We have to talk to the elephant in the room. And in a responsible way. As a community, we relish in our liberal majority, but not all political discourse is created equal. You’re in a classroom and your professor takes a break from a lecture and goes for political comic relief— what comes out is a sophisticated version of cafeteria humor. These comments by students and professors alike resonate with our campus’ silent majority, but their political implications hit everyone’s ears differently. Republicans exist, even at Barnard, and, especially in the wake of this election, they deserve respect.
President Spar, at her fireside chat about the election, asked the question “Does it make anyone uncomfortable that there are no Republicans in the room?” But even she took part in this type of humor in her inaugural keynote address with a quip that evoked a partisan response. “…we are witnessing an unprecedented national election—one that has seen women come closer than ever before to reaching the White House - in one way or another - and one that may see our country’s first African-American president.” The end of her sentence was barely audible; after the italicized comment (that was added to her speech ad hoc) the whole church erupted in laughter.
The difficult part of analyzing such a comment is that the comment itself is wholly dependent on atmosphere, tone and, in this case, the audience’s reaction. This ambiguity drives the discomfort that many Republicans on campus feel. It’s not what’s said, but where and how it’s said.
As our centerpiece uncovers, 43 percent of Barnard students polled feel uncomfortable expressing their personal political views; that percentage is nowhere near the number of students who identify as conservative or moderate. This environment breeds disrespect that affects liberals as much as it does the rest of the student body, and in turn we’re politically polarized.
Liberal arts doesn’t always equal liberal.
by Elizabeth Kraushar and Sarah Morgan
On November 4, Barnard students joined the crowds of Columbia students that filled Broadway sidewalks and streets to cheer for change in Washington. Barack Obama’s campaign message won the support of the majority of Barnard students. The other voices for change stayed silent.
Barnard’s own recently inaugurated president, Debora Spar, prompted [...]
by Heena Sharma
I went to Stuyvesant High School. At Barnard and Columbia, there are numerous Stuyvesant High School alumni. To most New Yorkers, that is a big deal. Many assume that I must be a genius (I’m not) or that I’m really rich (I’m not) to have attended such a prestigious public high school. While [...]
by Shoshannah Richards
The polls have closed, the votes have been counted, and he has made his victory speech. Yet, I still cannot bring myself to believe it: Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States. I feel tears pressing against the back of my eyes as I write these words. I know the [...]
by Sigourney LaBarre
The 2008 Presidential Election was like any other presidential election in the history of the United States in only one way— it took place on the first Tuesday in November, four years after the last presidential election. In every other way, the outcome of this election and the events and circumstances that built [...]
by Gillian Adler
The list of grievances and criticisms directed towards Barnard students very often makes it difficult to remember the importance of women’s colleges in today’s world. Most of the negative perceptions are not worth discussing, although adverse judgments certainly present unexpected challenges to female students that should at some point be addressed.
Some of the [...]
