Can a College Student Make a Difference?
I am blessed to have been asked to start contributing to PragerU, which is a fantastic source of conservative videos, and I just made my inaugural post. This post regarded a conversation I had with some friends of mine at Dartmouth, and I hope it can encourage you to do the same. While we are in college we don't have money or power to influence our peers, but we do have our passion. If we believe that our friends are willing to engage in a conversation, then we must not wait until we have the "resources" to make a difference, but instead engage in the battle for America's future today.
In my fraternity at Dartmouth some friends and I were having a discussion about the merits of a progressive income tax and eventually started debating the ideas of socialism vs. capitalism. When several of my friends started saying that the selfishness of capitalism and free markets is its main flaw, the Prager U video I had just seen the day before instantly came to mind. There were roughly 15 students, and I suggested that we all watch the "Welfare State and Selfish Society" video and then finish our discussion. My friends agreed, and I played the video for them.
Videos like this are very helpful when introducing people to new ideas. Most of my well-meaning liberal friends all derive their information about conservatism and free market capitalism from very left-wing sources and have a distorted view on what it actually means. After the video, many people said things like "They had never thought of it like that before" or "I appreciate the clarity and examples". Overall, I would say the reactions were very positive. I don't think it made anybody change their worldview on the spot, but I believe it encouraged question asking and truth seeking, which is a great starting point. The truth, after all, is on our side.
Dartmouth is certainly not a bastion for conservative thought, but over my four years here I have seen the evolution of a campus captivated by hope and change to a place where more and more students are thinking critically about the implications of a national debt crisis, economic security, and personal responsibility. This shift is only possible through the tireless efforts of conservative champions like yourselves. I have the easy job of just leading the horses to water, you are already providing the plentiful spring of knowledge. The social and cultural battles will be long and rigorous, but not insurmountable. Freedom certainly is never more than a generation away from extinction as Reagan stated.
It is in the defense of the poor and middle class that we must fight for capitalism and return to a society that promotes charity, selflessness, and gratitude.
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Comments:
Apr '12
Re: Can a College Student Make a Difference?
Great story and well done at convincing people to give a video a go. At your age, to be starting to influence the thinking of those around you about bigger issues is impressive. Every grain of sand makes up a beach.
Apr '12
Re: Can a College Student Make a Difference?
Thanks for an interesting post. An excellent video, which makes a great argument.