Progressive Yale students jealous of conservative peers

Publius writes:

We exist in a very progressive space. In a survey of our peers, the Yale Daily News found in October that 82 percent of respondents intended to vote for the Harris-Walz ticket. The divide is larger among the faculty: 98.4 percent of professors’ political contributions went to Democratic-affiliated entities in 2023. 

Wonder what the stats would be in NZ?

Meanwhile, conservatives are confined to a glum minority. We hear often about how they have it tough, facing ostracization, mockery, and pressure to conform. There may be some truth to this, but we don’t pity our conservative peers. 

In fact, we envy them. 

While liberal students are cushioned by a sense of majority, conservatives must grapple constantly with difficult questions. They are forced to interrogate their own beliefs in ways their liberal peers need not. It’s challenging, but it cultivates resilience, critical reflection, and the capacity to find community amid disagreement.

At Yale, conservatives are forced to square their opinions with the progressive supermajority. They emerge from college better versed in left-wing ideas than when they entered

This is an interesting take – that being a small minority politically on campus, actually strengthens your ability to reason.

In Yale classrooms, sweeping statements like “healthcare is a human right” are unlikely to provoke debate. Liberal students can get away with the minimal nuance that accompanies these slogans because their arguments fall within our school’s political orthodoxy. Our conservative peers are not afforded the same argumentative safety net. In anticipation of left-wing pushback, they must frame their contentions precisely and gracefully. This pressure to defend unpopular ideas is a catalyst for intellectual growth.

I suspect this is true in NZ also. If a student said that the Treaty is partnership that requires the university to be Treaty-led, there would be almost no pushback. But if a student argued the Treaty only imposes obligations on the Crown, they would have to defend their position vigorously (or sadly be cancelled and smeared as a racist).