By Ryan Quinn
The 58th Secretary of State Ed Muskie once said, “Americans like to believe that they are decent, and most of them are, nevertheless they find it easy to persuade themselves that there is too much risk, too much danger, in trusting Americans who are different.”
We continue to see this attitude polarize our nation, especially in light of the recent election. Today’s political climate is a personal one. However, I experience a type of fear that has yet to be adequately addressed.
Imagine living in a world in which nobody agrees with you, a world in which you are embarrassed by your fundamental beliefs. That is the way many liberals have made conservatives feel on college campuses. The most vocal voices are those on the left, and conservatives are not invited into dialogue. Conservatism has become a dirty word, stripping right-leaning college students of their freedom to speak their minds.
Liberation theologian, Gustavo Gutierrez, defines a “poor” person (in regard to the preferential option for the poor) as a “nonperson,” or someone who lacks a voice. According to Liberation theology, I am a nonperson.
Yes, I have a voice. I am blessed with an education. I am by no means invisible. I am a straight, white, cisgender male. I have a platform on which I can project my thoughts and people will listen to me — but only if I say what people want to hear. As a conservative on a college campus in New York City, I have spent the last three and a half years in fear that my views will single me out as a hateful, close minded conspiracy theorist.
But this fear, unlike other fears, is ignored. If a Muslim mother asks her daughter not to wear her hijab in public for fear of discrimination, everyone’s heart breaks. But when my conservative mother asks me not to speak my mind in class for fear of discrimination, nobody knows. Recent physical attacks on Trump supporters legitimize this fear.
Conservatives have been silenced. Pop culture makes a mockery of conservatism. Academia pushes liberalism. We are embarrassed, not by our views, but by how our views will be interpreted. When I say that I am pro-life, people hear “anti-woman.” When I say that I believe in the second amendment, I am a callous enabler of gun violence.
We are attacked and shamed for our views, so we grow silent. Because of our silence we think we are alone. Our silence leads to silence from other conservatives. But we raised our voices through the ballot, and the left is shocked by the number of people who disagree with them. However, so far, the response from the left regarding these digressions has been uninspiring.
For example, a November NPR article entitled, “One Way to Bridge the Political Divide: Read The Book That’s Not for You,” encourages readers to expose themselves to political thought written by people that they disagree with. I was amazed that this was a new concept to people. I assumed that people regularly educated themselves on both sides of an issue. Of course we should engage in thought from across the aisle! It is something I have done — forced and voluntarily — for my entire life. It is astonishing that this is a novel idea for some people.
After the recent election, students in my classes started to toy with this idea of reaching across the aisle. However, a common narrative is that the political divide is based on the level of formal education of voters, so my classmates thought that there were no conservatives sitting right next to them in class. Maybe, just maybe, there was a Libertarian.
I quickly realized that any effort to understand the opposition was not motivated by the intention to learn anything and broaden horizons. It was clear that understanding conservatism was only a means to explain why conservatism is wrong. This is not even conjecture. Students openly admitted that they want to understand conservatives so they can explain why their beliefs are old fashioned.
I realize that my observations of liberals are not representative of the entire left, but rather just the loudest ones. They produce the visible trend. In most cases, perception is not as important as reality, but perception here is what causes conservative fear. If the loudest voices are the ones that are condescending, and those that truly want to understand the right are less vocal, then that is useless. The existence of open-minded liberals is irrelevant. They need to be vocal and seek out conservatives.
Now, I would like to directly address my liberal friends.
To my liberal friends:
First, I would like to say that friendship is not contingent on political views. Enough people, on social media and in the classroom, have expressed concern over whether or not they can be friends with someone who voted for Donald Trump. This is not only a manifestation of the silence imposed on the right, but will perpetuate that fear in the future. The media spent countless hours on coverage of Donald Trump’s infamous tape. That is a good thing. Such speech should be condemned. However, few students in my classes heard about Clinton’s arguably equally abhorrent tape. This was a recording of her laughter allegedly over the acquittal of a man who raped a 12-year-old girl, with heavy implications that she knew he was guilty. This unequal portrayal of the candidates trickles down to their supporters. This tells conservatives that we are unvalued and that our beliefs automatically disqualify us from a place in any given person’s life. Liberal students do not feel this way.
Second, check your privilege. I have checked mine, and I hope you will too. You probably will not know what it is like to look at a professor, who has years more experience and education, and say the words, “I disagree with you.” Worse, you may never know the experience of lying to a professor and saying “I agree with you,” suppressing your views out of fear that your grades will suffer and your character tarnished. If you have had to do this, I highly doubt that you have had to do this in four out of four classes in any given semester.
You are, simply, more comfortable sharing your ideas in class. You have a sense of intellectual freedom. Conservatives are outnumbered here at Fordham. Even if we are not outnumbered, we certainly feel as though we are. You are louder than us because you can be. You can count on the administration, all of academia, all of Hollywood, the media and countless Buzzfeed articles to back you up.
You are encouraged that your views are correct, and that my conservative views are antiquated thoughts fueled by hate. Or, you trust my morals and expect my views to evolve, and that one day I will look back on this period of conservatism as a mere phase.
Finally, I would like to ask a question. Have you ever assumed people agree with your politics? Don’t. It suppresses dissenting voices and inhibits your own growth.
Dennis Prager, conservative radio talk show host, suggested that conservatives in liberal schools are some of the most intellectually open minded people. We have our views, and we are forced to understand yours. Conversely, you have your views, and are constantly reassured as to how correct you are. One cannot adequately grow in an environment like this. Check your liberal privilege out of love and respect. If love and respect is too much to ask, do it for yourself. Realize that you have so much to gain from the ideas of others. Do not just try to understand the dissenting point of view so you can more easily argue against it. Ask questions. Analyze the answers and think, “could I possibly be wrong?”
Ryan Quinn, FCRH ’17, is a history major from Queens, New York.
Caire • Oct 24, 2020 at 8:04 pm
To everyone who just ripped the author apart because he is a white “cis -gendered” male (or what those of us who call male who don’t have the privilege to attend higher education and spend countless hours considering how many genders there actually are since we are too busy working and trying to make a living to cover our heads and feed our families) you all just proved his point. Bravo. Yea discrimination is real and it is horrible but it is not surrounding you at every corner of your life. Turn off your telescreens and stop buying the paranoia they feed you daily. The country as a whole is getting tired of your double standards and realizes the divide you promote is one that you are PROPAGATING not HEALING.
EVERYONE in this country is worthy and their voices and votes are too. Respect it. Accept it. Embrace it. Ya know, All those things you ask other people (and especially those hateful, deplorable conservatives to do too.
cc • Jul 16, 2020 at 1:56 am
I find it hilarious that so many people read the article with the sole intent of stripping the author of his humanity and telling him he’s awful. The point has been lost on all of you. I’d agree some things are misguided, but no university student ever had their head screwed on perfectly straight. But he is expressing his frustration of being bullied, an issue largely seen as an epidemic in non-political circumstances–and here they are cheering on the schaudenfraud. It just proves his central point.
aashna • May 9, 2020 at 1:52 am
wow i really really like this article. i’m currently a freshman in highschool and i go to a arts school which is obviously, very very liberal. i’m a first generation american so it’s pretty rare to lean more to the conservative side also being a poc. i think it’s time we address this privelage as well. i never feel safe to speak my opinions on anything regarding politics. i’m glad to know i’m not alone!
Jim Smith • Sep 28, 2019 at 5:40 pm
Wow
The ignorance of some of the comments on here is astounding.
‘Conservatives don’t face physical violence’
Since when?
Because you have not seen, heard, or read about it means it did not happen?
‘Conservatives don’t face discrimination ‘
What bubble do you live in?
There is a leftist man I know that the second I post anything from a conservative bent he makes disparaging, and sometimes demeaning remarks.
But see that’s only the beginning.
You know though I was going to cite example after example.
But I’ve a better idea.
For those of you who don’t believe conservatives aren’t discriminated against.
Or don’t have violence done against them.
I have a challenge for you
Step into a conservatives role for just one day and see what happens to you
Anonymous • Oct 21, 2017 at 4:03 pm
I think most of these these comments prove the author’s points. You’re just dismissing him, something I know you are fighting against happening to oppressed groups.
Triple H • Dec 17, 2016 at 12:27 pm
If you’re not down with this article, I GOT TWO WORDS FOR YA: SUCK IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lizzy • Dec 14, 2016 at 1:33 pm
Joanne, Trumps language should have disqualified him from office? Which law states that?
Jo Anne Geron • Dec 14, 2016 at 12:59 pm
I am adding a point to my previous comment. One cannot deny that the language of the president-elect has been fraught with racism and misogyny. (Briefly, for example, “pussy-grabbing,” and “Mexicans are rapists and murderers”). You say that you are not racist or anti-woman. I want to believe you. I think that at this point it is incumbent upon conservatives, given this extreme rhetoric, to prove this. Tell us how you are anti-racist and pro-women. I certainly want to believe that we are on the same page here.
Jo Anne Geron • Dec 14, 2016 at 12:36 pm
In your piece you equalize Trump’s “grabbing women by the pussy,” (the president-elect said it, so it’s okay now to use this kind of discourse freely, yes?) to the tape of Clinton “laughing” about freeing a man who raped a 12-year-old girl. The problem is that the Clinton piece is wrong in so many ways. She did not choose to represent this man, he was not freed, and her laughing was not about “freeing” him. Check out http://www.snopes.com/hillary-clinton-freed-child-rapist-laughed-about-it/. They have all of the court documentation, history and quotes.
You wonder why liberals object to your politics? Your tepid criticism of Trump’s abhorrent language, which should have disqualified him from office, is a quiet stamp of approval when you equalize his proven behavior with propaganda about Clinton’s. She complied with a judge’s order and you compare that with molesting women and bragging about it. Of course I assume that you are misguided and anti-woman.
And, as others here have said, disagreeing with you is not oppression. You are not oppressed when you are over-represented in every textbook and history lesson. I teach psychology and I have to work hard to find textbooks that include writings of women, LGBT people and people of color.
Lizzy • Dec 13, 2016 at 5:51 pm
Imagine a classroom full of Jack Jones. A room full of nasty little people who disrespect I don’t allow different points of view in. The author is spot on and this proves it
jack jones (@jackjonesbabe) • Dec 13, 2016 at 3:58 pm
When you checked your privilege you forgot to check your entitlement. Let’s set aside for the moment that you have the gall to compare the dislike you experience for being an incurious white dude to the actual danger faced by Muslim women and focus on your juvenile whining. Firstly, as a white, straight college student, you are NOT a minority, despite your twisted views of how you believe you should be treated. Your political views define you as a person, and yes, conservative views are antiquated, bigoted and downright nasty. Have you read the republican party platform? chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/media/documents/DRAFT_12_FINAL[1]-ben_1468872234.pdf Probably a good place to start.
Aside from your spurious claims that Trump voters are being attacked, your article reads like the spoiled rantings of a petulant child. Quoting Dennis Prager does not substantiate your argument, it destroys any credibility you might have: “The welfare state . . . It has rendered vast numbers of black males unnecessary to black females who have looked to the state to support them and their children (and the more children, the more state support) rather than to their husbands. In effect, these women took the state as their husband. Whereas in the past, women sought out men for financial support, the welfare state enables women to stay single and get support from the government.” Yes, this is an actual Dennis Prager quote. If the blatant racism is not apparent to you, that says as much about you as it does Mr. Prager. You complain that it is unfair to label conservatives as racist or bigoted and you quote this man?
Another specious claim is that you make regarding Hillary Clinton and the debunked story that she laughed at a rape victim which the non-partisan politifact rates as completely false http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/oct/10/donald-trump/trump-says-clinton-laughed-about-rape-case/ This is alt-right propaganda targeted at the simple-minded and lazy and your vomitous regurgitatation of this lie demonstrates you lack both curiousity and the very ability to think critically that you are asking others.
There is a laughable irony in supporters of an admitted sexual predator who says things like ““You know, it doesn’t really matter what [the media] write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass,” complaining that he is a victim. You have just defined “white privilege” in a way that no civil rights activist could.
Tom Link • Dec 12, 2016 at 10:54 pm
Recent physical attacks on Trump supporters legitimize this fear. — I think this is the key statement in this piece. This would be an act of individual discrimination with violence. A milder form of discriminatory behavior is “hateful harassment”. The Southern Poverty Law Center has documented 867 cases of hateful harassment in 10 days since the election (https://www.splcenter.org/20161129/ten-days-after-harassment-and-intimidation-aftermath-election). It includes 23 incidents in the anti-Trump category.*
Actual physical violence and threats of violence are different than feeling uncomfortable voicing one’s opinion.
Then there is the category of institutional discrimination. I would like to hear of an incident of conservatives being systematically denied their rights by police or police discretion used unfairly against them (e.g. stop and frisk, Bridge’s study of juvenile probation reports, etc.), of incidents of being targetted for discipline in schools – see Fabelo’s study of Texas high school discipline, Human Rights Watch’s report on use of corporal punishment in American schools, Greg Toppo’s studies of preschool teachers). Show me the systematic discrimination in pay that Phillips talks about.**
Recent physical attacks on Trump supporters legitimize this fear. — If this statement were true, and there were other situations like it, I see your point. We need to look at the evidence for this. One common example of this point is debunked here: http://www.snopes.com/injured-trump-supporter/.
If we are going to look at feeling comfortable voicing ones opinion, then one must consider that most history and business departments are full of conservatives, and the curriculum in those fields is overrun with conservative philosophy. Econ 101 is still taught with ideas that Reagan’s failed trickle down economics were built on. At the school I teach at, there are many conservatives in the sciences and computer sciences and related disciplines who don’t teach conservative philosophy, but support the notion that racism is over and runt heir classrooms as if we all come in with an equal set of circumstances.. Even in English and Philosophy departments, the supposed bastion of liberalism, you would be reading the works of people like you. One private college in my state had a first year History of Civilizations / History of Ideas year-long freshman seminar that was all white men with the exclusion of one novel by Toni Morrison. Straight cis white men read material by and for themselves for most of the year, and had it taught as the history of ideas. That should make any man like you or I pretty comfortable.
* SPLC acknowledges “however, the small number of anti-Trump incidents may also reflect the fact that Trump supporters may have been unlikely to report incidents to the SPLC.”
**Phillip, A. (2011, August 12). Georgetown University Study Shows Higher Education Does Little to Close Inequalities of Race and Gender. – Higher Education. Retrieved July 30, 2014 from: http://diver- seeducation.com/article/16207/.
Derek L. • Dec 12, 2016 at 10:51 pm
“But this fear, unlike other fears, is ignored. If a Muslim mother asks her daughter not to wear her hijab in public for fear of discrimination, everyone’s heart breaks. But when my conservative mother asks me not to speak my mind in class for fear of discrimination, nobody knows.”
This is a joke, right? You are not seriously comparing the trials and tribulations of being Muslim in America with being a straight, white male (which is essentially the golden ticket in America).
Del Shortliffe • Dec 12, 2016 at 3:48 pm
Much of this opinion piece seems reasonable, especially if the writer finds himself up against the kind of unreasoned venom in some of the responses in this comment section. I’m very liberal myself, but I don’t attack anyone simply for being pro-life or even for mis-reading the 2nd Amendment. But there is one major error in the opinion piece: Hillary Clinton did not laugh at the acquittal of a 12-year-old’s rapist–which is probably why the story didn’t get as much mainstream press as Trump’s boasting about sexual assault. Check it out: http://www.snopes.com/hillary-clinton-freed-child-rapist-laughed-about-it/
Disappointed • Dec 11, 2016 at 12:32 am
Wow. Reading the comment sections just ggoes to show how true the author’s point is. I do believe that the article could use more evidence so that it doesn’t just rely on personal experience (NYT op-ed piece offers more data: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/opinion/sunday/a-confession-of-liberal-intolerance.html?src=me&_r=0). People claim that just because conservatism has become unpopular on campus means that it’s a debased political belief system… yet do the artsy writer kid who’s all for communism gets all the sympathy and understanding in the world. If you want to make the case that oppression has to be system… then I think the fact that conservatives have a much harder time finding jobs in academia shows it’s systemic.
Jean Kim • Dec 10, 2016 at 9:08 am
Hmm… I think that your article was written with good intentions and several valid opinions; however, I believe that it is ultimately, misguided. Now, to begin, I am a member of an extreme minority group, and I might come off as slightly aggressive or non-understanding, but that is not my intention at all. I am just very passionate about this topic, and I truly want to understand the rationale behind as many people as I can. Seeing how much traction this article has gotten, I want to know just the thought process behind it. I feel like I understand some of it; however, it never hurts to ask. In addition, I do recognize your opinions as completely valid in the fact that your feelings are your own and your experience of discrimination will feel like true discrimination and repression to you (not valid in that your opinions are correct and I agree with them). I also recognize the fact that no one wants to be treated unfairly, and these opinions are coming from a place of good-intent; no one wants to be told that what they believe in needs to be persecuted. On the flip-side, the concept of fairness and silence in this article is what I consider wrong.
To preface my argument, I am transgender. I identify as agender, which is a subset of transgender that almost no one knows about. I am demi-sexual, a subset of asexuality, which almost no one knows about. I am a lesbian. I am Korean-American. From these context clues, many people might already know me. There’s only one person on campus that identifies this way (in my knowledge) on campus. In the off-chance you’re reading this, HELLO! Shoot me a text, tell me what you think!
I completely agree that there isn’t enough discourse between liberals and conservatives. That’s correct plain and simple. Many liberal people tend to shout bloody murder and discrimination, when they themselves don’t have a stake in this intense form of discrimination. Those people are problematic in their own way, and that leads into another page long tirade that I am not willing to put people through right now. The problem with this article; however, is the incendiary claims that you make throughout. Here’s one example, “If a Muslim mother asks her daughter not to wear her hijab in public for fear of discrimination, everyone’s heart breaks. But when my conservative mother asks me not to speak my mind in class for fear of discrimination, nobody knows.” The problem with this claim is two-fold. As a journalist, you know that by putting these two claims together, in some sense, you are conveying to the reader that they are equal. This line of thinking is where this article goes wrong.
First, these claims are not of equal standing. Since I cannot speak on behalf of a Muslim person, I will translate it into something along the lines of not being able to wear feminine clothing for fear of discrimination. While this analog might not be perfect, I am not willing to speak from the perspective of an identity that I do not belong to. Okay, to begin, not being able to speak up in class and not being able to present as my gender are not equivalent. While they both can be viewed as persecution, they are not. One is rooted in privilege and the other is rooted in systematic discrimination. The “not able to speak in class” comes from a root of privilege. As a white, cis-het male, you are use to having the ability to speak your mind, when and wherever. However, colleges have become a place where liberal minded people and conservatives cannot coexist. This is a shame, and I understand that it is. I believe that this was the message that you tried to convey; however, you did it by equating this form of privilege to the discrimination faced by minority groups. The silence that you feel as a white cis-het male, comes from the fact that you are at a very liberal institution in a very liberal state, but it isn’t systematic oppression. It is feels like a silence that feels real and threatening, but in reality that silence is just the lack of your normal privilege. On the other hand, without using personal experience, we can see that there is a massive amount of systematic oppression against transgender people. The national attempted suicide rate is at 4.6, but for trans people (Source: NTDS), the average is 41%. While this may seem like I am just deferring to facts, I simply do not have the time, the patience, or the energy to explain why this form of discrimination is truly systematic over an internet conversation. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask, but otherwise I can’t think of every possibility that needs to be addressed.
Second, the statement of ‘everybody’s heart breaks’ is just untrue. While these stories occasionally bubble up and hit critical mass on social media, do not mistake this for privilege and a voice. The reality is that millions of people are being systematically oppressed and their unique stories are not being portrayed on media. Some people make it to the top of media because their story of discrimination is just so un-believable and apparent that it can sell well. However, most discrimination doesn’t get acknowledged and cannot be experienced by others. I am not bringing this up to say that the media is at fault, but what I am saying is that “everybody’s heart breaks” is simply problematic because people in a state of privilege don’t actually understand what minorities go through. That comment belittles the anguish that minorities actually go through, and thus you are able to equate it so effectively. It’s inadvertently (from my perspective at least) a “stop crying we all have problems” attack on minorities. It’s this mindset of “see? I face the same discrimination as you, why don’t I get on the top of social media outlets.” While this may not have been your intention by any means, from the perspective of one who is wary of others due to severe discrimination, your article can present itself in that manner.
These two points are all that I will write for now; however, I hope that I was reasonable and fair.
You made Huffington Post dude • Dec 9, 2016 at 8:19 pm
huffingtonpost [dot] com/entry/dear-persecuted-college-conservative_us_584a4179e4b0151082221a02
Steven Orage • Dec 9, 2016 at 7:11 pm
This is ridiculous, that’s how politics works, I don’t see anyone advocating for feudalism because it’s a shit political view. If you can’t handle the heat of the political critiques then maybe you need to question why your so committed to such an indefensible political view. But don’t you dare compare you’re whiny ass having to face up to how shitty your politics are to people actually facing oppression. There’s a difference, most conservatives can go cry to daddy and take comfort in their trust fun.
Message gets lost in this one • Dec 9, 2016 at 3:57 pm
Check the Conservatism and Campus discourse article that was posted today, listed in the top stories. Much better at discussing the point than this garbage
Ella Hardy • Dec 9, 2016 at 3:22 pm
wait… so you’re a white, straight, cisgender male quoting a liberation theologist?!
Anonymous • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:14 pm
As others have pointed out, not feeling comfortable speaking your opinion and being discriminated against are very different things. I’m a liberal in a conservative family. I can’t be myself around them. I’ve tried speaking about political beliefs (simply saying who I was voting for while others were talking about it), and been verbally attacked. I don’t cry “discrimination” because of that. My biggest issue is if I ever need to come out as pansexual to certain people in my family, I don’t think the reaction will be good.
I think the reason many liberal people attempt to shut down conservatives is because their policies hurt real people. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t well-meaning conservatives out there. There is so much hatred and misunderstanding on both sides. Many people get their political ideologies, and then won’t change them for anything. That includes people everywhere on the political spectrum. Liberals don’t help their case when they completely shut down others, but I understand why it occurs.
In addition, as an atheist at Catholic institutions (and with a Catholic family), I’ve been made to feel uncomfortable. I’ve had teachers and professors and my family disagree with my lack of religious beliefs. But I recognize that I’ve chosen to go to a Catholic college, and I don’t cry “discrimination” when I don’t feel comfortable speaking up around these people.
Honestly, my biggest problems with conservatives are the impact of their policies. I wish they could just be like: “I don’t like gay marriage, so I won’t get a same sex marriage. However, I will leave others alone to live as they wish.” “Or I’m pro-life so I won’t get an abortion, but I won’t take that right away from others”. My problem is forcing your beliefs onto other people, not necessarily that you have the beliefs in the first place.
Get Real People • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:56 pm
Thank you for some actual perspective.
whatamireading • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:11 pm
Leave it to The Ram to provide a platform for a delusional, sheltered weirdo to spout conspiracy theories and general bullshit then call it journalistic responsibility.
Get Real People • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:21 pm
Waah, someone disagrees with me. Ad hominem attack. Name calling It wrong to show other peoples views, thats not journalistic responsibility. Lose the diapers and come back with something to say you petulant child.
whatamireading • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:32 pm
^^^^Check out this Honky Tonk Blowjob^^^^^^
But forreal, giving space to total nonsense and conspiracy theories has a horrible effect on the public discourse, as demonstrated in the past election. Ryan took a fucking novella to say “I’m upset that holding hateful, closeminded and paranoid views may out me as a hateful, closeminded and paranoid person.” Why is this contribution valuable?
Get Real People • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:38 pm
Your response to someone calling you out for using irrelevant Ad hominem attacks, is to use more irrelevant Ad hominem attacks? Thanks for proving my point. Good luck outside of your echo chamber where any opinon that differs from yours is “hateful”. Again, wait until you graduate to your big boy pants before trying to engage in any sort of “discourse” you petulant child.
Mark • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:30 pm
Disagreeing with his points is one thing but you do realize this is in the Opinion section right? Getting upset at The Ram for publishing a student’s opinion piece under the opinion section is insane and makes me think you’re describing yourself when you use words like “delusional” and “weirdo”.
whatamireading • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:37 pm
Right, but The Ram doesn’t have the responsibility to publish every braindead abortion that finds its way in their inbox. In fact, part of being a publication is deciding what pieces are thoughtful and valuable, and what pieces make me want to beat my head on my damn desk.
Get Real People • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:40 pm
Please come back when you realize that you do not hold the only valid point of view in this world. You have some serious growing up to do.
NotALiberal • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:51 pm
If his “opinions” do work to silence people with ACTUAL problems and simply chalk all disagreements he receives to “liberal bullying” he deserves to hear criticism like this.
Get Real People • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:54 pm
Please read the article before commenting. It generally help in forming a coherent criticism of the work. Both of the points you tried to make are totally incorrect.
Get Real People • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:58 pm
Your strategy of invalidating everyone you disagree with is what got Trump elected. Thanks for that.
Mark • Dec 9, 2016 at 3:39 pm
Referring to the article or any article you don’t like as a “brain dead abortion” is just a shame. I won’t validate you by giving you any more response than that.
Lizzy • Dec 9, 2016 at 1:48 pm
The author has shown tremendous courage (I won’t stoop to your vulgarities) and fortitude in writing this piece knowing how hostile liberals can behave. The author does not pretend to be a crusader ; he just addresses a situation that affects many of us . Sushi you are just another petty ,crude coward .
aktuffish • Dec 12, 2016 at 12:38 pm
“Shush you are just another petty, crude coward”
Isn’t this the exact kind of behavior the author is trying to call out? And while your comment does not reach the level of vulgarity of some of the others, your last statement is far from respectful discourse that the author is trying to promote.
Get Real People • Dec 9, 2016 at 1:45 pm
This whole comments section is tripe. Salty leftists who can’t hear any opinion other than their own without crying about bigotry. Right wingers pretending to be oppressed. Rampant, unfounded assumptions and False Equivalencies abound. Cry more everybody.
sushi4thepeople • Dec 9, 2016 at 1:28 pm
Author needs testicular fortitude.
Grow some balls. You aren’t marching in Selma. You aren’t getting dragged behind a truck. You aren’t getting harassed on the way to Planned Parenthood.
You’ll be on a permanent white wealthy family “subsidy” for probably most of your life.
Taking the teat of white wealth & privilege out of your mouth and grow some actual balls.
If you’re a wimp and can’t defend your own beliefs, whining and attempting to call “reverse discrimination” will never change the size of those two pale raisins between your legs, or the gelatin where a backbone should be.
pcprincipal1 • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:54 pm
Are you assuming that all white people are rich and born into deathly families?
You better watch your micro aggressions, bro
pcprincipal1 • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:55 pm
*weathly
Lizzy • Dec 9, 2016 at 1:15 pm
Kudos to the author! You have written and articulate, intelligent article on the very obvious liberal slant in academia today. And the anonymous cowards keep crawling out of the woodwork to spout their venom.
Mac • Dec 9, 2016 at 12:38 pm
This is how liberals discuss – you don’t share my views so you are selfish , uncaring and hateful.
CommonSensePls • Dec 9, 2016 at 1:56 pm
Well if your views discredit the needs of the poor, typically favor one race in particular, and regularly pass bills that hammer women and LGBT rights they may warrant some disagreement. Ever stop and think why most non-white people don’t vote Republican? Hint: Your views usually work against us
Lmb • Dec 11, 2016 at 7:59 am
You are a vile, racist, mysoginist, homophobic, nazi white supremacist if you don’t agree with me. That dog does not hunt anymore.
Richard • Dec 9, 2016 at 12:16 pm
Have you, as a conservative, ever stopped to wonder WHY no one wants to listen to you, or ignores you, or you find yourself alone? Could it be that most people want healthcare for women? They want equal pay and opportunities for women and minorities? They want decent healthcare, housing, and food for EVERYONE and not just the privileged? Could it be they consider LGBTQ’s as actual people who deserve freedom to live their lives as equals? Could it be they show more empathy and compassion than you do for the hardships and suffering of those less fortunate? You can whine all you want to about being “uncomfortable” being a conservative….but I think that feeling is your conscience feeling guilty. Most people want other people to live a decent life, but time and again conservatives try to take that away from people, usually for their own selfish gains. Case in point, Paul Ryan wants to destroy Medicare, a program that keeps millions of people in healthcare, so that people (who can’t afford to purchase insurance in the first place) will be forced to purchase healthcare or have none so that a profit can be made from peoples suffering. Or how about destroying the EPA that keeps out water clean and our air breathable? Conservatives couldn’t care less about pollution and think the EPA just keeps their profits down.
When I hear conservative, I can’t help but see someone who is selfish, uncaring, and hating anything different because that is how they end up acting every time. So whine somewhere else because people would rather be nice to each other instead of hating.
pcprincipal1 • Dec 9, 2016 at 3:14 pm
Are YOU assuming that all conservatives hate LGTBQ people and don’t what women to have equal pay?
ARE YOU GENERALIZING AN ENTIRE GROUP OF PEOPLE, WHO HAVE DONE JUST AS MUCH GOOD FOR THIS COUNTRY, AND THE DEMOCRATS IN POWER?
WHO IS PUTTING THESE THOUGHTS INTO YOUR HEAD, BECAUSE I AM EXTREMELY TRIGGERED RIGHT NOW. >:(
TrollHarder • Dec 9, 2016 at 3:21 pm
“Just as much good”
Tell that to all the dead from the AIDS crisis ignored by Ronald Reagan, your party’s golden boy.
Tell that to those harmed by the economic failure of this country under bush
Tell that to the LGBTQ people who’s rights are threatened you exclusively conservative platforms
Tell that to black Americans who are told to shut up and be thankful by people like Toni Lahren just for sharing their views
Marie • Dec 9, 2016 at 12:12 pm
If you fear about expressing your voice because people might disagree with you, then you need to work on your confidence and your arguments. Disagreement isn’t discrimination.
bestofflange • Dec 9, 2016 at 1:35 pm
It’s not about having disagreements. It is common for those on the left to attempt to silence those with differing opinions. Go outside of your confirmation-bias echo chambers of liberal universities and social media safe spaces and see what’s going on in the real world.
Justin Reynolds • Dec 9, 2016 at 5:51 pm
You’re the ones who fail to see the country is better now than it was 8 years ago and fail to give Obama credit for all that he has done.
Jp • Dec 9, 2016 at 12:10 pm
Don’t care about your political views, but an article about your rise in the stand up world would be great!
Cheef boi hardy • Dec 9, 2016 at 3:12 pm
Yoo
vpasquill • Dec 9, 2016 at 11:56 am
“Local White Straight Man Shocked and Offended That He Is Not the Center of Attention”
bestofflange • Dec 9, 2016 at 1:26 pm
This is racist.
whatamireading • Dec 9, 2016 at 3:01 pm
Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner
musettee • Dec 9, 2016 at 11:40 am
RE: conservative men and abortion. LOL I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in listening to some straight white male pontificate on women’s private health care and family planning choices. It’s not like I will suddenly come to a new realization from listening to some assclown spew an opinion on a subject that he knows nothing about. I’m not interested in hearing straight white males discuss how there is no pay gap, or how empowering porn is for women, or how wardrobe causes rape. Seriously, I prefer it when the straight, white conservative males simply STFU and spare me their patriarchal dumbfuckery.
bestofflange • Dec 9, 2016 at 1:30 pm
Racist.
why is it always THAT republican who writes the article • Dec 9, 2016 at 5:11 pm
Most of those issues weren’t actually address in this article but glad to hear you think men aren’t aloud to have opinions. On your note about abortion however I really felt the need to interject. (And, since you only seem to care about someone’s opinion if they’re able to prove their oppressed status to you, I’m a women myself.)
I’m pro-life because I believe life begins at conception. That means that any termination of pregnancy after conception is the killing of a living being. If you don’t believe life begins until some later point, i.e. brain activity, viability, etc., that’s fine and I respect that. We really don’t have one scientific definition of the beginning of life. So I can totally understand why you would be fine with abortion; you see it as nothing more than getting a tumor removed. The problem is we have a fundamental disagreement about when life begins that influences our views. I would never condone murder which is why I will never vote in support of abortion but since you don’t see abortion as murder I understand why you would vote differently.
And that’s my key point here: rather than shout someone down or tell them to “simply STFU” maybe try considering the other side’s opinion. I can tell you I don’t have an issue with women making their own health care choices (Repunblicans want less government involvement in our personal lives anyway) but I do have a issue with women killing children and so, I would presume, does the author.
Jessica Rodriguez • Jan 6, 2017 at 2:07 pm
1. Your comments on abortion demonstrate total ignorance about apposing viewpoints and the reasoning behind them.
2. You demonstrate overt bigotry by your pejorative use of “white male” and your willingness to discount other people’s views based purely on their race and gender.
3. Not only are you adopting the qualities you supposedly hate the most, you are enabling the intolerance that does exist on the right by creating an equally detestable force on the left. If the left is overtaken by this type of bigotry then where will liberal minded people turn? Quite possibly to the growing libertarian and alt-right factions of the Republican party. Some of the illiberal may even turn to white nationalism.
Eddie • Dec 9, 2016 at 9:40 am
Correction on previous post. And please read this one instead
I have read this article and then the comments and then went back to read the article a few more times. What I take away is a young students view of how he is perceived in the classroom setting. His comparison of a Muslim mothers concern for her daughter with a concern of the mother of the white son are totally legit – I saw the video of the white man beaten to a pulp by a mob because they believed him to be a Trump supporter.If the author of this article was a Muslim girl revealing her thoughts and experiences or lesbian or a person of color would you be so quick to refute. I doubt it.Theauthor is a white male conservative by admission an unprotected class so the attacks came readily, without hesitation. I would echo the astute comments and Manny that these negative remarks just validate the authors point but instead I will echo the author and suggest you”Ask questions. Analyze the answers and thank could I possibly be wrong?”
BT • Dec 9, 2016 at 12:39 pm
The “man beaten to a pulp by a mob because they believed him to be a Trump supporter” was not beaten to a pulp, and was not beaten because he was a Trump supporter. The fight was over a traffic accident. The Trump taunts were completely secondary. The victim himself said the attackers had no way of knowing whether he was a Trump supporter or not. It doesn’t excuse the violence, but it’s a terrible example of conservative victim-hood.
Eddie • Dec 9, 2016 at 9:30 am
I have read this article and then the comments and then went back to read the article a few more times. What I take away is a young student view of how he is perceived in the classroom setting. His comparison of a Muslim mothers concern for her daughter with the concern of a mother of a white son are totally legit- I saw the video of the whitemail beaten to a pulp I am all because they believed him to be a Trump supporter. If the author of this article was a Muslim girl we’re feeling her thoughts and experiences or lesbian or a person of color would you be so quick to refute? I doubt it. The author is a white male, conservative by admission, and on protected class so the attacks came readily, without hesitation. I would echo this stupid comments of many that these negative remarks just validate the authors point, but instead I will echo the author and suggest you “Ask questions. Analyze the answers and thank can I possibly be wrong? “
FacismSucks • Dec 9, 2016 at 9:15 am
He complains about potentially, unfairly, being labeled a conspiracy theorist and then drops a conspiracy theory in this article. Schedule an interview with the Onion this is solid satire.
Canton Winer • Dec 9, 2016 at 1:07 am
It’s a shame, because there probably is a valid point to be made in there, but it’s completely obscured by the author’s delusion that sometimes feeling uncomfortable voicing your political views is the same as being a member of a group that is forced to deal with legacies of violence, intimidation, and hatred. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/584a4179e4b0151082221a02?timestamp=1481262016418
Mt • Dec 8, 2016 at 10:33 pm
I’m a Fordham Alum, I got a B in Philosophy because I did not agree with a Jesuit professor. So many Conservative speakers have been disinvited or shouted down at Fordham. The Fordham Faculty is overwhelmingly Liberal.
There is no diversity of opinion at Fordham.
Response to DontQuitYourDayJob • Dec 8, 2016 at 8:23 pm
So insensitive and clearly coming from someone who does not understand what it is like to be a minority in terms of political views. He is not saying that any of those kinds of discrimination are less valid. He is saying that this is yet another kind of discrimination that is incredibly prevalent on campus and needs to be stopped. Comments like yours are the reason why conservatives here feel this way
DontQuitYourDayJob • Dec 8, 2016 at 9:01 pm
He directly compares the two as if they should be on the same level and then sprinkles on a conspiracy that was proven false about Clinton. No is being told they can’t speak in class, discourse or not. If conservatives can’t handle having an open dialogue in class maybe they should stop labeling liberals as the ones who need “safe spaces”
Anonymous • Dec 8, 2016 at 9:04 pm
A minority in the political sense? Republicans won they’re clearly not a political minority
liberalscansuckmyass • Dec 8, 2016 at 11:24 pm
Pretty sure he makes crystal clear he means as a student on this campus. Also, do you watch the news? Clinton won the popular vote. So formally within the government yes, but conversationally with his peers, no.
Anonymous • Dec 8, 2016 at 8:20 pm
Great article that sums up how my Republican friends and I are feeling on Fordham’s campus. Liberal classmates are always claiming to push for freedom of speech and wanting to look at all sides of the situation, UNLESS you are the side opposite theirs. You are free to say whatever you like, unless it is not a liberal point of view. The very discrimination against Republicans that you are talking about has been exemplified the past two days since this article was posted. Students are intolerant of this article and of you, and are talking about you poorly simply because you disagree with them. If a liberal wrote an article about the election, and then a conservative disagreed with him, nobody would attack the article writer but would attack the commenter. So disappointed in the liberals on campus who are intolerant and close-minded of any view besides their own. You come to college to broaden your horizons, not to close yourself off from diversity of opinion
Sam Koll • Dec 8, 2016 at 7:08 pm
My friend,
At first I felt extremely disappointed in you (specifically for how you compared yourself to a Muslim woman wearing a hijab) but after reading most comments here and took a full 24 hours to think about it, here is what I have to say. America is very broken right now and I think the most important thing to do is to sit down with those who are different from you and try to figure out exactly why they feel and believe the things they do. On both sides we need to quiet down and really listen. I’m not saying to not keep fighting for what you believe in but on a personal level go and sit down in person with your opponent or the type of person you feel is oppressing you. Stop with the yelling articles and social media posts that only really get positive attention from the people who are on your side and more anger from the people who are not. That is a call to both sides, and to myself as well. There is a more human and effective way to get people to listen to you.
I’m sorry you feel silenced, but that is on you in this situation. College is the only place where you are openly encouraged to yell your beliefs as loud as you can so go and DO that. Don’t be afraid. Have courage. I know people who have even more extreme views than you who go out and do that everyday. As long as you do not disrespect anyone else’s existence I promise you that you will not lose friends. As a person who has views opposite of you, I am still your friend and I encourage you to reach out to me and explain why you feel the way you do as long as you let me do the same.
God • Dec 8, 2016 at 4:11 pm
Liberals are satans work.
Ron McDay • Dec 8, 2016 at 3:54 pm
Strap in liberals as long as they continue to say we’re a basket of deplorables (like in this comment section) we’re gonna continue winning elections !! MAGA !!!
Bobby Buschá • Dec 8, 2016 at 3:45 pm
Ryan I could not agree more. Conservatives are sidelined in Fordham classrooms because of the fear that they will be ostracized for their beliefs. What’s even scarier is the inability of the left to attempt to understand the concepts of modern conservatism. They simply push everything off as bigoted and antiquated.
As former Mayor Bloomberg said, both parties get things wrong. Democrats on the economy and foreign policy; republicans on social liberties and the environment. What our generation needs to do is find a middle ground that incorporates the better points of both arguments to create a system that works better for everyone. Our first step should be listening to other viewpoints instead of having our “safe spaces” infringed upon.
DontQuitYourDayJob • Dec 8, 2016 at 3:33 pm
Hey remember those bias incidents that have been happening regularly on campus? I don’t remember the news saying those were against white conservatives? Oh yeah, they were against minorities because they face actual discrimination. This comes across as someone crying about a broken nail while sitting next to someone dying of starvation.
liberalscansuckmyass • Dec 8, 2016 at 11:25 pm
oh honey. someone has completely missed the point of the entire article. Re-read it then try again.
Jordan Womack • Dec 8, 2016 at 3:00 pm
I go to a private university in Waukesha Wisconsin (one of the most conservative counties in the country) I went to a high school that was 99% white (literally statistic of my high schools website) I now go to a college that is about 95% I believe white. There are many Republicans around me but here’s the thing some feel like their voice is repressed because having debated with these people their points not their politics I destroy them with simple logic and facts they don’t like it they say “you have a liberal agenda” when I’m a moderate. They just don’t like how I question their judgement and sources, WHICH IS WHAT HIGHER EDUCATION IS ABOUT! When I question people I expect they question be back but they don’t they just get angry and attack me personally not what I say, my sources, my points, or my logic.
When peoole think like this kid when thinking you are a victim being fearful of wrong more so than anything else, or fearful that they will be proved wrong and their beliefs are wrong. Nothing is stopping anyone from saying anything other than that person just don’t be surprised if people call you on your BS. As for the person who quoted Tomi Lahren the rest of that quote is “. . . gives me the right to shred you for it. . .”
I honestly think that people on the right have a significantly harder time defending their points because a lot of the time the logic doesn’t follow. Example, many conservatives agree that small government is a good thing, UNLESS it can be used to limit others rights, ie marriage or abortion. Then they want the government to make those things illegal because they think it is, even though someone who isn’t then getting an abortion(especially for cases of rape or incest, or they just don’t want a kid at that time. Adoption would cause an already glaring problem to get worse) or someone marrying someone of the same sex (who is not then) they feel they have a right to dictate how others live their lives using the government to do so. Which is hypocritical to say the least. The convenience is just disgusting. I can do this but if other people do it it’s not ok. I can say I’m oppressed but if someone else says they are oppressed they aren’t. It’s just ridiculous, if you are going to do it say something be consistent. That is all.
Really? • Dec 8, 2016 at 1:43 pm
Look up all the actual bias incidents that have happened on campus and you’l see who actually has a right to feel uncomfortable at this school. Were any of them against conservatives? No, they were against minorities. That’s discrimination. Not whatever this is. And if you’re going to reply “the comment section proves his point” yeah an anonymous comment section where anyone online can post multiple times doesn’t reflect the actual student body
liberalscansuckmyass • Dec 8, 2016 at 11:29 pm
Hey there “Really?”. The fact that you feel you can determine who does and does not have a right to feel uncomfortable as this school proves his point. Discrimination and intimidation are discrimination and intimidation– EVEN if it happens to a WHITE MALE. Take some to reflect upon what he said. Seems like you are the problem and could really benefit from some self- reflection. He is even kind enough to mention the NPR article that lists conservative books to broaden your horizons. Check it out!
Really? • Dec 10, 2016 at 4:24 pm
Hey there “liberalscansuckmyass” until a cis straight white male conservative Fordham student gets a racial slur written on his door like a black student has experienced on this campus, or if he has to see a symbol drawn on the wall that represents a history of slaughtering your religion like Jewish students have experienced on this campus, or if someone writes a statement on his door insulting his sexuality like LGBT students have experienced on this campus, it’s not comparable. So you can miss me with the false equivalence.
Steve • Dec 8, 2016 at 1:28 pm
While I don’t necessarily agree with some of your views/examples/comparisons, you’re standing up for something you believe in and attaching your name to it. You knew you’d get hate for it (just look at some of the comments), but you put it out there anyway. For that, I have to give you credit. If anything, I hope this creates some productive dialogue between left and right leaning individuals.
Katie Christophersen • Dec 8, 2016 at 1:26 pm
Way to Go, Ryan!! This conservative alum knows just how hostile Fordham is to conservative perspectives. From the news I hear coming from the school in recent years, it seems like its only getting worse. Thrilled to see you speaking out! Keep it up!
Tom • Dec 8, 2016 at 1:09 pm
As many others have said, the fact that a conservative student would feel discriminated against at Fordham, a school which is run by the conservative Catholic church, is ridiculous. How can you say you don’t feel like your views are institutionally protected when right to life week is a school-sanctioned campus event? Pro-choice voices are literally silenced by the university, yet you are playing the victim. As an alum who had to fight for every ounce of liberal speech at Fordham, it is clear that your experience is somehow vastly difference from the experience I had at Fordham just two years ago.
It seems obvious to me that what you are requesting is not the desire to have your views respected and acknowledged, but to have them unchallenged. Just as it is your right to protest abortion, it is the right of people who disagree with you to argue that such a stance is anti-woman. You say that your views are not being respected, but it sounds more like you’re looking for unmediated, uncritical support which is an unreasonable request.
As someone wiser than me said I’ll respect your opinion as long as your opinion doesn’t disrespect my existence, which is very often exactly what conservative ideologies do for women, minorities, LGBTQ people, poor people and many other groups. Before you cry discrimination, perhaps consider why so many people might be against the views that you’re espousing in the first place.
DANI • Dec 8, 2016 at 11:39 pm
Hey Tom,
Explain to me how a belief that life begins at conception and that therefore terminating a pregnancy is murder disrespects the existence of women? sounds more like it disrespects the existence of infants. This is just one example to refute what you stated. It sounds to ME like you are not considering the reasons why anyone would ever disagree with you. Also, maybe Fordham has changed drastically over the course of two years ((doubtful)), but liberal speech at Fordham is rampant and that is a good thing, but not in exchange for the conservatives on campus feeling like they will be immediately labeled and disrespected as a result of their political preferences. Labels and disrespect are exactly what liberal people fight all the time.
Tom • Dec 9, 2016 at 12:29 pm
First of all, science has repeatedly proven that “life” does not begin at conception but much later. Anyone who knows the history of Catholic conceptions of pregnancy as well would know that Catholic doctrine for the longest time treated “quickening” s the point where life truly began, not conception.
That being said, this is the exact problem here. Fordham’s institutional bias is towards conservatism. Right to life week is a school sponsored event. Yet, when this author faces any backlash against his speech he cries discrimination. Conservative straight cis white males have obviously grown soft while experiencing little to no resistance in their early lives, and are surprised to learn that someone dares to challenge them. I have many Conservative family members and friends, and I listen to their opinions because they aren’t so naïve to think that they are inherently discriminated against.
I wish you all the best.
Joe • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:15 pm
Hey fuck head Tom,
1. No way you went to Fordham and actually thought there was a lot of conservative speech being spewed around. That’s just a bullshit lie. Ann Culture…don’t know if I spelled that right, was uninvited to speak for the college republicans because of liberal out cry on campus. Not saying I agree with her views on everything, but if that doesn’t provide proof of what the author is describing, than I don’t know what is.
2. Conservatives aren’t trying to bully any women by repealing Rowe v Wade, and abortion isn’t as simple as where life begins. How can we call ourselves land of the free, when it is legal to snuff out the potential of human life and all the possible achievement that comes with it, only due to the mistake/sins of another? Even if the fetus isn’t alive, does it not hold the potential to be, if left alone? If that is not sacred in a democracy I don’t know what is.
Yes the mother will have some tough decisions to make. But, that is no excuse to shy from them. The conservative argument is not anti women, it is what it says, pro life.
3. No one gives a shit if you’re gay/transgender/whatever pronoun anymore. Stop milking cow, the majority of the country agrees with you.
On a side note: Trump got elected because people don’t want forced socialism. No one disagrees with the fact that healthcare should be affordable, or that the unfortunate should suffer. They disagree with the fact that you are forced to buy into the system at the point of a gun, or that just because you make more money, you are forced to give it to the government, again at the point of a gun. The majority of people who voted for trump aren’t racist or homophobic, they simply are sick of progressive and socialist policies being forced on them by executive action. That is what most liberals I’ve heard don’t understand, it’s not you the country has a problem with, or your values, it’s your ideas about government.
Kevin • Dec 10, 2016 at 10:34 am
Dude…The only way for healthcare to be affordable is for people to be forced to pay into the system. Do you think Medicare should be eliminated because you are forced to pay into it?
OMG the number of comments • Dec 8, 2016 at 12:15 pm
How many of you commenting even go here lmao
Anon • Dec 8, 2016 at 11:49 am
While I agree wholeheartedly that engaging and open dialogues between students are practically nonexistent on many college campuses today, this article does exactly the opposite of exposing more students to what “being Republican” might mean. You cannot associate your hesitation to speak your views in class with a Muslim girl fearing for her physical safety when in public. There is absolutely no comparison. Just as there is no comparison between the Trump Hollywood Access tape and the Hillary Clinton tape, which has been removed from its context time and time again, and her alleged “laughter at a rape victim” debunked several times.
I am a very liberal woman who grew up in a very divided house: my mother is a Democrat, and my father and brother are both Republicans. We have butted heads for years. I do not love any of them more or less than the other. When Donald Trump became the presidential nominee, my father and brother refused to endorse him. This was not, by any means, because they enjoyed the idea of a Clinton presidency. But their abhorrence of a potential Trump presidency far outweighed their dislike of Clinton. Many Trump supporters would argue that they detest him because he was a “misunderstood” candidate, that his phrases were being taken out of their original context, as often happens with soundbites promoted by “the liberal media.” Rather, it was because Trump has, for two years, continued to instigate racial conflict, promote American isolationism, and flaunt a blatant lack of political knowledge and experience as a positive attribute. He swore to drain the swamp, and yet he’s dragged the murkiest waters possible into the White House. He swore to “lock her up,” when he was never – not during his candidacy, and certainly will not be during his presidency – within his rights to do so. But above all, when voting, my father and brother thought of my mother and I. They chose not to vote for Trump, above all, because of us. Because to them, voting a man who has for years demeaned, humiliated, and yes, sexually assaulted women, into the highest office in the land, was irredeemable and unconscionable.
If you had wanted to make a strong case for treating Republicans on our campus as equals (as they should be treated) you should have started with why you felt a Trump presidency, even after all of his clear inadequacies and indiscretions, remained a better outcome in this election. The crux of your argument is that you no longer want to be ashamed of your political views. Why, then, did you not more concisely say just what your views are? Perhaps, even who you chose to vote for in the end? If anything, it makes a reader, or at least myself, think that you don’t have any strong arguments to make in favor of your views at all, besides the claim you feel “oppressed” in the same ways as a Muslim woman – which in itself is a dangerous claim, as a white male, to be making.
Please consider, also, that the fears and frustrations of PoC, LGBT+, and women are entirely justified considering the platform Trump has run upon. You are well within your rights as an American to express your views. And the people whom Trump has threatened for two years, and will continue to threaten for the next four, are within their rights, too.
Try this out! • Dec 8, 2016 at 10:10 am
http://www.checkmyprivilege.com
rollingmydamneyes • Dec 8, 2016 at 10:08 am
This paragraph is simply ludicrous. ONLY a white straight male at Fordham could possibly try to make this claim.
“You probably will not know what it is like to look at a professor, who has years more experience and education, and say the words, “I disagree with you.” Worse, you may never know the experience of lying to a professor and saying “I agree with you,” suppressing your views out of fear that your grades will suffer and your character tarnished. If you have had to do this, I highly doubt that you have had to do this in four out of four classes in any given semester.”
Citing simply one example (of many, from personal experience), Fordham is a CATHOLIC university that won’t dare budge on birth control and mandates religious education requirements but you don’t think any women/pro-choice students have found themselves in this conundrum?
Give me a break, Ryan.
S. • Dec 8, 2016 at 11:04 am
The issue here is that yes, this is a CATHOLIC university, but you CHOSE to come to this school, and so did the pro-choice students! Unless you and they were somehow unaware that Catholic schools would mandate theology education, (which they mention in the tours here), and unless you were unaware of the Catholic standpoints on abortion and birth control, you should be in no way surprised that they aren’t budging on these issues. They not only have a right not to budge on these issues, but according to Catholic doctrine, they HAVE to uphold them. Students who are angry that the school doesn’t support birth control or pro-choice sentiments should have thought about this before they came to a Catholic school.
But that’s beside the point here. So what, the administration is pro-life, but look at our generation! Millennials, especially at Fordham, are overwhelmingly liberal, and if you read that other Ram article, the overwhelming majority of Fordham professors are liberal as well. Being pro-life does not in any way directly point to people being Republican. I know a lot of my own professors and administration are pro-life, but they are very, very progressive. Donald Trump was not the first choice of many republicans in this country, and he has given a bad image to Republicans. Therefore, the Republican minority at this school feels they cannot express their views without being completely judged by their peers, and especially their professors – even if he was in no way their first choice.
I’d like to add that the pro-choice people at this school really do have quite the voice at this school, even if the administration does not support their views and even if they cannot receive funding. (Look at SAGES). People say they’re pro-choice and you don’t see too much backlash against them. Yes, I’m aware that the College Republicans is a club, and that the administration is more willing to accept a coalition of Republican students than a group of pro-choice students. But the inability for Republicans to express their views in class and on campus is completely valid as a statement. I know TONS of people here who have had to lie about who they voted for because of the people who refuse to affiliate with anyone who voted Republican. The professors at this school are very liberal and many of them are very firm in their viewpoints. From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that it is viewed as simply “wrong” for me to be conservative. When the pro-choice students speak up at school, they’re honored for empowering women. When we speak up, we’re backlashed and generalized to a ridiculous degree.
rollingmydamneyes • Dec 8, 2016 at 11:12 am
Understood and accepted, re: ideologies of the school, church, etc. My point only being that it is ridiculous to assume that other students may have regular disagreements with professors, which is a point I stand by.
rollingmydamneyes • Dec 8, 2016 at 11:13 am
**edited for typo – Understood and accepted, re: ideologies of the school, church, etc. My point only being that it is ridiculous to assume that other students may NOT have regular disagreements with professors, which is a point I stand by.
I wanted to like this article i really did • Dec 8, 2016 at 9:22 am
You bring up some interesting points and I agree that people need to be more open minded to other beliefs, but you simply cannot say you are a repressed “non-person” when literally the entire government currently is made up of white republican males. You say that your views are being repressed, yet every branch of the government currently has a republican majority, speaking for you and backing you up through actual power positions. How can you compare yourself to a Syrian refugee fleeing from their war torn home, only to be called a terrorist by Trump and not allowed into our country? Or a Mexican immigrant who gets called a rapist by Trump because of his heritage? These people actually don’t have voices, and you are the one who needs to check their privilege. In addition to that, how can you in any way compare Clinton chuckling because she doesn’t believe in lie detectors and thinks that rapist should’ve gone to jail to Trump literally saying he likes to grab girls by their pussies and that he can force himself on them because he’s famous? I’m sorry I just don’t understand.
Timmy Timmy Too Turnt Up • Dec 8, 2016 at 3:35 am
You’re not even using the term “check your privilege” correctly… The term is used exactly for people like you to acknowledge the fact that your perspective is based on the fact that you belong to a more privileged category that has NEVER experienced any form of suppression. The fact that you even consider yourself suppressed is laughable. If anything, you as a Trump supporter are a proponent of institutionalized unequality. As a straight white male you have all the privilege one could ask for. You’re not economically oppressed, you’re not bombarded with hate speech, your way of life has never been put into question (except in a classroom,boohoo). I’m gonna go on a whim and say that you came from a private high school with a high majority of white students and a black/ muslim/ gay population under 5%. You’ve clearly been sheltered your whole life and have never really been exposed to any form of diversity because your hijab/ class comparison shows a total lack of understanding regarding race relations and freedom of speech and religion vs. you being scared of judgment. You display the ignorant mindset of whiny little bitch when disagreed with rather than supporting your claims or worries with legitimate facts.
While I do agree that being associated with the Republican Party bring about an unfair assumption of racism, xenophobia, etc., these assumptions directed towards Trump supporters are totally justified based on the campaign he ran and the hateful rhetoric he displayed. It’s funny how you had enough time to cry and whine about liberal bullies, but you didn’t have the time to actually state what about Trump actually causes you to support him, and potentially justify your position. I’d really be interested in knowing. Enlighten me with your conservative wisdom, Ryan Quinn.
The fact that you lied to your professor and stated that you agree with just him proves that you hold weak opinions, and can’t back them up. Also the classroom is a space where anyone is free to express their opinions in a respectable manner (including professors), and just because you’re seemingly in the minority for probably the first time in your life (how does it feel, jackass?) doesn’t mean you’re being suppressed. I wish that you would actually state what your professor disagreed with you about, and what you were ‘forced’ to agree with so one could form an objective opinion on your “suppression”, but instead you’re just whining. Awful article, I feel bad that you wrote and published this under your name…
FUbob • Dec 8, 2016 at 1:06 am
Some of these comments are longer than papers I have written to turn in to FU professors. This article spoke to me because I didn’t realize the suppression until after I graduated and returned home. It does exist and it is real. I’ve had family members not talk to me and close FU friends of mine unfriend me over this stuff. Without discussion or debate. Quite alarming if you ask me. One of my FU buddies called me and asked me “hey man, are you ok?” As if my viewpoints were a sign of some mental illness or perhaps an emotional phase rather than a concrete political stance. Thanks for posting.
tired and sad • Dec 8, 2016 at 2:18 am
Ugh. There is a decent point to this article, but its buried under a lot of things that make me not want to get out of bed tomorrow morning.
Your comparison between a Muslim girl and yourself is where I had to stop reading. Unless you have experienced what a Muslim girl in America must experience, you have absolutely no authority to assume the level of discrimination she faces now and for the rest of her life. Frankly, your comparison between her and yourself fundamentally voids any argument you make that you are aware of your privilege.
🙁
birkdale • Dec 8, 2016 at 12:56 am
This needed to be said, and you said it well. I really hope others on campus will take up this invitation to dialogue respectfully and openly.
A sheep • Dec 7, 2016 at 11:56 pm
Clearly, this guy is onto something
Unknowingly, everybody commenting is further proving his point I just
Can’t understand why people are getting so mad about this.
Knowing you can’t voice your opinion is something nobody should go through.
Seriously, just get over it.
ct • Dec 7, 2016 at 11:26 pm
Hate to break it to you, but having your speech and ideas criticized is in no way discrimination.
But I guess in this case Tomi Lahren said it best: you’ve got the right to be a whiny, indulgent, attention seeking crybaby.
Nicole • Dec 8, 2016 at 11:45 pm
Hate to break it to you, but he never said that having his speech and ideas criticized is discrimination. If I understood correctly, he just wanted to explain that expressing conservative ideas in the classroom in the Trump age is nearly impossible on this campus. Pupils in class make comments like “I could never respect another woman who voted for Trump”. How is a woman who voted for Trump ((hint:me)) supposed to share her point of view when her peer just announced she would not respect her. That is discrimination.
Marie • Dec 9, 2016 at 12:00 pm
Not respecting her isn’t depriving her of any rights. He doesn’t have to respect her just like Conservatives don’t have to respect Liberals.
mc • Dec 9, 2016 at 1:43 pm
Nicole, you need to learn what discrimination is because what you described is political discussion/argument in the grown up world. Id you had described why you voted for Trump maybe it could have provided a counterpoint or changed minds.
Susan • Dec 7, 2016 at 10:11 pm
Wow… what an article. Great facts and yea, u really couldn’t of said it any better. Great job in voicing your opinion.
P • Dec 7, 2016 at 10:09 pm
Amazing article Ryan. Couldn’t of said it any better.
confused • Dec 7, 2016 at 8:55 pm
since when have conservative voices been silenced at Fordham?? i mean we literally have a respect for life club that puts a makeshift graveyard on the lawn every year to represent all the murdered babies n everyone on campus has to see it but sages’ condom drops are against school policy…maybe you feel that way because youre in fordham college getting a liberal arts education that tend to attract liberal minded people like try talking to some Gabelli students plenty of republicans there
Well darn • Dec 7, 2016 at 8:48 pm
Aw that sucks. But boy do I got good news for you buddy! You step outside of your classroom and you’ll find that the majority of school administration and board of trustees are Catholic and/or conservative. You walk outside the school gates and outside of NYC you’ll be in a country full of people who have the same views as you. A country with a full Republican government starting January where only your views are going to be represented for at least the next 4 years. Your so-called oppression is temporary. Try and power through one more semester of having to listen to marginalized groups have a voice, you won’t have to deal with that in the real world 🙂
Matt • Dec 7, 2016 at 8:07 pm
Every angry comment here fundamentally proves his point.
Chris S • Dec 7, 2016 at 7:57 pm
If we’re talking about how the loudest voices “produce the visible trend” and cause people fear, then how about the loudest voices on the right, namely, the growing number of alt-right conservatives that have happily adopted the Nazi salute and espouse an agenda of unabashed racism and white supremacy?
Self-Explanatory • Dec 7, 2016 at 7:51 pm
Watching all the liberal crybullies come out in full force here only supports the article’s points. This campus is full of professors and students that belittle the ideas of others by writing them off as “racist” or “archaic” to avoid actually having to fairly contemplate their merit. Main stream media gives them catchphrases they can shoutout whenever challenged so they don’t have to realize how manipulated they actually are.
RedRam • Dec 7, 2016 at 7:48 pm
I find it interesting that so much of the dialogue in these comments references conservatives, Republicans, and Trump/Trump supporters as if these things are essentially interchangeable. Trump is no conservative, he represents European-style nationalism and ethno-centrism in the style of the National Front, the Party for Freedom, etc. As many conservatives oppose Trump as support him and their voices should not be forcibly submerged into the voices of those who do. And many of the never-Trump conservatives and Republicans feel just as silenced and targeted as Trump supporters for our views on economics, foreign policy, and other issues that have no relation to Trumps incendiary racial comments.
Marie • Dec 9, 2016 at 12:05 pm
Thanks for stating this. I’m a liberal who didn’t vote for Trump, but I know a lot of conservatives who didn’t vote Trump either and find him as despicable as you do. I hope to hear from more conservatives like you. Though we may disagree on many economic, foreign and social policies, if we can all band together against Trump’s ethno-centrism, we’ll all be better for it.
This Comment Section • Dec 7, 2016 at 7:45 pm
Is Lit
1stAmend • Dec 7, 2016 at 7:42 pm
Posting “quippy” (really just snide) remarks in the comment section does nothing but validate the main argument of this piece. I can see your college education is really doing you all wonders!
Bob • Dec 8, 2016 at 10:42 am
Again being critized for your views isnt the same as getting your first amendment rights taking away. Your evoking of the first amendment is meaningless.
Sarcasm • Dec 7, 2016 at 7:33 pm
Wow, I’ve heard about people with tough lives, but this kids problem really takes the cake! I can only imagine how hard this indescribable repression is affecting his life. It really puts the suffering of other Americans into perspective, doesn’t it?
RMP • Dec 7, 2016 at 7:17 pm
Have you ever vomited from your very soul?
Thank you, Ryan.
I got to experience that for the first time after reading your article.
Pat • Dec 8, 2016 at 4:09 pm
Funny I just vomited from reading your hateful comment. If you disagree, then say so intelligently, no need to attack someone personally which ironically is what he’s talking about, by sharing his opinion he gets people who attacks him personally or try to make him change his stance, no actual effort to understand were he is coming from happened.
Bob • Dec 7, 2016 at 5:31 pm
Can someone who agree with or likes
this article please tell me how this guys views are being “silenced”. Being critized for your views isnt being discriminated against.
S. • Dec 7, 2016 at 6:28 pm
It’s not merely the idea of being criticized against. It’s the idea that they don’t feel free to express their views at all. It’s the idea that someone who openly professes their affiliation with the Republican Party is automatically viewed and labeled as inhuman.
The amount of assumptions that go hand-in-hand with being Republican is incredible: racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic, white supremacist, “deplorable.” It’s these kinds of assumptions that have kept Republicans from publicly expressing their views. In classes, people discuss Democratic views very passively and presumptively, as if everybody agrees with them. Republican students fear speaking up because they fear having their image tainted solely because of their views. I’ve heard from way too many people, and seen way too many times on Facebook, that “anyone on my feed who voted for Donald Trump should unfriend me,” or that “I have no respect for Trump supporters or their beliefs.” Things like this have suppressed their true thoughts, and I think that’s why the Trump victory was so surprising: because the Trump voters simply did not speak up. Clearly, there’s something wrong with the way things are going if people have to lie about who they’re voting for, even if they do not completely agree that their candidate was in any way qualified.
Anonymous • Dec 7, 2016 at 9:46 pm
Excellent comment and explanation for those who still just don’t get it!!
Conservative does not equal Trump supporter • Dec 8, 2016 at 1:51 pm
Trump is hardly a conservative, having a problem with his supporters doesn’t mean you don’t want to hear conservative perspectives. I have no respect for anyone who believes in a Muslim ban, building a wall along the Mexican border, fake news that was spread like Pizzagate, or saw nothing wrong with the “grab them by the pussy” video. I’m fully aware that not everyone who voted for Trump believes in everything he said, and those people I can talk to.
whatamireading • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:59 pm
“Republican students fear speaking up because they fear having their image tainted solely because of their views”
Well then they should hold views that aren’t shitty.
whatamireading • Dec 9, 2016 at 2:59 pm
**shouldn’t** lolololol
Not a liberal • Dec 7, 2016 at 11:25 pm
Great point.
John Spadaro • Dec 7, 2016 at 5:11 pm
I was hoping this was satire comparing the struggle of Muslim Americans to wealthy upper class white Trump supporters having a hard time with the fact that their outdated and at times hateful attitudes are not welcome in places of higher education. I am quite certain Gustavo Gutierrez was not referring to you, my woefully misinformed, faux-victimized friend. However, this article, while not satire, still gave me a good laugh, so thanks for that at least. It is so hard to be the oppressor of the masses, isn’t it?
-___- • Dec 7, 2016 at 4:48 pm
When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.
Will Christen • Dec 7, 2016 at 4:15 pm
You’re not doing your fellow conservatives any favors with this article. Also, Clinton wasn’t laughing at the victim, she was laughing about her client’s blatant lie. Perhaps you’d be able to express more “intellectual freedom” if more of your views were rational. Some certainly are, but not all. Also, is your struggle to speak your conservative mind really synonymous with the struggle of Muslim Americans? Check yourself.
Overall, it takes courage to speak your mind. It’s impressive you put this out there, despite the fact the I agree with only half of what you said.
Pasquale • Dec 7, 2016 at 3:36 pm
Isn’t it conservatives that have made “liberal” a dirty word for the past four decades, not the other way around?
Yasmin Merchant • Dec 7, 2016 at 3:22 pm
I personally would refrain from calling it “discrimination” or putting it on the same level as discrimination minorities face. That being said I am all for hearing different viewpoints and if anyone on campus feels that they cannot share theirs, that is unfortunate. I am a little surprised to hear that seeing as this is still a Catholic University and has considerably more conservatives than the other NYC colleges like NYU and Columbia. We should hear views we do not agree to further our understanding of the world, and do so respectfully. However, this election has been different than years past. Being conservative politically is completely different than a supporter of Trump’s campaign.
Hunter • Dec 7, 2016 at 3:05 pm
While I have so many problems with this article, the most glaringly ignorant thing is your citation of Gustavo Gutierrez, the father of liberation theology. If you literally did a cursory search of the definition of liberation theology you would find:
“a movement in Christian theology, developed mainly by Latin American Roman Catholics, that emphasizes liberation from social, political, and economic oppression as an anticipation of ultimate salvation.”
Gutierrez advocated for the poor and disenfranchised, people who were economically oppressed because of conservative policies that Donald Trump and a majority of the Republican Party has put forward. You completely de-contextualized a radical leftist perspective to make your point which was honestly just messy.
Until you are quite literally oppressed economically, socially, and politically for your identity, and I mean truly disenfranchised (not just some professors disagreeing with you, or Comedy Central making fun of you), you do not fall under Gutierrez’s definition as a “nonperson.” Conservatives have the loudest voices in this country, look who won, so please get Gustavo’s words out of your mouth. It’s frankly offensive that you would ever claim that given that he was using it to define individuals who truly suffered and died under exploitative regimes.
stacey • Dec 7, 2016 at 3:00 pm
I find it absolutely hysterical that you complain about your voice being suppressed and alleged “persecution” against you, when I – a Clinton voter, but also a woman and a member of the LGBTQ+ community – have experienced in-person threats and violence on and around Fordham’s campus because of the way I look or who I love.
So you feel that you’re being persecuted because people who are now experiencing hate crimes feel safe enough to speak up in class and in other social settings on campus? Those hate crimes that are a direct result of Donald Trump being elected president? Boohoo.
You know what? I want you to feel uncomfortable. I’m going to be feeling unsafe and scared for the next four years of my life – and I want you to know that directly or indirectly, that’s your fault.
Liberal minorities don’t have “privilege.” Not in Trump’s America.
Anonymous • Dec 7, 2016 at 9:54 pm
Oh please…..just please…You just totally solidified his point. But I wouldn’t expect you to get that.
Emily Sullivan • Dec 7, 2016 at 2:47 pm
i found it really interesting that the author evoked liberation theology in this article. as a person who inherently has a lot of power and privlege just by getting to attend a university like fordham, i think it’s a stretch to use Gutierrez’s “nonperson” to describe himself, when Gutierrez coined the term with the poor who are pushed away from a basic human existence in mind. he did, after all, have the “voice” and means available to write a thoughtful article such as this one! also, i’m sorry that he finds it difficult to speak your mind in class, but again, interesting choice to compare that to someone being unable to wear a religious garment for fear of being assaulted. i feel uneasy about this apparent connection drawn between criticism in class, and assault on the street. i hope the author gets a chance to read the books from NPR he mentioned.
Hannah Ervin • Dec 7, 2016 at 7:52 pm
YA EMSULL
aj • Dec 7, 2016 at 2:07 pm
Hey great article. These commentators who are so against your basic message of understanding one another despite obvious and fundamental differences clearly are not the ones who should be educating others how to act. Conservatives, like liberals, include ALL RACES, RELIGIONS, CREEDS. People saying that women have it worse than conservatives are blind to the fact that women can be conservatives. Muslims can be conservatives. Your political ideology is not barred by race or gender. This article is saying, hey lets all understand each other in the wake of many liberals refusing to accept trump and conservative ideology as America’s choice. Great work Ryan.
Pat • Dec 7, 2016 at 1:42 pm
Just because he doesn’t get discriminated on the level of being muslim, doesn’t mean he can’t express being discriminated. This is what he means if any conservative wants to talk about silence, he immediately gets people from the right telling him he’s invalid because theirs bigger margalinized groups.
Yes theirs bigger marginalized groups, doesn’t mean he can’t express his discrimination just because you don’t want to hear it. Telling him he has no right to complain sounds intolerable, you can’t preach tolerance of marginalized groups and shut down the author for being white male conserative, if you truly want tolerance of marginalized groups that means you must also be tolerant too of conservatives at a predominately liberal school.
C • Dec 7, 2016 at 2:03 pm
I would hope that he does feel that he can express that he feels discriminated against. The problem is that he’s trying to equate his experiences with the experiences that people of color and other groups that are marginalized inside and outside of college campuses, often in brutal and violent ways. This piece would have been stronger if he had acknowledged that his discrimination is valid, but not equal to a muslim woman being afraid to wear the hijab.
Pat • Dec 7, 2016 at 2:32 pm
It was strongly implied he was making a comparison between the two in the fact their both discrimination. Maybe it was too subtle, but I understood he was not trying to say he has it worse simply he feels discriminated against.
Maybe that’s just due to the fact that I’m a conservative and understand where the author is coming from. I’m sure we could agree it was a great article though.
Anonymous • Dec 7, 2016 at 9:57 pm
Yes Pat! Thank you for attempting to explain to these people who are quite literally clueless as to what he was trying to say. Good job, hopefully will get through to somebody!
klmicklas • Dec 8, 2016 at 12:35 am
How is you calling people who disagree with you “clueless” helping anything? You are just doing exactly what the author is saying is happening to him and what he is complaining about to liberals. If you agree with the author that he should be able to express his opinions, you should listen to others and let everyone express their opinions, regardless of whether or not you agree, without calling them names.
Their There They're • Dec 8, 2016 at 9:08 am
Yeah of course everyone should feel free to express their opinions, but it is very troubling that the author would compare his plight of feeling uncomfortable while sharing his privileged opinion in a university classroom to the plight of minorities that are violently harassed in their everyday lives. That just tells me that he does not understand the magnitude of the problems facing minorities, especially in a Trump America. So we’re not being liberal cry babies, we’re just legitimately afraid that a large group of people in America don’t understand how urgently we need to change the racist, sexist, homophobic (etc.) environment in our country.
Pat • Dec 8, 2016 at 4:23 pm
Being a white male it’s impossible for me to completely understand minority discrimination because I’ll never experience it.
Not to put words in the authors mouth, but the comparisons used were probably a literary device meant to shock people. He could say that he’s being discrimnated against or compare it to an extreme example to let his message sink. If he said he’s being discriminated against you probably wouldn’t care, using extreme comparisons sure got your attention though. I’m sure the op understands that minorities have it way worse, just because they have it significantly worse doesn’t mean he can’t talk about discrimination he feels.
Ram • Dec 7, 2016 at 1:30 pm
LOL I’ve encountered this dude in classes. Hey Ryan, you’ve never seemed shy to share your beliefs before. In fact, I remember you loudly talking about your views on controversial political issues as if they’re the only right answer when no one asked. And you expect people not to respond? If people get angry with you it’s not because of your politics. It’s because you’re a jerk.
Logic Check • Dec 7, 2016 at 1:46 pm
Exhibit A. The response isn’t a critical engagement, but a rhetorical and anecdotal insult; useless in an anonymous comment thread. The self-described “tolerant” left everyone.
Pat • Dec 7, 2016 at 1:46 pm
That’s really mean spirited and comments like this reflect on fordham students. Its taste less and unnessecarry.
Ram • Dec 7, 2016 at 3:04 pm
@ “Logic Check” not a liberal actually and made no mention of being one, not sure why you made that assumption
@ Pat The op eds like these the Ram has been publishing lately reflect more on Fordham students Sharing all viewpoints is good, but some research would be nice. The mention of the tape of Hillary laughing at a child rape victim has been long debunked if anyone actually looks it up.
Jonathan • Dec 7, 2016 at 4:19 pm
Way to really be honorable and attack someone while hiding behind a computer and not putting your name to it. You’re truly what Fordham is proud of.
Pat • Dec 7, 2016 at 4:30 pm
If you have a problem with some of the citations, that’s fine, but there’s no need to attack someone personally and publicly, your better than that.
John Giampolo • Dec 7, 2016 at 12:53 pm
All I can say is this is why we need leadership voted by the people under the equalization of the electoral college system. As I review these comments I realize there is no end to or resolution of the nuances of our opinions .therfore the election sets the agenda on behalf of the winner.To quote Pres. Obama “elections have consequences”. Have some respect for the outcome . Work within the system going forward understanding that now the conservatives have the upper hand as the liberals have had for the past 8 years. spoken by a parent and grandparent.
Dominique Marino • Dec 7, 2016 at 12:34 pm
Phenomenal article. I am a freshman and I have experienced this suppression since I stepped foot into my first college class. It is not easy being a female conservative Trump supporter on a college campus. The double-standard that exists is disgusting. We will always face criticism but it is essential that conservatives speak out against this “injustice”, and use our freedom of speech or our voices will be silenced.
Anonymous • Dec 7, 2016 at 10:01 pm
Yes, you are right!
Fellow Conservative • Dec 7, 2016 at 12:32 pm
As a fellow conservative, I pleed you not not to play the victim/identity politics game. According to their rules a SWM can never be a “victim.” We will come out of these four years stronger and there is no reason to pity ourselves. As you can see in the comments they will never listen no matter what you say.
John • Dec 7, 2016 at 12:18 pm
Great article, Ryan!
As a fellow conservative, and recent Fordham grad, I couldn’t have said it any better!
James • Dec 7, 2016 at 12:07 pm
Hi Ryan–just want to point out that I am sorry that you feel “marginalized” in academia because you are conservative. However, it is probably the ONLY PLACE you will ever feel marginalized due to the fact that YOU ARE and I quote you, “I am a straight, white, cisgender male”.
Anonymous • Dec 7, 2016 at 10:03 pm
James you must be young. No, that is not the “only place” he will experience that unfortunately!
Matt • Dec 7, 2016 at 12:07 pm
Before this comment section becomes a massive firestorm, consider this: there are Muslim Republicans. There are LGBTQ* Republicans. There are Hispanic Republicans. There are many of these groups that are conglomerated together into these “they fear for the future” arguments. Instead of insisting that Republicans are against all these things, why don’t you ask yourself why members of those communities vote Republican. This is exactly what the article suggests. You might just find your blanket assumption is wrong. And you might just learn something.
kcournoyer • Dec 7, 2016 at 12:17 pm
No one is denying that there are minorities who identify as Republican, but this isn’t 2012 when the Republicans wanted less social spending and more military spending. Those are policy issues that, no matter how much we disagree, are trivial and non-threatening. Donald Trump and the 2016 election is. If you disagree I will gladly direct you to hours of footage of Trump explicitly saying he wants to perform unconstitutional acts that put the safety of minorities at risk.
And to say that some minorities voted for Trump does not mean that the situation has changed. There are anti-feminist women. That does not mean that feminism is therefore invalid. Just because some of the minority don’t agree they need protection or advocacy doesn’t mean the group as a whole should not receive protection or advocacy.
When Republicans spew articles like this and comments like yours, it makes us even more sure that you fundamentally do not understand this concept. It says that extending civil liberties to cover all Americans should not be the priority, while simultaneously you elect a man who categorically rejects the idea. Protection of ALL Americans is non-negotiable for liberals and if that bothers you than we are never going to be able to reunify because we aren’t going to back down because your bigoted party’s feelings are hurt when we call you out on it.
Matt • Dec 7, 2016 at 8:02 pm
It’s funny that you should mention fundamentally understanding concepts, because I did not once mention Trump, in fact my comment had absolutely nothing to do with Trump. I did mention Republicans and voting, both of which have existed long before September 2015 when Trump began his campaign. I did not vote for Trump. I actively encouraged people not to vote for Trump. I’ve been one of his most outspoken critics on campus. I also am a minority. Yet your comment serves perfectly an example of the gross generalizations of Republicans that the author speaks of, where because I am a Republican I must have voted for Trump and support his views.
Anonymous • Dec 7, 2016 at 11:09 pm
Well kcournoyer…..there are several concepts that clearly you “fundamentally don’t understand”, and likely never will, and your final comment about his “bigoted party’s feelings” simply proves his original purpose for the article in the first place. It’s getting old and really tiring to hear the left repeat the same old lines. The irony of it all is that you are the closed minded, discriminatory party, not the right. You claim to be “tolerant” but in reality that’s only true as long as people think exactly like you!! Have so much nore to say but I’m tired and I’d just be wasting my time!!
Kyle Cournoyer • Dec 7, 2016 at 11:59 am
Seeing as you’ve “checked your privilege,” I’m sure you recognize that you are the political majority as of November 9th. The Republican party will now control all three branches of federal government. To claim that today’s Republican base or conservatives in general are the victims here is exactly why the left calls the right out of touch: even when you win, even when you further your advantages over the minorities, you play the damsel.
Yes, liberals can be hard-headed and stubborn (case and point the Bernie-bros), but the liberals did not run a campaign explicitly ran on racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and every other -ism in the book. The traditional conservatives continue to align themselves with this message of hate, but insist they themselves do not support hate. Not every Trump supporter is racist, but every Trump supporter agreed racism is not a deal breaker for being POTUS. As the party that represents and embraces minority groups, liberals speak out loudly against marginalization of historically oppressed peoples. If that bothers you, there’s a bigger problem here than that you disagree with us. We reject Donald Trump because he represents the people who want to see us put back into oppression and silence. He has explicitly promised to perform unconstitutional acts, harass minorities, and attack freedom of speech and press. You will have to excuse us for not wanting to associate with people who believe that is an acceptable thing for the leader of the free world to express.
However, that feeling of being demeaned, marginalized, and excluded is exactly how LGBTQ, Muslim, black, Latinx, female, and every other minority group feels DAILY. The feeling that in spite of being ____ you cannot participate in things non-____ people can.
In the spirit of looking across the aisle, I ask you to embrace that feeling of not belonging and recognize that that is exactly what the left fights for. When we are loud, it is because we know that silence means oppression. As you yourself have spent an article saying, hiding is a horrible feeling. Imagine having to live it every hour of every day of your life, not just the hours you’re in class, and not for the sake of personal expression, but the safety of yourself and your loved ones.
To compare yourself being unable to voice your opinions in a classroom to a Muslim person being unable to reveal their religion for fear of being assaulted is a gross exaggeration that has absolutely no basis in reality. Your voice is the political majority, your personal safety is not at risk because of your views. Conservatives have not been threatened from being barred from entering the country. Conservatives have not been threatened to be vetted by the federal government. Conservatives have not consistently been targets of violent hate crimes. Recognizing your privilege is knowing how deplorable, yes deplorable, of a thing that was to say publicly.
Yes, the left could listen more attentively to the right (in my opinion not including the lower class white population in the progressive vision is exactly why we lost), but do not pretend for a second that the political, white majority is the victim in this election. If what I’ve said still doesn’t make sense to you, I would remind you that checking your privilege is not just being able to list your race, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic class. You have the right to your opinion, but don’t complain about attending a LIBERAL arts school and not receiving praise for being a Republican when your peers are in fear for the safety of millions because of the actions of your party.
Connor • Dec 7, 2016 at 12:30 pm
Kyle,
The author never claimed that the “republican base or conservatives in general” are victims. He was talking about college students at largely liberal campuses who have conservative beliefs which is a small fraction of the entire republican base. Also, ” As the party that represents and embraces minority groups, liberals speak out loudly against marginalization of historically oppressed peoples. If that bothers you, there’s a bigger problem here than that you disagree with us.” when exactly in the article did the author ever say anything remotely similar to your statement. You are just trying to put words in his mouth and the logic in your statement is baseless.
“Your voice is the political majority”… did you not even read the article before you commented? The author is specifically talking about liberal college campuses and unless you go to a state school down south, any college campus is going to be the majority liberal.
“but do not pretend for a second that the political, white majority is the victim in this election.” Once again I feel as though you read maybe one sentence per paragraph as he never said that white majority is THE victim of the election, but the author specifically could be considered A victim.
Are you really stating that a person at a liberal arts college is not allowed to complain about something, when many liberal arts colleges have put in “crying spaces” for students to let out emotions which I am perfectly fine with by the way.
The entire base of the liberal agenda is to be accepting of everyone, but only when said person agrees with you politically. I think it’s hilarious how you try to put words in the author’s mouth to try to argue with his points and while I agree, that the author may have exaggerated on a few aspects, at least he is writing and not being hateful to the opposite side of the political spectrum which is exactly what you are doing right now.
Have a great day bud.
kcournoyer • Dec 7, 2016 at 1:40 pm
Hi Connor,
I’d like to point out that the aim of my comment was to address the author’s complaint that liberals are impossible to talk to because they refuse to listen to conservatives. This is not a baseless argument, as I acknowledged. Since you love the quotes, I’ll refer you to “The traditional conservatives continue to align themselves with this message of hate, but insist they themselves do not support hate.” I apologize if I did not make this more obvious, but something important to this discussion is that traditional conservatives who, prior to 2016 did not run a presidential candidate on promises of unconstitutional discrimination, have aligned themselves with a candidate who promised unconstitutional discrimination. The purpose of this statement was to remind the self-proclaimed conservatives that when the left is unwilling to see eye-to-eye it is because of this. The right may not care about the horrible things Trump promised to do, but the left’s entire focus was on that. As the party demographically comprised of minorities, that should be unsurprising. The basic message of Bernie’s message was not unlike what most Trump supporters heard, which was fighting corruption and the rigging of the economy into the hands of the corporate elites.
Granted, yes, I definitely did project a lot of the comment towards the right as a whole, but it isn’t irrelevant. I did, in fact, read every word of this article and I wrote my response to address what was being put forth: conservatives on college campuses are the *local* minority and are marginalized in their political beliefs in those spaces. To throw it back at you, did you read my comment entirely? But not just read it while formulating your response, but actually internalize it? I asked the author to take that feeling of helplessness and to try to understand how that is how minorities feel constantly. I asked the author to recognize that being discouraged from being able to identify as a conservative at a liberal arts school does not carry the danger that being identified as a Muslim woman in America does. I asked the author to reconsider his conception of “recognizing privilege” given that he does not recognize that his marginalization does not endanger his personal safety, which is the whole purpose of recognizing privilege. If you interpret frustration in my tone it is because there is.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with being conservative. No one denies this. The beauty of this country is our diversity of thought. We have survived for 240 years being able to disagree on policy and continue to be one country. The right needs to understand though that 2016 was not a normal year. The Republican candidate didn’t run a campaign on smaller government, lower spending on social programs, higher military spending, or any other traditionally conservative idea. These are not what the left is upset about. Donald Trump is not a conservative as countless Republicans have agreed. He is a dangerous man who has already jeopardized our standing in the world and our alliances abroad. He has threatened to not protect the rights of already marginalized people. The author was right in saying he was a local minority, but I did not compare him to the people who are in physical danger in this country. He opened himself up for this scrutiny in providing the exact reason why it is seemingly impossible to speak with conservatives about these issues.
The liberal agenda is to be accepting of everyone, however, when people ideologically support the complete opposite idea, no they cannot be a part of our identity. To quote Desmond Tutu, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” That is how we feel. I have tried to explain how we feel and why we are not going to just let this slide. It is not that our candidate lost (in my opinion my candidate lost in the primaries). This is not a situation where we just want to pout and whine. We seriously fear for our futures and the right refuses to acknowledge this nor do anything to assure us that our fears are overblown (which could easily be accomplished by, in no uncertain terms, denouncing the hate-filled rhetoric and pledging support to the legal protection of the civil rights of ALL Americans).
I highly recommend that you take a deep breath, lower your heart rate, and reread my post. You clearly do not understand this message and I sincerely hope that you do. Feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss it further. This isn’t an ideological flame war, it’s asking you to understand why we are so scared and assuring us that we have nothing to fear.
Evan • Dec 7, 2016 at 11:54 am
A simple fact-check would show that Hillary Clinton NEVER laughed at a child rapist, rather that the story was completely made up. But that isn’t the important part of what the issue in this article is. Classism certainly plays a large part into creating an attitude of shame towards conservatives. But this article misses the reality of the dilemma between liberals and conservatives. In short, liberal ideology (or that which you’re describing) is certainly permeated with anger, but the reasons for which are not even approached in this article. For someone who is Muslim and is scared that a trump presidency may lead to a rise is aggression towards them (hate crimes towards minorities and women in urban centers are up post election), they are not necessarily afforded the space you, a white cis straight male, have to contemplate the election results. There is much more urgency and visceral emotion involved as it would seem for some minoritized group that trumps platform is harmful. The fact that may conservatives align with his platform, and with the general platform of the Republican Party, for some it is difficult to contextualise your upset at the fact that you are unable to impose your theoretical opinions on social issues that ultimately do not affect you, such as abortion, immigration, gay marriage, trans rights, and the rights of people of color. Those who find themselves as part of those groups may have a hard time trying to accept a platform that is directly going to prevent them from living unencumbered by legislation that restricts their rights. There is a problem with the way “liberals” attack conservatives and use classism and prejudice to judge and combat them. However, it is not coming from a place of removed hostility, in most cases, it is because someone is scared and desperate to explain to someone “conservative” how disadventageous certain policies would be to them.
SLA • Dec 7, 2016 at 11:46 am
“If a Muslim mother asks her daughter not to wear her hijab in public for fear of discrimination, everyone’s heart breaks. But when my conservative mother asks me not to speak my mind in class for fear of discrimination, nobody knows. Recent physical attacks on Trump supporters legitimize this fear.”
This is the first point that you made, among many, that I had an immense problem with. There is a huge difference between you (a white, cis male) being discriminated against because of your political beliefs and a Muslim WOMAN being told not to wear her hijab because of her religious beliefs, mostly because many Muslims have to fear for their lives in this country every day. There is a huge difference between you being afraid to express your political beliefs in a college environment and a Muslim individual being afraid to express their religious beliefs in a country that has repeatedly targeted them. Just this past week alone, a Muslim NYPD female officer was physically shoved and called a racial slur on the streets of New York. I doubt that you will ever have to daily fear verbal, sexual, and physical violence based on your ethnicity, political, and religious beliefs. For you to make such a comparison between your discimination and that of a Muslim is somewhat ignorant.
Furthermore, when you speak of “recent physical attacks on Trump supporters,” what are you referring to? While I don’t doubt that there have been attacks on Trump supporters, there was a surge in bias incidents and hate crimes in the days following Trump’s election last month. These were committed against POC, Muslims, LGBTQ members, et. al by Trump supporters in the name of Donald Trump. I think it would have been wise to provide evidence to support that claim.
I understand that it may be difficult to express your political beliefs on campus. It is possible that coming to Fordham was the first time that you were placed in an environment in which your political views were the minority. I’m sorry that you feel as though you have been discriminated against in this environment. However, it is hard for many people to “check their liberal privilege” when the agendas that the Republican party support largely want to limit the reproductive rights of women, limit the social rights of LGBTQ members, limit immigrants from achieving the “American Dream.” Perhaps, I am only adding fuel your argument by not seeing your point of view and I give you props for starting a dialogue about political polarization.
Anomynous • Dec 7, 2016 at 10:22 pm
SLA…..you. need. to. do. some. REAL. research!!
No point in responding to the your comment until you do! Wow!!
ramcsween • Dec 7, 2016 at 11:27 am
I’m with you except that you fail to recognize the importance of degree. The discrimination and intimidation that conservatives face in academia is real, but rarely does it approach the same degree of other minority groups. Perhaps I’m unaware, but to my knowledge conservatives rarely face physical threats, discrimination in hiring, unequal rights in healthcare/education/housing, based on their political views, whereas other minority groups do based on their minority status. I think more context would make your argument more persuasive.
Laura z • Nov 3, 2017 at 6:58 pm
This is a great article! He isn’t writing a book!
Why immediately analyze and criticize?
Let the man have his moment!