Is it really April already?
I joined the editorial board my senior year because I thought our student paper desperately needed a bit more intellectual diversity and ideological balance. (Some of you might agree.)
Although my mission to turn The Daily Tar Heel into a libertarian tabloid was ultimately not successful, engaging with others who disagreed with me was rewarding. My left-wing comrades were nice and generally receptive to my input, even when we staunchly (and frequently) disagreed. It was fun and fulfilling to move the ideological barometer, however slightly, away from Elizabeth Warren and toward Ron Paul.
College campuses do lean left, but our generation is not universally the Sandersnistas the cultural narrative paints us to be. There are far more libertarian and conservative students on campuses than it would seem. There could be even more if we hone and spread our message effectively.
Those who complain about campus politics skewing left can’t just complain about it — we must be vocal and strategic. There is too much at stake not to. We must provide a counter to the dominant leftist account on pressing issues. No one’s feelings invalidate another’s constitutional rights.
Tribalistic, accusatory identity politics only deepens divisions and spreads resentment. Individualism and equal protection are the solution to problems of discrimination and injustice. The real wealth inequality is the government overspending, overregulation and over-taxation screwing our generation out of a future while showering the old people with trillions in handouts.
Free-market capitalism is far more enriching and fairer to all than the dependency and stagnation of socialism. Capitalism is having a smartphone in your pocket; socialism is having Bernie’s hand.
Stopping Washington’s endless wars and violations of our rights is, perhaps counterintuitively, more important than ending the evil scourge of microagressions.
We can shift campus dialogue to be more favorable to markets, individualism and limited government. We just have to try. And with that, dear readers, I bid you farewell.
