Political indifference still pervades Rice

By Alexander Bonnel     8/27/09 7:00pm

I love Rice. Whenever the Princeton Review rates us as No. 1 for "quality of life," I am thrilled to see our great little Sunbelt secret get such positive national recognition. I am convinced that through the residential college system, we really do have a social structure superior to the traditional Greek or dorm systems.However, there is one thing that really holds us back as a university. Given how dedicated we are to college politics at Rice, we remain somewhat apathetic to national politics and current events. My parents always stressed being well informed and opinionated, but I am embarrassed by the apathy I've acquired here.

Granted, I was abroad during the 2008 election and probably missed out on one of the few times Rice students openly discussed politics.

Nonetheless, I feel like Rice has drained a significant amount of my political enthusiasm. It's okay to be nerdy here, but it's not cool to be an activist. Maybe it's because the little political debate that does occur on campus tends to reflect more extreme views than those of the average student at Rice.

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Trying to pinpoint the source of our political apathy is extremely difficult. Maybe it stems from Rice's location in the South. Southern hospitality is a wonderful thing; people are relaxed and can easily carry on a conversation. But in order to stay polite and avoid conflict, southerners tend to avoid polemical topics.

Given the wide range of political opinions at Rice, students might be afraid they will offend someone. As a result, few people discuss politics and even fewer discuss religion.

I can understand avoiding religion: As the character Rufus in Kevin Smith's film Dogma states, "It's better to have ideas than beliefs, because you can change ideas." Challenging someone's religion inherently challenges their beliefs, which questions their entire upbringing and their family's values.

But I can't understand why we don't talk politics. Political discussion essentially revolves around logic, reasoning and historical events. Just as we feel it is our duty as Rice students to express our views to our college cabinets and council meetings, we should feel obligated to express ourselves as citizens of an American democracy.

Rice's student body is approximately half Texan. I view our geographical distribution as a great advantage. Unlike the Ivies or liberal arts colleges, our population reflects the strong divide in Congress: Northern liberalism versus Southern conservatism. This might be the only time we have contact with the other side before retreating into our like-minded communities.

So next time you pick up a New York Times (of the few that remain in our commons), ask the person next to you what they know about the latest headline and how they view the issue.

That way, we won't be No. 1 on just a social level, but on an intellectual one as well.

Alexander Bonnel is a Wiess College senior.

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