Red and Blue bleeds into classrooms

A Republican and a Democrat sit down for a nice discussion of politics and share their views calmly and rationally before politely shaking hands and agreeing to meet again soon. Maybe in a perfect world this scene might exist, but not in the current state of the country.

Politics are a hot topic, placed in the same realm as religion as a topic that is almost taboo to mention. Tempers can quickly flare up when current political issues are brought to the table, and the democratic ideas of sharing ideas freely becomes heated to the point where little democracy is practiced.

So why do people get upset about politics? Why have politics been dubbed something not to be talked about during polite conversations?

Daniel Dew, junior in political science, said he thinks discussing politics is generally taboo because it forces people with differing view points to defend their very beliefs.

“I think people don’t like talking about politics because people don’t like confrontation and being forced to defend themselves,” Dew said. “Because of this, people are either really passionate about politics or they just don’t care at all.”

Professor Steven Mitton, of the history department, said he thinks the reason politics become a hot topic at USU may rest with the fact that USU has a predominant religion that many students draw their background from.

“Politics becomes particularly volatile at USU when people base their knowledge on faith,” Mitton said. “People claim that faith leads to knowledge. Faith is not knowledge, and the convolution of the two is a problem in American society. The more devout the people are, the more volatile the discussion of politics becomes.”

Dew said he also thinks religion plays a part in the frustration of politics, at least for him personally.

“Something that really frustrates me is when people claim to be good members of a church but then will blatantly take positions on political topics that oppose their church’s standpoint on the topic,” Dew said.

Mitton said although religious people often become more upset about political issues, at least they are consistent in their ideas and thoughts.

“People who think they are right are going to stick to their guns, but at least they are consistent in their beliefs, and consistency is admirable,” he said.

When arguments become heated, people usually have the opportunity to walk away from the situation. But what happens when it isn’t so easy to walk away, perhaps in a classroom, where the teacher routinely preaches his or her own political viewpoints in the lecture?

Amanda Dew, senior in math and statistics education, said nothing frustrates her more than when teachers she considers to be liberal try to teach their ideas as the only and correct ideas.

“I am about as Republican as they come and so it frustrates me when teachers teach their liberal viewpoints as if their view is the only one out there,” Dew said. “It is really frustrating. For example, when a teacher preaches to me that women have to go out and get a job instead of staying home with their children, when I don’t believe in that.”

Mitton said it is not the job of teachers to preach their own beliefs to their students. He said he tries to keep his beliefs and views shrouded enough during his teaching that by the end of the semester his students can’t tell him whether he is a Republican or a Democrat. He said he believes that is the way it should be.

“If you go to a church, you have elected to be preached to,” Mitton said. “You go because you want to be preached to. When you go to a class, you are not going to be preached to and when you walk into my classroom. You didn’t come to have me talk you out of your religion and so I will just teach, not preach to you.”

Even though some professors like Mitton try to keep preaching out of their classrooms, some students believe the battle over politics will continue on here at USU.

“Everyone wants their own way when it comes to politics and so it will just keep going,” Jamie Stengel, senior majoring in history, said.

-debrajoy.h@aggiemail.usu.edu