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THE CHICAGO MAROON - NOVEMBER 22, 2016
Personality Before Politics People of Different Political Ideologies Can Still Find Common Ground
Brian Dong Some of my close friends and I have a running gag where we count how many people have unfriended or blocked us on social media because of our controversial views. I’ve gotten so used to it that I actually chuckle when I see my friend count decrease slightly. Oh, look, another person I hardly know who finds my philosophy morally disturbing! Unfortunately, I have lost dozens of Facebook friends over the years. Because of my background and personal views, my best friend from middle school stopped all forms of contact with me shortly after he became cognizant of our political differences. All of the fun we had together and trust we had suddenly meant nothing. It hurts to see years of friendship and trust crumble because of differing points of view. Far too often, people are quick to judge others’ characters by their political views. From what I’ve observed during
my two months at UChicago, this seems to be less of a problem on campus than elsewhere due to our university’s culture of open discourse. And yet I have noticed that even otherwise friendly people at a certain point succumb to judging me because my views diverge from their own. Right after Trump won the election, I noticed a significant number of posts on my news feed demanding that Trump supporters unfriend them. After listening to my peers, I understand why many people are extremely distressed over Trump’s presidency. I can relate to the people who are worried about their futures and those of their loved ones. At the same time, I cannot fathom why some people assume others have all the negative traits of the politicians they support. To start the healing process after this especially divisive election, we need to fundamentally understand that there is a
distinction between people and their politics. A Facebook friend of mine made an eloquent post recounting a conversation he had had with two zealous Trump supporters on a bus. He overheard them praising Trump’s deportation plan and engaged in a conversation with them, challenging its logical fallacies. After a relatively civil discussion, the two Trump supporters steadfastly maintained that illegal immigrants should be deported. He then looked them in the eyes and revealed that he was an undocumented immigrant. He waited a few seconds and asked them if he should be deported. Their response was a reluctant no, though they continued to defend Trump’s plan. Despite having every reason to hate these people whose views endanger his very livelihood, he still had a polite discussion with them. If an undocumented immigrant can see the humanity in strangers who support positions that affect him negatively, then why can’t you? If someone, whether it be a friend, family member, or acquaintance adheres to
Amelia Frank
ideologies different from your own, this does not mean that he or she wishes ill upon you. Politics can be very personal, but they can be separated from the personal as well. One only has to look at the surprising friendship between Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the late Antonin Scalia. Despite operating at opposite ends of the political spectrum, they maintained a strong friendship that lasted for more than 30
years. One can also look at the humorous video of former Speaker of the House John Boehner advising President Obama on how to live after he leaves office. Despite tension during Boehner’s stint as Speaker, the two men now clearly treat each other as if they were old friends. If political enemies can form such a truce and see the humanity in one another, then this gives me faith about the future. Your friend who supported
Trump or Bernie Sanders is not out to get you, and his or her political ideology should certainly not be a reason to end the relationship. For everyone’s sake, our political lives should remain separate from our interpersonal relationships. Once we can see that people exist outside of politics, we can then work together for a better future. Brian Dong is a firstyear in the College majoring in political science.
Letter: UChicago Fails to Properly Address Islamophobia This week, the University of Chicago released a climate survey “aimed at identifying ways the University can improve in regards to diversity and inclusion.” Strikingly, despite the fact that just weeks ago Muslim students and those ad-
vocating for Palestinian civil rights on this campus were targeted by an outside hate group, mentions of anti-Muslim or anti–Middle Eastern bigotry were nowhere to be found in the statement. The situation has gotten so bad
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that an outside civil rights group even demanded the University take steps to protect student activists. And yet the survey showed no concern for documenting, addressing, or stopping them, instead rendering these concerns completely invisible. The most recent incident occurred just last month, when an anti-Muslim hate group put posters up on 10 campuses across the country—including the University of Chicago—listing the names and affiliations of more than 100 students and faculty. The targets were primarily Muslim, and the posters labeled them anti-Semites, “Jew haters,” and sympathizers with the militant group Hamas. Some even featured black-and-white cartoons that accentuated the dark features of those targeted, a tactic eerily reminiscent of anti-Semitic caricatures. My name was one of those on the list. I was horrified when I awoke that morning to find a poster with my name on it below the words “#JewHatred” posted all over campus. A chill went down my spine as I realized hundreds of students had likely already seen the poster slandering me and more than a dozen other students. Even worse was the fact that the posters carried a link to Canary Mission, a website which is composed of a blacklist of individuals active in groups promoting Palestinian human rights and has been
slammed as “McCarthyist” by more than 1,000 university faculty from across the country. It is run by an anonymous, shadowy organization that refuses to identify itself. It includes hundreds of profiles of people with pictures and statements beside accusations of anti-Semitism and Islamic extremism. Among those listed are professors, faculty, and students from universities across the country. Since the website went up, I have been harassed on a regular basis by tweets claiming that I hate Jews, retweeted by dozens of people along with hateful messages. But the day the posters went up on campus was the first time this cyberbullying and harassment hunted me down in real life. Some universities, notably UCLA, have released statements condemning the group, which is the second campaign by the Horowitz Center this year. The Anti-Defamation League, an organization committed to fighting anti-Semitism, even denounced the campaign as “hateful.” The University’s response, comparatively, was muted. A University spokeswoman at the time described the flyers as “defamatory and inconsistent with our values and policies.” In meetings with administration officials, though, students targeted by the poster were offered sympathy but little more. After reviewing camera footage, we were told, the University was unable to
identify those responsible. A statement to all students condemning anti-Muslim bigotry on campus was deemed out of the question, and the University has yet to comment on Canary Mission. But the posters were not put up by unknown assailants. They bore the logo of the “David Horowitz Freedom Center,” an organization the Southern Poverty Law Center labels “a driving force of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and anti-black movements” and the “premier financier of radical anti-Muslim extremism” in the United States today. Horowitz himself has called Islam a “religion which preaches war and violence and hate” and Obama an “evil man,” while he deems Black Lives Matter a “racist hate group.” The posters substantiated their allegations of “anti-Semitism” by claiming those named were involved with Muslim Student Association (MSA) and/or Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), while others were labeled as being linked to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). The idea that being in any of these organizations is proof of anti-Semitism is patently absurd. The Muslim Student Association is a religious organization that serves Muslim students—like Hillel serves Jews or Christian clubs serve Christians. SJP, meanwhile, is a club that advocates for an end to Continued on page 10