The last month has been an eventful one in both campus and American politics.
Between the hostile protests from groups at the University of Missouri to violence erupting at a recent Donald Trump campaign rally between Trump supporters and a Black Lives Matter protester, November was marred by outrage with little room for discussion.
But looking past these events, there was a lone bright spot, and it came from someone known for his music rather than his politics.
On Nov. 18, the Library of Congress awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song to country music legend Willie Nelson. The award is given to honor a performer for lifetime achievements in “promoting song as a vehicle of musical expression and cultural understanding.”
Following acceptance of this award, Nelson performed one of his songs, “Living in the Promiseland.” Before performing the piece, Nelson said, “I think this is one of the most appropriate songs that we could do for this period in America.”
The song, which describes why people immigrate to the United States, was no doubt a response to the ongoing debate over whether or not to allow Syrian refugees into the country.
On the issue, the more liberal Nelson supports allowing refugees in.
Rather than being provocative with his stance, Nelson gave a calm and heartfelt performance, not throwing the blame toward any party or any individual. The gentle words of his song explained where he stood, and it was received positively by the audience.
As both major political parties have shifted further from the center, there has also been increased antipathy from both sides toward the opposition. Individuals care more about living in a place where viewpoints are shared rather than differ, and we have resorted to protecting our views at any cost. We saw this during events over this past month.
