It is not surprising students here at UConn have differing opinions and, at times, some people with differing opinions believe their opinion is the only right one. This mindset works toward the disadvantage of the university community because without diverse opinions and beliefs, we would all be narrow-minded and never question what we were told.
The inspiration of this column was sparked two weeks ago when myself, along with others in the cast of "The Vagina Monologues," were putting up posters to advertise the shows. To my dismay, I witnessed many people taking down these posters in areas that were permitted for advertising various school events. One time, I confronted a girl and asked why she was taking down a poster and she claimed she was writing for a newspaper. This excuse was difficult for me to believe because anyone would be able to retrieve the same information on the poster if they were to go online and search for about two minutes.
It is also difficult to believe that every person who took down a "Vagina Monologues" poster was taking it down for its informational purposes rather than trying to stop people from going to the event. I respect people's opinions, even if it is something I may not agree with, because they have the right to share it. For instance, when Ann Coulter came to UConn, I did not protest, rip down advertisements for her event or tell people not to attend. Some may say that without such protests, her opinions will be accepted by others. But if her beliefs are something someone deeply agrees with, I have no problem with them attending her event as long as it does not put anyone in grave danger. The reason I did not attend the Coulter event was because I had watched her television interviews and already knew what she was going to say.
This is not to say that protesting is wrong, but tearing down advertisements for events that are controversial should not be condoned or practiced. I actually have more respect for people who protest, rather than rip down the property of others, in an attempt to limit the amount of attendees. This act is unfortunately saying that some people here at UConn are completely intolerant of others' beliefs and will not tolerate any other opinions other than their own. When it comes down to it, the only people really being affected by these acts are the people committing them because they are contributing to their own narrow-mindedness and ignorance. Being open-minded does not mean you have to be very liberal or very conservative. It means that you have considered every option and then formed your own informed opinions.
Although some of my peers here at UConn may believe they are geniuses and have seen everything, they have not. Thus, our time here at this public institution should be spent on learning all facets of arts and culture rather than disregarding it. My own perspective has changed immensely because of the various debates and events I have attended, both liberal and conservative. People who go to just one or the other are just hearing one side of the story and then basing their opinion on that side, rather than hearing both and experiencing them for themselves. If there is any time in our lives to become open-minded and experience things we may not agree with, it is now before we graduate, and before we are less likely to attend such events.
On the other hand, there will always be some people who will not hear other opinions that are not consistent with theirs, which is something that sometimes cannot be helped. In this case, these people should, at the very least, respect other people's freedom of speech, as long as it does not spark chaos. Obviously, if some people are inappropriately trying to stop others from attending an event, they do not respect the people putting on the show and the people who want to attend it. Just like I respect people's thoughts that I do not like or agree with, I expect people who have divergent thoughts to respect my right to express myself because what I am doing has absolutely nothing to do with them.
Although there may be a minority of people who deviously try to disrupt the amount of attendees at events here at UConn, there are enough to affect the diversity within the university environment. Treat people the way you would like to be treated. I am sure those people who ripped down those posters would not appreciate it if they spent hours putting up posters for their own event to later discover others with alternating views ripped them down. It is imperative for people to grasp this message of tolerance, regardless if they whole-heartedly disagree with what they are tolerating. If one day these disrespectful individuals learn how to live in a diverse environment and accept others' rights to participate in it, it would be for the benefit of every student here at UConn.
Staff Columnist Heather Needelman is a 6th-semester human rights and political science double-major.
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