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UW needs dissenting voices
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College Republicans have expressed their concern with a question I asked Sara Mikolajczak in the debate Monday evening in the Memorial Union. They thought the question (referring to her personal vote on the Wisconsin Marriage Protection Amendment) and my handling of it were unfair and unbalanced. Let me reply.
First, I did not intend to be unfair to one side, and attendees will recall that the other side was also asked some hard questions that required hard thinking. On the other hand, I do not believe that I handled the question well, as I smiled in a “gotcha” attitude along with the audience response. I should have striven to remain unaffected. The students properly criticize me on this count.
Second, students who know me and have taken my courses know that I have long and vocally criticized the University of Wisconsin for the lack of true intellectual diversity on campus, which boils down to a dearth of conservative perspectives in class and in the public forum. This dearth has weakened the educational experience of our students, and hurt intellectual vitality. That I may have unwittingly contributed to this problem at the debate has registered in my intellectual conscience, and I thank the College Republicans for pointing this out. The campus needs groups like yours very much, so please keep up the fight.
Donald Downs
UW professor, political science
dadowns@wisc.edu
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With all due respect, Professor Downs, you did stump Oliver on occasion, but you did not inquire on his personal voting record. You knew the response this would solicit both from Mikolajczak and the audience and decided to continue with your line of questioning anyway. It was very unprofessional, if you ask me.
We get it, Downs, you’re conservative. The debate didn’t accomplish anything.
Is intellectual diversity synonymous with political diversity?
Each of us are complex thinkers who probably dine at the table of American politics in an a la carte fashion, picking and choosing issues that are personally important.
When the right criticizes academics for their left-leaning views, they’re basically demanding tollerance of their conservative ideas. Likewise, the left doesn’t understand why those on the right aren’t tollerant of their issues.
Each issue is important to someone, some fellow American, and there is A LOT of common ground in this political framework to make both sides satisfied.
Is Downs calling for affirmative action?