When it comes to one of my colleague’s most recent columns, OPINON: Packapalooza should ban pro-Trump booths, there are points I understand. But there are also arguments I disagree with that I feel are important to discuss as this conversation about freedom of speech and campus inclusivity and diversity continues. Overall, I think the role these booths play on a college campus is too integral for them to be banned from Packapalooza.
First, it’s important for me to say that I recognize and understand this argument, as it is similar in nature to a previous column I wrote — OPINION: Chick-fil-A needs to be removed from the Atrium — where I argued Chick-fil-A’s active discrimination of the LGBT+ community does not create the inclusive environment that NC State would strive for. However, it’s also important to recognize that this topic is objectively political, that the two issues aren’t on the same level.
Additionally, I will not disagree with the original column in that the recent rhetoric from this administration has actively worked to oppress and isolate specific minority groups. I do not disagree with any of the facts stated, and unlike many of the Facebook commenters, I will not try and flip the conversation to talk about leftist extremists. There are extremists on both sides of the political spectrum, so to talk about them as a representation of the entire group is a waste of ink on paper. My focus is on the importance of politics.
In a recent column — OPINION: Students can’t be ‘not into politics’ — the same author criticized low voter turnout for college students and called all students to action in order to educate and involve themselves in politics. I fully agree with that point, yet there is a conflict in the writer’s logic, as banning pro-Trump booths at Packapalooza has the ability to block the goal of political education. If NC State shut down opportunities for students to hear the claims and arguments of one side, then how are students meant to become well-informed about the topics from various perspectives in order to reach their own conclusions?
College has traditionally been a place for students from all walks of life to come together and discuss their thoughts, ideas and beliefs in an environment where everyone has a right to be heard. College is meant for students to learn their own information about topics and stop relying on what their parents or communities indoctrinated them with, but when we censor certain sides because they are harsher, we lose the learning opportunity and students stay stagnant in their knowledge.
Another important piece of the justification for these booths at Packapalooza is the difference between hate speech and the first amendment. I fully understand how some of these groups — in their support of the current administration — can produce arguments that can offend groups on the receiving end of the rhetoric; however, it does still fall under freedom of speech protections within the first amendment.
NC State, through the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity, is a safe place to grow and learn. Yet, we also have to acknowledge that we grow through conflict and our differences when we are pushed out of our comfort zone. When we only speak to the same demographic with the same opinions, we simply polarize ourselves and produce more close-minded citizens. Through my personal interactions at NC State, I’ve found just that: Most of my learning experiences surrounding politics have been from listening to others that might differ from me both slightly and majorly.
This issue, pro-Trump booths at Packapalooza, represents a bigger issue that we are starting to move to where we are removing other perspectives, usually conservative opinions, from the conversations for the sake of political correctness. Yes, the method for these communicating these perspectives is crucial so that it is done in a civil way, but the content needs to be heard.
University is the time, for most of us students, to have your rose-colored glasses shattered and be exposed to the world in its entirety. Censoring politics is only going to hurt the student population even more, not to mention Packapalooza is a time where local politicians from all parties come to speak with students. For all we know, maybe the best time to talk politics is while sharing a deep-fried Oreo on Hillsborough Street, but we won’t know that if we ban the booths.
