Anyone who has been paying any attention to the news lately would be able to tell you that relations between liberals and conservatives are not at an all time high at the moment. But, it is safe to say that those relations have reached an all-time low this week with the riots at the University of California Berkeley. In case you didn't know, the riots were in response to conservative speaker Milo Yiannopoulos, who was scheduled to speak on campus February 1. At first, peaceful protestors gathered outside the building in which the speech was to be held, but later a separate group of violent protestors joined in, breaking windows, lighting fires, and throwing smoke bombs.
I always say it, for the sake of transparency, so I'll say it again: I am very much a conservative. And while I certainly don't agree with those peacefully protesting conservative speakers like Yiannopoulos, I do respect them as Americans with rights. But I have absolutely no respect for these rioters, and I truly wonder what liberals across the nation are thinking right now. I can only hope that there isn't any support for these actions by any mainstream liberal groups.
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I think it's important at times like these to really examine the Constitution. The United States Constitution does ensure the right to peacefully assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. But the important thing here is the concept of peace. No one can legally damage the property of others, or infringe upon one's ability to speak freely with violence. There is no defense for these people.
My hope is that from this point forward we will hold each other accountable. If I were ever to see such actions taken by conservatives against a liberal speaker on my college campus, I would be appalled and would waste no time in condemning their methods of protest. We all need to do the same. The only possible result from these violent outbursts and ideological feuds is an even greater division in our country. It is fine to disagree, but we need to learn to agree to disagree. Not everything has to be a battle to be won or lost. In no country in the world, at any time, will every citizen agree about everything. So, our goal now (instead of trying to win every argument about political ideology that we see) should be to learn to live with our differences and build a country that really embodies the idea of free expression. This country is indeed at a crossroads, and the only way for us to survive these tensions is to behave in a way that all Americans can accept and take pride in. And the American way is one of debate and compromise. So, either get on board the movement to keep America safe, or get left behind.
