| | | Politically Incorrect
Misguided Politics and Activism on Campus | | | By Amanda Junker
Their pictures were everywhere. Chicks with missile dicks. Billionaires for Bush. The International Bolshevik Tendency. Their voices even rang above the president’s as he accepted his party’s nomination for reelection.
Initially, the sight of hundreds of thousands of protesters gathering outside the Republican National Convention in New York was a rude awakening for me, considering here at Northwestern the most common form of political activism involves lighting up while watching Da Ali G Show.
Read the Forum section of the Daily and you will encounter at least one diatribe per week about student apathy. But even some of the most politically active students I spoke to said they don’t consider NU’s lack of political activity a problem, given students’ impressive awareness about the issues.
So, let me get this straight: a well-informed and opinionated student body, two top-funded, politically-affiliated student groups, and still so little to show for it?
Lazy students are usually cited as the reason for the school’s stagnant state. But as a student who prides herself on being mildly lazy, fairly politically aware and particularly opinionated, I beg to differ. Though I agree laziness is a factor, I question whose lethargy is really to blame.
Last November, almost 500 students gathered at the rock in a rally against hate crimes (fictitious hate crimes, but I diverge). Every year, the Women’s Coalition sponsors Take Back the Night, uniting almost 1,000 students in a march against sexual assault and violence against women. Last year, the College Republicans co-sponsored a debate with NOWAR to discuss the war in Iraq, and had a “great turnout,” according to Republicans’ president Henry Bowles. How great? A full 30 students.
It seems that both the College Republicans and the College Democrats have fallen victim to the very size and scope of their operations. On the College Democrats’ website, they tout themselves as “one of the most active student groups on campus” for bringing speakers like Bill Bradley, George Stephanopoulos, and Rev. Jesse Jackson to campus. But by defining the “most active” group as the one with the biggest name speakers, they fail to push their own boundaries and have even lost sight of what should be their most basic goal: reaching out to the average student.
Bowles said the reason for this situation was that the College Republicans and Democrats are “clubs content on members who are self-selecting.” In other words, every year 30 of the same type of people join the clubs, become active and attend events to stroke each other’s hanging chads.
“I guess we haven’t really reached out to the average student. While big speakers are able to grab the attention and interest of the Northwestern student body, that is a fairly superficial way to define involvement. It doesn’t excite political action on campus to the extent you would want clubs to,” said Bowles.
Take note—a republican president just owned up to his misguided policy.
Sarcasm aside, the question still begs, where does the “average student” fit into the school’s political scene?
Last spring, Ethan Ilya Lipkind emerged as the Ralph Nader of the Northwestern community, in that it seemed his newfound political ambitions succeeded in little more than pissing the democrats off.
After a “miscommunication” with the College Democrats about planning for the Senate debate held in Tech Auditorium, Lipkind was censured from the group and announced he was leaving to reestablish the College Libertarians. Internal squabbling, a public reprimand, backstabbing—could this have the ingredients for NU’s very own political scandal?
Of course not. But I have to admit I was intrigued by Lipkind’s unlikely ideological leap and his quixotic go-it-alone venture. As of May he had about 25 interested members, and plans on applying to ASG for T-status this fall. There is only one minor detail marring this story of the little libertarian who could—he isn’t libertarian.
“This is about social liberty and social freedom. Not to support libertarian politics, but to promote education and facilitate discussion about the issues,” said Lipkind, who is still a registered member of the Democratic Party of Evanston.
Although he may appear a bit ideologically confused, it seems Lipkind is onto something. He admits the libertarians cannot possibly compete with the other student groups in terms of speakers and events, but he emphasized, “We can most definitely compete in entertaining the student body with the additional potential for discussion and debate.”
He wanted to clarify that reported friction between him and the College Democrats was a “misconception.” He hopes to have joint events with both the dem’s and republicans, as he is open to discussion about all ideologies.
Now that sounds like a uniter if I ever heard one. But, realistically, the College Libertarians are not going to turn NU’s political scene into a hand-holding utopia, just like the College Republicans will never get laid (excluding Henry Bowles, of course).
However, as November 2 draws near, a new energy is emerging in the political climate. Student groups look to capitalize on the widespread buzz by co-hosting viewings of the presidential debates and a “huge party” (humor them) in Norris on election night, to see the election results unfold on a full movie screen.
So, lazy students of Northwestern, here lies your opportunity. If you are even mildly interested, go for the free popcorn, join the debate, and most importantly, show these political bitches you deserve some ’spect.
Looking for a date to the debates? To tell Amanda what you really think, send an email to: a-junker@northwestern.edu
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