I am writing to address the article by Hannah Fricke titled, “Walker tries to win back support through education initiatives, but it is too little too late” published Jan. 25.
Walker tries to win back support through education initiatives, but it is too little too late
It is important to first clarify that I share Fricke’s distaste for Gov. Scott Walker’s policies regarding education in Wisconsin. The goal of this letter is not to defend Walker, as I firmly believe his policies have been detrimental to public education at both the K-12 and collegiate level. Rather, my intention is to suggest a more productive approach in writing about one’s disagreement with Walker’s actions.
The article perpetuates othering, which I believe is a harmful trend in the public’s perception of politics and controversial issues. This othering happens when we ostracize another group that does not share the same beliefs as we do.
For example, Fricke said, “it is no secret he is not thought of fondly at UW” and “it is certainly entertaining to watch him scuttle back and forth on the topic of education.”
A division in political opinions is natural and disagreement is not always negative. But when we portray another person or group of people as different, and therefore inherently bad, we are creating a negative divide rather than a productive disagreement.
This othering action, particularly in politics, can cause people to believe the other person does not want what is best for the community, or in this case, the field of education.
Fricke insinuated this when she said, “Walker and Wisconsin’s education do not have a good relationship, all due to the policies he chose to put into place,” and then later “it is a welcome change to see him support education.”
She outwardly said Walker does not support education, and implies his policies have been purposefully harmful to education. Despite my strong aversion to Walker’s policies, I have a hard time believing he simply does not support education.
He holds more conservative views regarding education and he, like many other conservatives, genuinely believes his policies are best for education and the state of Wisconsin.
The sooner we can all understand that we are each aiming for the same goal, but have different methods of getting there, the closer we will be to finding common ground.
Walker’s College Affordability Package passes through committee
Walker’s attempts to improve education in Wisconsin have not failed because he does not support education, they have failed because his tactics are inappropriate and misguided. Painting Walker as a monster who does not care about education does not help us find common ground. Understanding that we each come from unique backgrounds and have different life experiences, or lack thereof, helps us realize others do not disagree with us because they are bad; they disagree with us because they do not share our understanding of the world.
If our goal as citizens, policy makers and congressmen/women is to have productive debate about controversial issues and reach conclusions together, we must learn how to practice empathy.
Valerie Daum ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in community & nonprofit leadership with a certificate in educational policy studies.
