complete oddball. It’s thus much harder to engage in actual debate.

The problem with not having conservative thought at Tufts is that we are creating a bubble. This bubble buffers our community from the reality of our country and our world. To some extent, this is good; it’s not like we want neo-Nazis on campus. However, by not engaging with any conservative thought, even moderate conservatism, we are simply ignoring reality. It’s not like Congress is full of Democrats, and it’s definitely not like we have a sensible liberal president.

I want to stress that this is not a partisan critique of Tufts students and their views. I, for one, identify as a pretty open-minded liberal. Instead, this is a critique of the way we are addressing the political divide in our community and our country. On Wednesday, Nov. 15, there was an event hosted by Tisch College called “Resistance & Persistence: Civil Debate in Divided Times.” The event featured Bill Kristol, a prominent Republican, and Neera Tanden, a heavyweight in liberal think tanks. The point of this event was to have constructive debate between the left and the right, something that has become increasingly rare in our country the past couple years.

So, if you consider yourself liberal, the next time there is a conservative speaker at Tufts, I want you to go. If you don’t agree with him or her, awesome! Ask them some hard questions. If it’s someone like Ben Shapiro, and you really can’t stand them, make use of your First Amendment right and protest.

Above all, be aware of how divided this country is and know that ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.