— STAFF EDITORIAL —
Stand up for X and You
Say what you will about Xavier University (we certainly have), but at least we’re not hiring high-profile criminals like the University of Dayton recently did.
For those of you who don’t play close attention to the lives of former Ohio politicians, allow us to explain. Bob Taft, former governor of Ohio, who pleaded guilty to four misdemeanors while in office in 2005, was hired by the University of Dayton as a distinguished research associate for educational excellence.
Seemingly, such a hire would cause uproar within the Dayton community, especially the student body. However, at a recent summit of the Southwestern Ohio Collegiate Newspaper Syndicate, one of our esteemed colleagues from the Flyer News told us (rather disgustedly) that there was essentially no outcry from the student body over the Taft hire.
We’d like to think that Xavier University would never even consider hiring a man like Taft for purely moral and ethical reasons. Though, given recent events, we’re not totally convinced that certain people at Xavier are held to the highest of ethical standards (*cough*…ResLife…*cough*).
However, we’d also like to think that in the event Xavier hired someone like Bob Taft, the student body would rise up and protest strongly.
But would we?
Students are obviously involved at Xavier University. Take Alternative Breaks for example, an organization with over 250 people that requires quite a bit of time and effort from their participants.
We find few things more admirable than when students assert themselves and fight for what they believe in, which is why in recent years, Club Day on the Mall has been without doubt the finest hour for the Xavier student body.
We have always been pleasantly surprised by the massive amount of students who have packed the greenspace to promote their organization to their fellow students. In the past, we’ve always looked at Club Day as a firm demonstration of the strength of the voice and willpower of the Xavier student body.
We’ve never questioned the quantity of student involvement here at Xavier; it’s hard to refute how many students are involved in various clubs and organizations. However, we are beginning to wonder about the quality and direction of student involvement here.
While we respect organizations like the Dorothy Day conglomerate (AB, Voices of Solidarity, etc.), we sort of wonder whether or not the student body has become too preoccupied with saving the world to notice what’s going on at Xavier.
Darfur and the Invisible Children certainly need our attention, but with the university spending excessive millions of dollars to acquire more land, its actions do not seem to reflect the students’ passions or interests.
A well-respected veteran faculty member recently told us that “out of 4,000 undergrads at Xavier, only 50 of them can really affect anything at this college.”
These days, it almost seems like only 50 students want to really affect anything at this college. We seem more concerned with getting good resume lines and building large litter boxes for the campus cats.
So this Club Day, go find an organization that you can join and with it, help make Xavier University a better place.
Because if you don’t, we’re not sure anyone else will.
A column that isn’t about Ann Coulter
Andrew Chestnut
Editorial Columnist
A lot of people are under the false impression that I like politics because I know a lot about politicians and issues, and because I am prone to argue (to put it mildly). But the truth is, I hate politics. In fact, I am positively dreading the election next year.
In previous years, I have completely thrown myself into it. I wrote about it in my high school newspaper and passed out information at the polls on election day. But next year, I am considering doing something that is completely unprecedented for me. I am actually debating whether or not I should just ignore the entire thing.
I never thought I would say something like this. I have always been that person encouraging people to learn as much as they can about the issues and the candidates in order to make informed decisions at the polls. It’s always been my prerogative as a citizen to be involved with the system (even if I wasn’t old enough to vote), and to make it everyone else’s prerogative too. But the thing is, politics aren’t really politics anymore. Let me explain:
Like it or not, 99.9 percent of everything we experience politically happens through the national media. Everything we hear about candidates or issues comes from a person or source with some agenda, and it’s all packaged to be entertaining rather than informative.
Even when we hear candidates speak for themselves, it’s either in soundbytes on TV (which are too short to be significant and often taken out of context) or absurd campaign commercials. The candidates’ speeches are often written by someone else. The debates—as exciting as they are on paper—are overwhelmingly sterile and anticlimactic in reality, and are immediately followed by Chris Matthews telling everyone who they should think won. Campaigns are all precisely the same; everything we hear is meaningless.
That’s where the problem is: elections don’t really resemble collective decisions as much as they resemble the Jerry Springer Show. Politics are attached more to an aspect of entertainment instead of logical decision-making. But not entertainment in the sense we usually mean it. Anger is very entertaining too, which is why “The O’Reilly Factor” is so successful.
On a broader level, that’s really what politics is: an unreasonable, infuriating argument about everything. Too many people care because they are mad that other individuals with different opinions have power. We have lost sight of the fact that we are trying to find the best people to run our country, not support one team in a two-sided, dogmatic, indefinite debate about how life should be.
I started questioning my involvement in politics when I realized that the best president we have ever had, Abe Lincoln, could not get elected today. Lincoln wrote all of his own speeches, and they were infinitely better than anything we hear today. He surrounded himself by a cabinet of men from different opinions and backgrounds, so he could listen to all points of view and make informed decisions. He dealt exclusively in reasonable, logical discussion. He rose to power without slandering opponents and appealing to ignorance. And, oh, he held the country together during the Civil War.
Can you imagine a civil war today? Now imagine a guy who comes out of nowhere and keeps the country together based on his intellect and leadership.
That guy couldn’t get elected. Getting elected today means taking stances on social debates you have little to do with (like stem-cell research), having a “likable” face, talking in soundbytes and deviating as little as possible from this senseless campaign formula that has you flipping pancakes in Iowa and windsurfing and kissing babies.
People aren’t interested in an intelligent debate—smart candidates like Al Gore are attacked for being too smart—which is why there are no intelligent debates to be had. I can find more logic on ESPN than on CNN and Fox News during an election year. And because of this fact, I really want to quit politics.
By the way, I made it through all of that without mentioning Ann Coulter. Incredible.
Coulter opens Academia’s eyes
Ann Coulter recently has been running an experiment. What would the reaction be if she was half as venomous and hateful as Left Wing pundit Bill Maher, who has openly wished that the attack on Vice President Cheney in Iraq had been successful? Talk about hate speech.
Coulter has not gone as far, but has fully illustrated that compared to anything she says, hate speech from the Left is not only acceptable, but even mainstream. All manner of vicious slurs, threats, lies and hate towards the Bush Administration and conservatives passes without note, while one word from Coulter receives calls for censorship and limits on free speech.
Her visit is not only important, it is necessary. The most insular, close minded, out-of-step-with-America establishment today is Academia.
When we demonstrated in the 60s, who ever envisioned that colleges would be the last refuge of thought police and a totalitarianism of ideas? For every conservative group like College Republicans, there are eight on the far Left trying to bring their own rabble rousers to speak. It only begins there.
College professors are either abundantly liberal to Left Wing or if not, are intimidated into avoiding espousing anything conservative that would damage their careers.
While the latter minority is effectively silenced, it is not uncommon for ‘progressive’ professors all over the country to promote their views, in classroom settings that often have nothing to do with politics, and stifle any rebuttal from students willing to risk their grade.
We all know diversity is a god at every university, unless it’s diversity of ideas and thinking. Just reading the Coulter headlines in the Newswire—“controversy”, “shameful”, “obscene”, “cancellation in order” and hardly anything in favor of her appearance—is illustrative.
That’s why appearances such as Coulter’s are so important in providing a small opposing whisper in the Left Wing din that permeates today’s college environment. It’s important for students and academics alike to hear there’s another side out there that’s thoughtful, logical and acceptable. If ‘feathers NEED to be ruffled’ to do that, then Coulter is a good choice.
She is unique on the Right for not being intimidated by political correctness and for giving nearly as good as she gets. If allowed, she will “tell-it-like-it-is” regardless of the personal consequences.
Robert Boutiere
Fairfield, OH
Liberally libeling
I am well aware that Xavier is not exactly the “no spin zone,” but I was surprised to find out how unfair and unbalanced it really is.
Ann Coulter’s upcoming appearance at Xavier has brought forth “a large amount of student dissent and disgust” says an article in last weeks’ Newswire, followed by an editorial page full of Coulter bashing, including not one piece in support of the event.
Not only does it appear that the editorials were selected for their anti-Coulter agendas, but it also seems that the editor opted to select only ranting letters completely void of any substantive argument. I have to say I felt significantly less intelligent after reading the pathetic attacks against Ann Coulter and almost felt sorry for these individuals.
Crazies aside for the moment, universities like Xavier that strive for “diversity” and never fail to attach that word wherever possible, show a curious lack of interest in diversity of opinion.
Judging by faculty responses to Coulter’s visit, I would say that Xavier’s version of diversity is carefully tailored to exclude emphasis on diverse political opinions.
I’d like to call attention to one editorial that so eloquently proposed we roam streets looking for a “deranged homeless person” as an equivalent to Coulter. Aside from his description of a homeless person that I find to be particularly offensive, this is one of the most ignorant letters I have ever read and I am appalled that it was chosen for publishing.
If you’d like to compare someone to a “deranged homeless person” you should start with Michael Moore, the uneducated moviemaker who wants Cuban-style healthcare.
Perhaps this concerned soul is not aware that Coulter graduated from an Ivy League university, attended a prestigious law school and is the author of not one, but five New York Times bestsellers. Lacking any examples, which surely would have been taken out of context, all Coulter opposition I have heard in the past week has consisted entirely of personal attacks and name-calling.
The real reason liberals hate Coulter is because she tells the truth about them. Yes, I can imagine it must be frustrating to have a monopoly on the media in the United States and still not be able to weed out those annoying conservatives like Ann Coulter. Five bestsellers ought to let those vehemently opposed to her know that maybe your news channel is giving you a bit of spin and perhaps Ann Coulter isn’t as far right as you’d like to think. I applaud Ann Coulter for enduring the personal attacks and hate speech directed towards her.
The bottom line is Coulter is not running for office; she is an author, a lawyer, a political commentator and an altogether successful person who tells things as she sees them—from a conservative stance. If you disagree with her and don’t value diversity of opinion, as Xavier does, then don’t go and I promise you will not be missed.
But do know, however, that by attacking Ann Coulter for “spewing hate” while comparing her to a “deranged homeless person” and claiming she is more offensive than pornography, you are only making yourself look bad; not to mention, attacking the very argumentative style that you yourself are employing.
Perhaps listening to Coulter’s speech will teach you how to make a substantive argument (come see her speak Thursday, Sept 6 at 7 p.m.). After that you will only have to read this editorial page’s next issue to find out how liberals change a substantive conservative argument into an out-of-context sound byte for partisan political advantage lacking what, as Ann Coulter says, “English language speakers call: ‘the point’.”
Sydney Patterson
Issues & Policies Director
Xavier College Republicans
Judge for yourself
I stopped to pick up my grandson recently and picked up a copy of the Newswire. Reading the anti-Coulter blurbs was amusing. Those who wrote the anti-Coulter letters seem to think free speech is only allowed if it agrees with their viewpoint—and this from the so-called champions of civil rights! These writers also freely use the hate speech label, but in their letters I see Coulter accused of being a serpent spewing venom and comparing her to pornography.
I guess hate speech from their mouths is not hate speech?
Grow up people. There is more than one point of view. You can take the advice of Bruce Jacobs and invite any one of his suggested Lefties and get your viewpoint out to the public and students. But let them judge on their own.
Frank Schmitt
Eloquent Ann
Interesting that so many of you have no clue that Ann has MANY MANY fans and followers. She is a best selling author and a national columnist. You don’t find yourself in that position unless there are readers.
She is blunt, to be sure, but she expresses, with eloquence, what so many of us think.
Whether you like it or not, there is a silent majority in this country who have the same emotions as Ms. Coulter.
I heartily applaud the Xavier College Republicans who have the foresight and the courage to host such a conservative icon.
They have my full support, and I’d like to shake each one of their hands.
To those of you who seek to stifle free political speech, it’s time to grow up, or, at the very least, pull your heads out of your behinds.
Richard Michael
Cincinnati, OH
Letters to the Editor Policy
The Newswire firmly believes that one of its primary functions is to provide a forum for the Xavier community.
That said, The Newswire welcomes responses to published articles and general commentary.
To submit a letter for publication, send the letter as the main text of an email to Newswire-Oped@xavier.edu.
The staff also asks you to please be aware of following:
- The Newswire is published on Wednesdays.
- Letters should be submitted by the Monday prior to publication.
- Letters should be kept to a maximum of 250 words.
- Letters must be signed and include contact information. This information will not be printed, but ensures the validity of the letters we receive.
- The Newswire reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity.
- We are not obligated to print all the letters we receive, but we will ensure that all points of view expressed in the letters we receive are represented.
- Letters are more likely to be published if they are succinct and coherent, especially if they offer a unique point of view.
- If you are a students submitting a letter for publication, please include your class year.
Darren LaCour
Op-Ed Editor
Submit a Letter to the Editor
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