Michael Pelchat of Webster is a former pharmacist and current history student.
In 1850, James Thornwell, a Presbyterian minister from South Carolina, spoke on the major issues of the day and said, “They are atheists, socialists, and communists on the one hand, and order and regulation on the other.” “I am a friend of freedom.” Although Thornwell was speaking about the issue of slavery, his words can also provide insight into the issues of our time.
It is becoming clear that we are a polarized nation, and every issue seems to act as a wedge to drive us further apart. Thornwell’s framing of the slavery issue is very similar to how the issue is being framed in the United States in the 2020s.
The incumbent governor labeled the university’s pro-Palestinian protests as 100 percent anti-Semitic. One parliamentary candidate accused the students of supporting terrorists and called the protests perverted. Both men ignore the other side of the coin and refuse to acknowledge students’ legitimate concerns about Israel’s policy toward Palestine before the Hamas attack and its tactics in the subsequent war. They equate criticism of Israeli policies with anti-Semitism, but the two are independent of each other. They chose instead to focus on the chaos and property damage and call it anti-Semitism to justify the use of force to quell the demonstrations.
The reasons for America’s polarization are numerous and complex, and all Americans share some responsibility. But one cause is quite simple: Americans view some of the rights we have traditionally taken for granted, such as freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly, through a partisan lens. This is a growing trend. Differences in attitudes toward university demonstrations are simply a manifestation of something more insidious: our acceptance or rejection of the rights of others based solely on whether we agree with their position. It is no longer part of the debate that these rights are afforded to all Americans and protected by the Constitution.
An opinion is no longer an opinion, but an absolute truth. Opposing views are not simply seen as different opinions, but are considered blasphemous and un-American, and those who express those opposing views are increasingly characterized as enemies and threats.
As historian Jon Meacham writes in his book And Then There Was Light, compromise is inevitable when the issue is presented in clear contrasts of right and wrong, good and evil. Is possible. Because the act of compromise is seen as weak or even sinful. Reason is not a factor, only emotion and the conviction that I am right and you are wrong are important.
Donald Trump is not responsible for this, but justified it as a political tool for both sides. Starting with his campaign to demonize the press, his words and actions following the Charlottesville, Virginia, riots and the Black Lives Matter movement, it is up to us to recognize the right of individuals to speak and assemble. A lot depends on whether you agree with it or not. .
Conservatives rightly criticize universities for trying to suppress conservative speech, but then they try to do the same to suppress liberal speech. They call it “woke” or “illiberal liberalism” or “un-American,” but the message is the same, only my opinion matters, and only my opinion matters. It’s true, so please be quiet.
One Congressional candidate recently wrote that Americans no longer share a common understanding of what America stands for or what it means to be American. Sadly, he’s right, but not for the reasons he gives. Part of being an American, part of being a patriot, is recognizing that all Americans have the right to express their opinions. Even if it’s an opinion that others vehemently disagree with.
You can’t have it both ways. We either have democracy or we don’t. Either we are a country where disagreement and debate are tolerated and encouraged, or we are a country where only one opinion matters and anything that disagrees with that opinion is un-American and should be suppressed.
