What has happened to Wesleyan?

morganhil
Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:39:44 +0000

@Radiances, from my perspective clearly you are stereotyping. You’re stereotyping “your peers”. Your class of 2015 came into Wesleyan with 815 students. My son is one of them. His “peers” do not chastise those with conservative opinions. But they will use facts and persuasion to debate counter points when issues come up. This is what democracy is all about. Go read John Meacham’s Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power and you will learn about the very heated controversies between those who wanted a republican form of government and those (mostly Federalists like Hamilton) who argued for a new monarchy aligned with England. I learned a lot from those debates at Wesleyan 40 years ago and my son (your peer in Class of 2015) does as well. He has civil but robust debates with his friends, classmates and teachers often. It’s what expands your awareness and opens you up to different paradigms. It is not a bad thing. In fact these “bull sessions” as we used to call them, would extend often into the wee hours of the morning on my dorm floor and I learned so much from them.

I am a leadership development expert. When I work with my clients, I distinguish between three types of power: Coercive (where one party has the capacity to force you to do something); Manipulative, where one party tries to trick you into believing or doing something you would not otherwise do if you had the facts; and Persuasive Power, where parties freely present their points of view using the facts as they know them and attempt to convince the other of their positions without coercion or manipulation.

You seem to bemoan the fact that other students do not agree with your opinions. Well, why should they if you are not up on your facts and do not attempt to persuade them otherwise. Hanging onto an ideological label such as “I am a conservative” or “I am a progressive” is not persuasive. It is simply retreating to the warm home of like-minded souls who wave their banners but do not attempt to persuade. Thinking dogmatically is not a good choice. You won’t learn much at Wesleyan if you do so. Argue with facts and listen to the facts from others. Wesleyan never promised you a bed of roses where people politely cover up their positions on important civic and world issues, and I am sure you must have known that when you applied. These kinds of debates help you to grow, even if they produce momentary discomfort. Shying away from them or bemoaning the fact that your opinions are in the minority will only stunt or stultify your intellectual development.

I hope you will take these ideas into consideration and move away from labeling others, as that does not promote your growth.