As many readers will know, right-wing Republican Senator John McCain was heckled during his commencement speech (shilling for the criminal and immoral invasion of Iraq) at the New School in New York. This produced, from the Senator and various right-wing commentators, the predictable nonsense scolding college students for being "unwilling to listen to different opinions" and the like. Here's a nice rejoinder from one of the student speakers at the New School graduation:
I feel obligated to respond to one thing that McCain told the New York Times. "I feel sorry for people living in a dull world where they can't listen to the views of others," he said. This is just preposterous. Yes, McCain was undoubtedly shouted-out and heckled by people who were not politely absorbing his words so as to consider them fully from every angle. But what did he expect? We could've all printed out his speech and chanted it with him in chorus. Did he think that no one knew exactly what he was about to say? And it was precisely because we listen to the views of others, and because, as I said in my speech, we don't fear them, that we as a school were able to mount such a thorough and intelligent opposition to his presence. Ignorant, closed-minded people would not have been able to do what we did. We chose to be in New York for our years of higher education for the very reason that we would be challenged to listen to opposing viewpoints each and every day and to deal with that challenge in a nonviolent manner. We've gotten very good at listening to the views of others and learning how to also make our views heard, even when we don't have the power of national political office and the media on our side.
There really isn't an obligation to listen politely to recycled claptrap and lies that pollute our public culture 24/7 and that we have all heard before. Among the skills the educated ought to acquire are the skills that enable them to discriminate on the merits of what is being said. If an educational institution invites a dishonest apologist for war crimes to speak, it should not expect educated young people to nod their heads approvingly.
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