Liberal Homogeneity at Samo

I’m pretty sure I could get away with knowing next-to-nothing about politics, as long as I remained liberal. At Samo, being a democrat means being part of a majority. An insanely overwhelming majority made up of adolescents who tend to lean to the left side of politics.And it’s fun. It’s fun to feel like a community around elections and national conventions. It’s fun to have a common cause about which, so many Vikings are passionate. But it’s also extremely dangerous. It makes us liberals not need reasons for believing our beliefs and supporting who we support.I actually do know a lot about politics and am even considering majoring in Government, but I recently had a terrifying revelation on the subject. I was at lunch with a friend when I expressed my jealousy at the fact that she can vote in the upcoming presidential election. She then started questioning me about my ardor for Obama. I could intelligently explain why I support our president for a bit, but I felt surprised and even attacked that my friend questioned my political stance.This horror at opposition to liberal views should not be the case. It is good to have our beliefs doubted by others as often as possible. Having to defend our stance on a myriad of issues, from gay marriage to foreign policy, makes us motivated to do more than skim the headlines. A nearly homogenous environment is poisonous to our intelligence. There should be a drive to deeply understand why we think what we think.For example, say Joe Viking goes on to attend Vanderbilt or even Ole Miss. Joe Viking talks about how inspiring Obama was at the DNC in his Government 101 class.  He is bombarded with condescending comments and tones of disgust. But the word that rises above the roar is Why? And despite his embarrassment, Joe Viking is better off with that Why? ringing in his ears. Because now he is thinking.He is thinking about what his rebuttal will be at 8:15 the next morning in Government 101. This questioning of his beliefs has driven him to understand.I cannot say what it is like being a republican at Samo. I have to imagine that it is very difficult, especially in Humanities classes where people don’t exactly hide their rabid distaste for small government and conservatives.  Being an extreme minority, many of them do not speak up about their conservative views. Us liberals are spoiled with the assumption that everyone around us has the same beliefs we do. As Joe Viking learned, this sometimes lovely homogeneity will not always be the case. After we leave the “Samo bubble” we will venture to colleges and eventually jobs around the nation and throughout the world. We will be better off once that bubble is popped because we will have a defense of our views.For now, we need to be our own debaters. Every time we fill with joy at sight of Obama’s pearly white smile, we need to question our ardor. Every time we bash the one conservative in the room, we need to think about why we support big government. We should be smart about what we believe and ready to defend ourselves at the drop of a hat. We should read Newsweek and the New York Times and figure out exactly what it means to be a democrat, both socially and fiscally.And then, we can wear our Obama bro-tanks with pride.Olivia LeganNews Magazine Editor-in-Chiefolegan@thesamohi.com