On January 28, a message titled “Some Nice Conservative Opinions about Manchester” was circulated on Facebook. This message, written by a self-avowed “Conservative [sic] Republican,” damned Manchester as a “Hippie Palace… controlled by gay liberal vegans,” and declared that “the bottom line is basically that people need to grow the [expletive] up.”
Although the majority of Facebook notes stand on their own, without response, this particular message yielded almost a dozen replies within the first 18 hours. Remarkably, many of these responses were from liberal students who felt empathy over the writer’s sense of alienation, and included many offers for further conversation.
These messages indicate that dissent within the student body regarding politics and lifestyle is more prevalent than is apparent from the average classroom discussion. Because these matters are primarily discussed in informal settings and online forums, it is likely that much of the faculty and staff are unaware of the disputes at all. However, there is clearly both a need and a desire for a forum for discussion between liberal and conservative MC students.
The original message stated that the writer’s experience at MC has led her to feel that “if your [sic] not a liberal then the gays basically assign you as to what you are supposed to believe and think and if you don’t do as they say they degrade [you] as a human…. They order you to recycle and never eat meat and to stop buying name brand clothes,” she wrote. “I can understand the hate of soldiers and the abuse of children from parents, but for one Caucasian HUMAN to treat another Caucasian HUMAN so badly for how they dress and for what they eat? That’s terrible.”
She also expressed confusion regarding the presence of Christian homosexual students; “Last time I checked Christianity protested against homosexuality.”
One of the first replies, written by sophomore Zach Blatz, warned future readers to avoid automatically responding in a judgmental and hostile manner. “[The writer] is obviously saying this because something happened,” he said. “Why are we, as accepting ‘liberals,’ going around attacking people for not being just like us?”
First year student Zachary VanWinkle was easily able to see the parallel between the writer’s sense of alienation in a liberal environment and his own experience of alienation as a homosexual in a conservative environment. “There are some very misinformed and troubling arguments in this piece,” he said. “But if I reverse the role, I can try to understand. Kendallville is not a liberal heaven, and especially not a place to be gay or vegetarian.”
“I am not sure where [the writer] came from, but know this-- I never felt safe or at home in Kendallville,” VanWinkle said. “I am safe and can be who I want to be here. I can be gay, liberal, and a ‘label whore’… But you should speak out. Voice your opinions, or else how will you and I communicate and find common ground?”
Senior Anna Simons, referring to another poster’s comment, wrote “Thanks for the reminder that ‘mean people are suffering.’… I think it’s probably [one of] the easiest truths to forget. I think we forget it because we get angry, too, because we suffer also and then we get mean sometimes.”
“I can understand this person’s feeling that she is surrounded by differing assumptions and wanting to rail against those,” Simons continued. “I often feel that way too, and sometimes
feel like the only response I can make is to take just as strong a position on the other side and act like just as big an asshole. One of the scariest and most important things we can do as members of a human community is to learn to really listen to each other.”
John Fagan, a sophomore religion major, spoke out on behalf of moderate and conservative students here at MC. “I will be honest about the letter written by the first year student; I don't disagree on every point made,” Fagan said. “Yes, I think that her letter was racist and narrow minded and all around poorly thought out, but a valid point was made [regarding] the overwhelming unbalance in the liberal to conservative population of the student body.”
“In my experience here, I have found that it is to be expected that if one is to express a conservative view point in a group setting, one should be prepared to be attacked much more aggressively than [if a liberal student were to express] his/her point,” Fagan continued. “Furthermore, in my opinion, I feel a forum of discussion between the two sides would be excellent. I would have much to say, given that the discussion was properly mediated.”
“I have learned so much already about people and how different they can be,” said sophomore Erica Nisley, a self-professed conservative Mennonite. “In no way, however, have I ever felt that a certain group of people has overbearing control of the environment here.… As for the groups on campus who support clothing not manufactured in sweatshops, recycling, and encourage us not to waste as much food, they're just being proactive with their values. It may not be your style, but its their's. They're doing something to better the lives of others in a way they see fit.”
“As far as Christianity goes, the Bible contains passages that don't condone homosexuality, but then there are also the passages that speak about the love of your fellow human beings,” Nisley said. “Which matters more, your orientation or your common humanity? No matter where you go to school, no matter where you live, you'll come into contact with people whose views are so much different than yours. You're going to have to learn to live with them.”
First-year student Matthew Bennett said “I am a conservative Christian…. However, I have adapted to the culture of the school, and am not angered by it…. While I believe homosexuality is immoral, I do not believe hatred and violence against those who choose that lifestyle is warranted.”
“The note spoke of the way the author felt that certain groups were seeking to force her to adapt to their points of view. I have not felt that I have been pressured to accept their agenda or to conform to their beliefs,” said Bennett. “While the sort of tolerance I possess may not be what some want it to be, I am tolerant on several levels…. Not all conservatives are full of hate, just as not all liberals are full of hate towards others. Hopefully more of us will realize that, and we can all go through our days without hard feelings towards one another.”
Kendal Sue Kosta Mikel, an MC alum from the class of 2007, observed that prejudice tends to produce conflict rather than knowledge. “I feel sorry for this person, who seems to be completely misinformed,” Mikel wrote. “It’s sad if she was mistreated by someone in a certain social group, however, she should probably understand that generalizing people is not going to solve her problems. She does not want people unlike her to say that because she is a conservative
she fits into a specific ‘box,’ so why does she believe this about others?”
Mikel concluded by observing that some of the important things that students are able to learn during their time at MC include a deepening understanding of “who [we are], what [we] really believe and, most importantly, why [we] believe those things.”
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