Trump Supporters Can’t Expect Civility
April 4, 2016
Last week’s profile on Donald Trump supporters at NYU has placed the spotlight on the contentious political environment that supposedly hangs over fans of the Republican frontrunner. The students profiled have stated that “they’re afraid of losing friends, being ridiculed in class, getting worse grades and are even afraid of being assaulted and physically hurt.” These claims of campus-wide political persecution, however, are just the natural results of Trump’s political rhetoric characterized by fear and antagonism. Trump supporters are not going to find a safe space for their ideas at NYU, nor should they expect one. Political discourse on campuses thrives on disagreement and questioning, and when that disagreement turns nasty, the supporters of 2016’s nastiest candidate should consider why that is.
Of course, this is not a call for the silencing of an outspoken minority. The problem here is not the mere existence of an idea that clashes with the NYU norm — the problem is really Trump’s status as a gung-ho political provocateur. His bid for the presidency is a unique phenomenon: an unthinkable candidate in an era where America has moved past outright bigotry as a political platform. But the nature of political discourse is inherently personal and provocative; if one contributes to the public sphere only by prodding with crude and inarticulate talking points, then they should expect that others will respond in kind. Freedom of speech is not a right to be liked or welcomed.
If there’s one thing Trump has to his credit, it’s that he energized the larger political debate. By speaking directly to the racial and economic anxieties of working class white America, he has held a mirror to the institution of American conservatism. He forced mainline conservatives to consider why such a repulsive figure has taken their party hostage, to reflect on their views and hopefully alert the Republican Party to the concerns of the modern electorate. This is the healthy way to respond to disagreement. The unhealthy way is to hide behind a persecution complex and refuse to deal with other opinions for fear of unfriendliness. Trump supporters, take note: this is the skeptical America you live in.
Trump poisoned the value of a rational debate long ago. The vocal minority of Trump supporters, while entitled to their opinions, are ultimately aligning themselves with a man who wants to dismantle people’s fundemental rights. Deporting 11 million immigrants, building a wall to prevent illegal immigration and punishing women for seeking abortion are not feasible nor appropriate ways to “Make America Great Again.” Those in the majority cannot exclude Trump supporters from civil discourse, but they are free to condemn those supporters for their demagogic views. Trump supporters are siding with a bully who is fundamentally incompatible with reasonable debate. They shouldn’t expect the very civility that they denounce.
A version of this article appeared in the Monday, April 4 print edition. Email the WSN Editorial Board at [email protected].
Erin • Nov 14, 2016 at 7:33 pm
Everybody, no matter you political affiliation, deserves a “safe space” for open discussion not “DEBATE”. It’s not hard to respect other people’s viewpoints and choice on political matters. I don’t go and trash on their reasons for supporting Hillary/Bernie. I don’t spit on them. I don’t use insulting terms to describe them. Are there SOME people out their who do that and support Trump? Apparently so. However, I do not condone this behavior EVER. Why fight fire with fire? What good does that do? Ya, I get it.. I chose one of the most liberal bias college campuses on the planet and one of the most liberal cities to live in. I expect there to be differences in opinion. Political discourse might thrive and keep students engaged, but it’s not “the supporters of the nastiest candidate”<— pure opinion mind you–that cause it, it's both sides fighting and wanting to keep a discourse going. That's human nature. To constantly battle and feel one side is better or one in opinion is better. In this battle, nobody is winning. It's disgusting to watch.
Alex Lopez • Nov 14, 2016 at 3:02 pm
Wikileaks revealed Hillary takes money from Saudi Arabia, a country that according to her own writing “the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups in the region”.
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/3774
taking money from people that arm terrorists is worse than anything Trump has said.
“Cant expect civility” ah yes, we are in a civilized society but civility shouldnt be expected. This article is bias propaganda. Our country started the wars, creating the refugee crisis. Refugees dont have constitutional rights and the director of the FBI said at a congressional meeting that its impossible to screen all for terrorists ties. Its not racist to say that some criminals who cross the border are violent criminals. Stop getting offended by everything and read policy.