I could be wrong about this, of course, but aren't institutions of higher learning supposed to support and elevate discourse...to value the exchange of ideas and to learn to live within their inherent tensions? To make us better thinkers and citizens, able to debate without lobbing grenades at one another?
What's all the fuss, Notre Dame?
3 comments:
This is just ridiculous.
Stupid. You're right about discourse, but we seem to be losing the ability to discuss and disagree instead of out and out rejecting. Sad and stupid.
I guess I don't feel your outrage. Should discourse deny the small-minded their opinions? I would feel more outrage if Notre Dame cancelled the President's speech, but "Notre Dame President the Rev. John Jenkins has said the university does not condone all of Obama's policies but that it's important to engage in conversation."
I'm too old now to think that my idea of pure and good will always prevail, but look:
"The consensus Thursday on the campus of the nation's most-prominent Catholic university was that any president should be welcomed at Notre Dame." Justin Mack, a senior film major from Dallas, agreed.
1) "I didn't vote for him and there are a lot of things I don't agree with him or support. But I feel like for this event people need to put that aside," said Mack, a senior film major from Dallas.
2) Seventy percent of the alumni letters opposed having Obama giving the speech, while 73 percent of student letters supported his appearance.
3) Among the 95 seniors who wrote letters, 97 percent supported the president's invitation.
It looks like Notre Dame is doing much better with their small-mindedness than some of our local colleges in recent times. So, since "our side" of this issue seems to be prevailing, why so much noise? Just asking.
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