Michael Pernick ’10 sends in some pretty interesting news. Wesleyan has made the short list to host one of the 2008 Presidential debates! He writes:
In order forthis to happen, the administration needs to know that this will be a huge priority for us, and that we’d love to see it a reality.
How cool would that be? Show your support!
…I don’t know how we show support…perhaps someone from WesDems can inform us in another email. I just wanted to share the good news first!
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snaps for jesse
snaps for jesse
thanks for the great idea!- the OP
thanks for the great idea!
– the OP
How do we show our support? Not get in the admin’s way with this. It was the administration who put Wesleyan on the shortlist of schools for this honor. If students threat to boycott, riot, protest, cause security concerns, then it won’t happen.
How do we show our support? Not get in the admin’s way with this. It was the administration who put Wesleyan on the shortlist of schools for this honor. If students threat to boycott, riot, protest, cause security concerns, then it won’t happen.
Part of what’s so stupid about the “boycott the debate because it’s not inclusive” is the hilarious self-importance it presupposes. If Wesleyan boycotts this opportunity, we matter even less to the major-party political process (to which we are almost completely irrelevant). No one cares if Wesleyan refuses to host a debate — we only gain relevance and power by engaging with the process, even if it’s flawed. Ask yourself: how can we do more good to reshape this process — hosting a debate on campus or continuing to sit here, smugly stewing in our own hopelessly high standards of meaningless “inclusiveness.” Also, look at these other schools! We’re the smallest by about 10,000 students! How incredible would it be to bring that kind of visibility and dialogue to somehow that’s not ASU or Miami State? This would be the biggest thing to happen to Wesleyan in the last 15 years, assuming it’s actually possible that we make it beyond this bizarre short list.
Part of what’s so stupid about the “boycott the debate because it’s not inclusive” is the hilarious self-importance it presupposes. If Wesleyan boycotts this opportunity, we matter even less to the major-party political process (to which we are almost completely irrelevant). No one cares if Wesleyan refuses to host a debate — we only gain relevance and power by engaging with the process, even if it’s flawed. Ask yourself: how can we do more good to reshape this process — hosting a debate on campus or continuing to sit here, smugly stewing in our own hopelessly high standards of meaningless “inclusiveness.”
Also, look at these other schools! We’re the smallest by about 10,000 students! How incredible would it be to bring that kind of visibility and dialogue to somehow that’s not ASU or Miami State? This would be the biggest thing to happen to Wesleyan in the last 15 years, assuming it’s actually possible that we make it beyond this bizarre short list.
geee, relax, and show support for dialogue of many different kinds to come to wes, let people be exposed to more than just a two party system, third party, fourth fifth, one, 2 zero,wes learn to embrace the opportunities to create dialogue, to hear people talk, to discuss whatever is going on around….get out of your bubble. don’t be comfortable all the timegeeeeeeeeeee
geee,
relax, and show support for dialogue of many different kinds to come to wes, let people be exposed to more than just a two party system, third party, fourth fifth, one, 2 zero,
wes learn to embrace the opportunities to create dialogue, to hear people talk, to discuss whatever is going on around….get out of your bubble. don’t be comfortable all the time
geeeeeeeeeee
I agree with the post about reactionaries. Not everything has to be incentive for you to get on your soapbox. Take a vacation from finding problems with everything for once.
I agree with the post about reactionaries. Not everything has to be incentive for you to get on your soapbox. Take a vacation from finding problems with everything for once.
This would be a terrific opportunity to bring some attention to Wesleyan. I think it’d be great. The last big political event I remember was Ralph Nader being here. Whoop-de-doo.
This would be a terrific opportunity to bring some attention to Wesleyan. I think it’d be great. The last big political event I remember was Ralph Nader being here. Whoop-de-doo.
Think about how much more public this could be if there were protesters outside the debate. Or inside, like at the Gonzalez hearings; those signs made the front page of the New York Times. Millions watch these debates.Honestly, boycotting it altogether is perhaps more ethically sound, but it’s also really ineffective: “Oh no! a small liberal arts school without an auditorium is refusing to hold the debate? Where the FUCK can we hold it now!”
Think about how much more public this could be if there were protesters outside the debate. Or inside, like at the Gonzalez hearings; those signs made the front page of the New York Times. Millions watch these debates.Honestly, boycotting it altogether is perhaps more ethically sound, but it’s also really ineffective: “Oh no! a small liberal arts school without an auditorium is refusing to hold the debate? Where the FUCK can we hold it now!”
Think about how much more public this could be if there were protesters outside the debate. Or inside, like at the Gonzalez hearings; those signs made the front page of the New York Times. Millions watch these debates.
Honestly, boycotting it altogether is perhaps more ethically sound, but it’s also really ineffective: “Oh no! a small liberal arts school without an auditorium is refusing to hold the debate? Where the FUCK can we hold it now!”
i second the post directly above me, except in more polite language.while there are clearly issues with a two party system boycotting a debate isn’t going to do squat except:a. further stereotypes of wesleyan students being whinyb. have the debate be somewhere else besides wesSeriously, as much as I love wes, the people that need to listen to this message would not listen to it when it is delivered in that way. If you are targeting a message to people who do NOT currently believe in forms of expressing one’s opinion outside of the two party system, the appropriate venue in which to do that is not outside of the system altogether.
i second the post directly above me, except in more polite language.while there are clearly issues with a two party system boycotting a debate isn’t going to do squat except:a. further stereotypes of wesleyan students being whinyb. have the debate be somewhere else besides wesSeriously, as much as I love wes, the people that need to listen to this message would not listen to it when it is delivered in that way. If you are targeting a message to people who do NOT currently believe in forms of expressing one’s opinion outside of the two party system, the appropriate venue in which to do that is not outside of the system altogether.
i second the post directly above me, except in more polite language.
while there are clearly issues with a two party system boycotting a debate isn’t going to do squat except:
a. further stereotypes of wesleyan students being whiny
b. have the debate be somewhere else besides wes
Seriously, as much as I love wes, the people that need to listen to this message would not listen to it when it is delivered in that way. If you are targeting a message to people who do NOT currently believe in forms of expressing one’s opinion outside of the two party system, the appropriate venue in which to do that is not outside of the system altogether.
Fuck I hate you reactionaries. This is why nothing good ever happens at wesleyan because you find something to bitch about. Does their policy suck? YES IT DOES. but us boycotting isn’t going to do a fucking thing.
Fuck I hate you reactionaries. This is why nothing good ever happens at wesleyan because you find something to bitch about. Does their policy suck? YES IT DOES. but us boycotting isn’t going to do a fucking thing.
Fuck I hate you reactionaries. This is why nothing good ever happens at wesleyan because you find something to bitch about.
Does their policy suck? YES IT DOES. but us boycotting isn’t going to do a fucking thing.
If it doesn’t involve so-called “third party” candidates, I think we as a school should definately boycott it. Even if you support a major party, you must admit that the exclusion of alternative politcal viewpoints from the basic means of communiacation with the voting public is horrible loss for the prospect of democracy in this nation.
If it doesn’t involve so-called “third party” candidates, I think we as a school should definately boycott it. Even if you support a major party, you must admit that the exclusion of alternative politcal viewpoints from the basic means of communiacation with the voting public is horrible loss for the prospect of democracy in this nation.
If it doesn’t involve so-called “third party” candidates, I think we as a school should definately boycott it. Even if you support a major party, you must admit that the exclusion of alternative politcal viewpoints from the basic means of communiacation with the voting public is horrible loss for the prospect of democracy in this nation.
Is it going to be a primary one-party debate or a party-endorsed final nominees debate?
Is it going to be a primary one-party debate or a party-endorsed final nominees debate?
Is it going to be a primary one-party debate or a party-endorsed final nominees debate?
I don’t want my school hosting a two party closed “debate”.
I don’t want my school hosting a two party closed “debate”.
I don’t want my school hosting a two party closed “debate”.
how do we show our support?
how do we show our support?
how do we show our support?