Is UW-Madison a liberal campus?

The answer depends on what is you mean by “liberal.” In a political context, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Rep. Tammy Baldwin was elected and reelected to Congress largely on the basis of the student vote, and last year Al Gore and Ralph Nader won a combined 77 percent of the campus vote.

However, if you define a liberal as “Webster’s Dictionary” does, you may have to reevaluate your answer. Webster’s definition of a liberal reads, “One who is open-minded or not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional or established forms or ways.”

Most self-described liberals on this campus would argue that they fall under this definition as well. After all, “tolerance,” “diversity” and “campus climate” are the buzzwords of the day.

But several events last year, most notably The Badger Herald protests, suggest these buzzwords apply only to skin color and sexual orientation – not to ideas and viewpoints.

Last spring, the Herald ran an advertisement that listed several important, some not-so-important and some downright wrong rationales as to why reparations for slavery are a bad idea.

Unfortunately, we never heard why some of the reasons in the advertisement were wrong, or even racist. What we did hear was an ad claiming the Herald was a “racist propaganda machine,” had a history of “promoting racist ideology and destroying the morale of students of color,” that “racism flows from its pages” and that the “multiculturally incompetent editorial boards reflect the campus body as a whole.”

The Multicultural Student Coalition, or MSC, which paid for this advertisement, demanded the independent Herald be “put on probation” – i.e. censored – by the University, and marched to the Herald offices demanding that the editors of the Herald apologize and resign. Some lowlights of that march include chanting that the female editor-in-chief was a “racist bitch,” harassing the Herald reporter covering the event until she was near tears, and stealing thousands of papers.

In the weeks of controversy that followed, not once did the MSC or any other group that paid for the ad and marched on the Herald offer evidence to support their charges against the Herald. Even more disturbing is that not one of the protesters offered an op-ed piece refuting the reasons listed in the ad. In order to print such an article, the Herald had to solicit a piece from an author in Minnesota.

Contrast this reaction to the reaction of the State of Wisconsin when confronted with undeniable racism.

Like most states, Wisconsin has an Adopt-A-Highway program, where groups take responsibility for litter control on a segment of highway, and have a sign posted noting their efforts.

The Wisconsin Adopt-A-Highway website has a list of goals for the program, including to “educate the traveling public to properly dispose of litter.” Not listed is the goal to “educate the traveling public about free speech and how to combat hate.”

That is exactly what is occurring in western Wisconsin. The Mercer Ku Klux Klan chapter recently “adopted” a two-mile stretch of State Highway 122 in Iron County. (Due to a recent Supreme Court decision involving a similar situation in Missouri, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation had no choice but to accept the application.)

There is no question that the Klan has a First Amendment right not to be denied a permit based on viewpoint. But that does not make their viewpoint right, and it is not a reason for those that disagree with the Klan to stand idle.

In a classic example of pointing out the absurdity of one group’s speech with more speech, the Wisconsin State Assembly is poised to pass a bill renaming the Klan’s stretch of highway the “Walter Bresette Memorial Highway.”

Walter Bresette was a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and was known as a tireless worker on social justice issues and tribal sovereignty.

So now, when the Mercer Klan fulfills their responsibility to pick up litter on this segment at least three times per year between Apr. 1 and Nov. 1, they will be helping to honor a man who fought for equal rights and sovereignty for Native Americans.

No one was censored, threatened or protested. Instead, as a result of the Klan “adoption,” thousands more people (including myself) had the opportunity to hear about a local hero that led the fight against discrimination and for tribal rights.
In the wake of the national exposure following last year’s protests, there will inevitably be copycats looking to expose the lack of true liberalism at UW. Instead of trying to crush these views, those that disagree should highlight them and point out why they are wrong. The result is many more people will know why the views are wrong and the wrong views will collapse under the weight of their own absurdity.