Acouple of days after the election last week, I was at the gym, trying to concoct an idea for my column this week. My mind naturally swayed to politics, but then I panicked. The election was over.
I was fully aware of this reality prior to that moment, but it hadn't really sunk in. Moreover, I didn't realize until then that I'd need to find a new topic to write about, since most weeks in the past couple semesters I've occupied this space with horse race updates, candidate critiques and the like. But this wasn't a typical election; on an emotional level, last Tuesday left a particularly pungent residue in the minds of many Americans, and a whole lot of Penn students.
I can understand why people here would be upset, especially those who contributed valuable hours campaigning for John Kerry. I can even understand why some people voted for him. But what I don't understand, and refuse to accept, is the notion of moral and intellectual superiority that I've encountered from so many of his supporters here on campus, who believe that they are infinitely smarter and better than anyone who voted for George W. Bush. Being from one of the backward "red states" is comparable to being Tom Cruise's delinquent, humiliating brother in The Firm. Who do we all think we are?
We may attend an Ivy League university, with access to some of the best facilities in the world, but that does not make us better than those who don't. Because we are intelligent does not mean that anyone outside our bubble is ignorant -- and because we have our own opinions does not mean that others' are consequently wrong. The feeling of entitlement, after all, seems antithetical to the values of diversity and acceptance that Penn emphasizes so strongly. Shouldn't acceptance of diverse opinions count for something?
In fact, according to many students on campus, 51 percent of Americans are so pathetic that relocating to Canada just might be the only viable way to scratch the indelible thought of another four years. Some of my friends at Penn are so dismayed by the results that they've suggested fleeing northward to escape the havoc and bloodshed that they imagine is imminent. Granted, they're not serious, but Reuters has nonetheless reported that the number of hits to the main Canadian immigration Web site has skyrocketed since Nov. 3. Anyone from a flyover state can't come -- they messed it all up in the first place.
Penn's condescension toward the choice of the electorate extends beyond Bush vs. Kerry; it's more than a "Republicans are evil and Democrats are good" mentality. In my judgment, it appears that so many have trouble identifying with positions that conservatives anywhere in the country hold on issues that may seem fairly obvious here. You might be pro-abortion rights and think that any woman in her right mind should be, too. But another woman, whether she lives in a "blue" state or in a "red" state, might not be. Even more, she might be pro-abortion rights but still opt for anti-abortion candidates for their positions on other matters. In the end, her judgment is not wrong, nor is it dumb; it's just different from yours.
As David Brooks aptly noted in The New York Times, "The same insularity that caused many liberals to lose touch with the rest of the country now causes them to simplify, misunderstand and condescend to the people who voted for Bush. ... [Just] listen to some coastal and university town liberals talk about how conformist and intolerant people in Red America are. It makes you wonder: Why is it that people who are completely closed-minded talk endlessly about how open-minded they are?"
Students here are privy to the same information regarding Iraq as the rest of the country. Still, national opinion is split. Rather than chide me for approving of a pre-emptive strike to this day, recognize that not everyone thinks the same way. Elitism is an easy trap to fall into, but luckily for those who suffer from it, it's reversible and curable.
The greatest favor one could pay to his country is not to lament everything that's wrong with our society, or worse yet move to Canada, but to work with those who have a wide range of views for our future. I'll refrain from invoking John F. Kennedy's inaugural address to get the point across. But in his concession speech last Wednesday, Kerry said, "We are required now to work together for the good of our country. ... We must join in common effort, without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion."
So you don't like George W. Bush -- you're entitled to that. You're not entitled, however, to denigrate me for liking him. Let's eclipse this rampant elitist sentiment by embracing the fact that we can all be vocal with our opinions without repercussions. As Barack Obama proclaimed in his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, "There is not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there is the United States of America."
Michelle Dubert is a College sophomore from Closter, N.J. Department of Strategery appears on Thursdays.
