Being a Conservative
at Harvard
By
Luisa Lara
What does it mean to be a conservative at Harvard? When I first
came to school in the fall of 2003, I realized that this term
had many meanings. I found self-proclaimed conservatives who
identified themselves as such for one or many of the following
reasons: they are for free-trade, for the war in Iraq, against
the redistribution of wealth, pro-life, or against gay civil
unions or gay marriage. I met conservatives who are against
Bush because he was too liberal for their sensibilities. Likewise,
I met conservatives who were against Bush because he was too
conservative for their sensibilities. I am a conservative who
votes pro-life. I am for Bush, against gay marriage and civil
unions, I support the war, and I disagree with the redistribution
of wealth. I am for traditional forms, authority, femininity,
and courtship. I came to Harvard holding these positions and
feared fierce opposition. I looked forward to dinner conversations
that challenged the way I thought and helped me to grow deeper
in my understanding of the world and myself. I met a wonderful
group of people who were essential in my development freshman
year. They provided all the answers I needed as I faced questions
I could not immediately answer in conversation. They encouraged
me, gave me confidence, and increased my understanding of God,
virtue, and truth. Throughout all of the tribulations and painful
growing experiences of that first year transition, I had a group
of friends whom I trusted and cared for. (I am dating one of
them!)
With each conversation, these friends helped me to realize the truth of
the values I held as a conservative and I became increasingly
disappointed with the weakness of the liberal arguments. I can
give you countless instances in which the first principles of
other people’s beliefs consisted of ridiculous and faulty syllogisms.
Toward the end of a discussion about the dignity of life, a
friend of mine admitted verbatim, “I have no problem killing,
nor do I care that I’m a weak, materialistic, and selfish person.
I would euthanize my mother.” In an argument about abortion,
a friend of mine claimed that “a fetus is not alive because
we don’t have funerals for them.” Another acquaintance suggested
that teaching teenagers responsibility lay in the ready distribution
of birth control to high school students. And then there is
that pervading sector of Harvard students in denial of the idea
that one could actually want to die for his country. I have
heard students ignorantly say that soldiers at war must hate
Bush because no one could possibly want to sacrifice anything
for their homeland. I’ve heard them make elitist, self-centered
claims that place the responsibility to defend the country on
their intellectual inferiors while they, Harvard students, sit
on their laurels and write books. The list is unending—cheap,
one-liners whose inconsideration and gaping logical fallacies
can be exposed in a five-minute conversation or whose true logical
extensions are atrocious beyond human imagination.
What makes me most disappointed is
the blatant rejection of reason and tradition. Many times I
have found that a logical discussion is impossible—people are
offended by ideas that contradict their own. My freshman roommates
and I could never have a discussion about the things we disagreed
upon. They rejected my ideas and allowed there only to remain
a superficial relationship between us, one in which they could
comfortably separate themselves from me. Students at Harvard
are distrustful of the past because they don’t understand it.
Revisionist history finds a very comfortable place at a university
where people actually think that we were liberated, rather than
enslaved, by the sexual revolution.
They are uneasy when discussing something outside their
box; they are distrustful of the past. They dislike forms, institutions,
and absolutism. Dating suffers as a result of blurred traditions.
Formalities are rejected and women and men have a difficult
time identifying whether or not they are in a relationship.
The pity in all of this is that the past is our ally and tradition
our friend. What makes us wiser than 2000 years, or more, of
Tradition? We can only know what is truly good if we understand
the wise decisions and unwise mistakes of those who went before
us. I have been very lucky to have been raised in a family where
that which is good and true is readily apparent to me and that
I can identify which friends and behaviors would hurt me in
the long run.
Being a conservative, however, has provided me with many more occasions
for growth and I am more mature woman as a result of the challenges
I have faced. As a conservative in a liberal atmosphere, I have
been able to develop my ideas much better than if I were in
the majority. With each discussion in which I am outnumbered
(which is most of the time!) I am forced to scrutinize and deepen
my convictions. Having a discussion in which you are the only
person defending the war or deriding progressive taxation forces
you to ask yourself many more questions than had you been one
of the eight in the discussion on the opposite side. I am forced
to be courageous because that is what defending an unpopular
position demands. It’s training in diplomacy because dealing
with emotionally charged men and women can only be handled effectively
with intense sensibility and charity. I have to be understanding,
as judgment of the people around me can become overwhelming
and extremely limiting. It teaches humility when I find myself
at a loss in a discussion against a large group of people. I’m
forced to accept my weakness in defending the issue and I’m
challenged to improve so that in the next discussion, I will
be better able to defend myself.
Many of these qualities, despite being infinitely important are products
of uncomfortable and hurtful experiences. Around this time last
year, there was a Harvard Right to Life flag display outside
the Science Center. Each flag represented 400 babies whose lives
are taken each day by abortion. Students for Choice had posted
“fact sheets” around the display. I stopped to read the sheet
and a middle aged man paused next to me. He asked me if I was
part of the group responsible for the display. I said yes. Then,
he started belligerently questioning me about the nature of
the display and the contents of the sign posted. He was angry
with the display and with me and was talking so as to attract
the attention of those walking by. I was completely tongue-tied!
I couldn’t answer any of his questions; I could barely say anything,
only repeat short aphorisms I had heard recently. Slowly, a
group gathered around him, attacking the display and feeling
better about themselves with each question I could not answer.
I wanted to cry! I wanted to turn around and crumple into my
mother’s arms and shed tears until I ran out of them. But I
couldn’t, I had to hold myself together. Then, a friend of mine
emerged from the Science Center. He saw me in anguish and joined
me. We stood there momentarily, and as it became clear that
attention had moved from us to the display, he walked me back
to my dorm. I cried all the way back and into the afternoon.
It was very difficult but I became stronger as a result. The
most painful thing that could happen had happened; I realized
I had one less thing to fear. As a stronger and wiser woman,
I looked forward to the next opportunity I might have to defend
my views.
Moreover, being a conservative female at Harvard finds many benefits in
the dating scene. The conservative dating experience emulates
tradition and instills respect among those participating. In
contrast to non-traditional dating, traditional dating relies
on mutual elevation. Each attempts to rise beyond the baseness
of his or her nature when he or she accepts the forms of courtship,
chivalry, and femininity. Conservative women understand that
they are the fairer sex and do not want to be treated equally—they
want to be preferred. They want to be shown deference at doorways,
courtesy in the street, on the subway, and in the rain. Conservative
ladies are modest and appreciate and celebrate the art of femininity.
As a result, the men who pursue them are those who admire femininity.
They rush to open the door, walk on the side closest to the
road, give up their seats for women in the train, and hold the
umbrella in the rain. They deliver flowers, invite ladies to
the symphony, exquisite dinners, chamber music concerts, and
give tasteful gifts (like the first edition of Emily Post’s
Etiquette). They show their appreciation for women distinctly.
Good, traditional men care more about the person and their spiritual
development with her and strive to override other temptations
that might interfere with that. Consequently, they have cultivated
conversations skills and the dating scene is much more fulfilling.
I love Harvard very much. Despite all
the challenges I have faced since I first came, I love the person
I have grown into. I have meaningful friendships and I get along
well with even my most dissident friends. I have a place in
the activities in which I participate, a place where people
know me well and appreciate my company and ideas. I know who
I am and what I stand for. Most importantly, I know I have plenty
of people who stand behind me and support my positions. I feel
at home at Harvard even if my ideas are rejected. As the election
approaches, I have begun to see more Bush Cheney posters going
up in dorm windows. I know that when I stand for the things
I do, I reach out to those who agree with me and don’t have
the courage to speak. I know there are people at Harvard who
share my values and fear ridicule and opprobrium and I don’t
want them to think they are alone—that they are in fact the
majority. I want them to know that they don’t need heed the
booming voices of feminist lib or counter culture adages. We
are right in what we stand for: Go President Bush! Win in 2004.
