by Mary Wakefield Buxton –
URBANNA — It was hard to believe the news this month when Fox News reported some students at the University of Virginia (that was founded by Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence) would call to shut down an appearance of Vice President Mike Pence that had been invited to speak at the Charlottesville campus.
The chairman of Young Americans for Freedom Nick Cabrera called this disturbing event to the attention of the press, which is a good thing because not just the university, but all of us, need to be concerned when we see intolerance of diverse views on American campuses.
Worse for me to digest was the fact the students wishing to cancel Pence were writers on the editorial staff of the college newspaper. One supposes such students who are developing writing skills might aspire to become future journalists after graduation. Yet such intolerance and closed minds would hardly fit into my definition of the sort of journalists we would hope to see in future years.
There was some humor in the news release. Vice President Pence was not welcome to speak according to these students because of possible exposure of the students on campus to “violent rhetoric!”
Please. We have been exposed to many kinds of politicians over the years and much outrageous rhetoric but it seems to me Vice President Pence is about as inclined to violent rhetoric as a bar of soap in my bathtub.
Yes, he strikes me as a mild mannered man who is serious about his ideas to solve the many problems in our society today (too numerous for me to list in this column). To think college students cannot be exposed to such “violence” as Vice President Pence is able to deliver is, really, laugh out loud funny.
This incident follows a recent event at Yale University Law School where it was reported a panel of judges had been invited to address students regarding the issue of freedom of speech, of all things. Some of the students apparently didn’t like what the judges were saying and shouted them down. How’s that for a sobering glimpse of what future American lawyers may be like that are headed our way?
How would you like a lawyer to represent you in court with that kind of respect for our judges and our fundamental civil right of free speech? I’m inclined to think if I ever see a lawyer with a Yale Law School diploma, I might well be tempted to run the other way.
I have some questions for the editorial staff at the UVa college newspaper and others on campus who wish to cancel any speakers that may have different opinions than what they believe to be true. Is exposure to diverse ideas dangerous to your brains? If so, you need a check on the intellectual path you are traveling in college because the first steps to education is developing an open mind and a tolerance to listening to all voices.
The arrogance of these students is amazing. Do these students, maybe 19 or 20 years old, really believe they have all the answers on every issue in our society and that they no longer need to hear other ideas? Don’t they know humility is an essential part of learning — humility before the massive face of truth that we, perhaps all of human life, frankly, may never know?
Here I am 80 years old and still interested in hearing what others think, still searching for truth and still spending much of my time reflecting on all I don’t know.
What kind of an education are these young people getting? Virginia taxpayers are supporting much of UVa’s college operating costs and we have every right to be concerned about the sort of graduates that are coming out of schools today.
Just imagine if writers at the Southside Sentinel ever called for shutting down voices in which we believed were wrong-headed. Then, imagine if Sentinel readers were prevented from reading any ideas or news events of which the Sentinel staff didn’t approve.
Fortunately, most Americans are tolerant and want to hear all voices in society. We cherish our freedom and first amendment in the Bill of Rights that guarantees each of us the right of freedom of expression.
Young Americans for Freedom at UVa have made their point. We must all turn away from totalitarian systems everywhere that suppress the free exchange of ideas and always welcome diverse opinion.
Here’s some advice to the UVa college newspaper writers from GrandMama Bear who has been writing and reading opinion in the Southside Sentinel in Urbanna for almost 40 years.
Let the Republican speak. Mind your manners and show respect for the vice president.
You might even learn something new?
© 2022.
