As the race for the Republican presidential nomination begins in earnest, Sarah Palin will receive even more publicity than she normally does. Liberal intellectuals will continue to dismiss her as an ignorant country bumpkin. This anti-Palin rhetoric will be just as intense at Brown, where Palin certainly is not a popular figure. Her nomination would be a disaster for many Brown students.
It is therefore ironic that Sarah Palin was in fact created at Brown. More precisely, her anti-elitist and anti-intellectual rhetoric appeals to so many Americans because elite liberal colleges, including Brown, play right into her hands. By deifying extreme social liberalism and neglecting duty to and love of country, Brown provides an easy target for Palin's brand of conservative populism.
The debate about the Reserve Officers' Training Corps serves as a perfect example of how the Brown community needlessly alienates conservative Americans. Even after the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the Brown community continues to search for reasons to ban the military from campus. These rationales for banning the military continue to move further left along the spectrum of social liberalism.
Brown students do not deserve criticism for their extreme social liberalism. Standing up for the rights of neglected groups is admirable. What is not admirable is Brown's refusal to engage with other Americans who do not share Brown's liberal ideology.
In terms of cultural beliefs, our military will never be the socially liberal institution that Brown is. By eliminating any military presence from campus, Brown students show that issues of national security and duty to country are of relatively little importance when compared to Brown's extreme form of social liberalism.
Neglecting to support the military fuels Sarah Palin's anti-elitist and anti-intellectual populism. A common theme of Palin's rhetoric is that some Americans are ashamed of their country. These Americans pursue a narrow agenda of grievance politics and overlook the strengths of our country and the sacrifices of our armed forces.
This description fits Brown perfectly when applied to the ROTC debate. ROTC critics refuse to consider the strengths of our military and only dwell on its social conservatism. In their quest to spread their liberal worldview, they refuse to make any concessions to the military and instead demonize our armed forces. For these critics, steadfastness in relation to narrow social concerns gives the impression of an anti-military, anti-American worldview.
Palin also argues that many elite liberals and intellectuals are ungrateful for the real sacrifices that previous generations of Americans have made to guarantee our freedom. Again, this critique perfectly applies to Brown's ROTC debate. In the rush to identify discrimination in the armed forces, ROTC critics conveniently overlook the fact that the U.S. Army is the force most responsible for guaranteeing all of the freedoms we hold so dear.
Brown students enjoy unprecedented academic, sexual and personal freedom. Historically, this freedom did not instantly appear at the request of socially liberal reformers. It developed through the combined work of politicians, private citizens and our armed forces. Even today, we only enjoy our freedom because brave young men and women are willing to risk their lives for it. Demonizing the army and banning ROTC shows how ungrateful the Brown community is for the very forces that protect this freedom. This ungratefulness stems from our inability to engage with those who do not share our socially liberal worldview.
I would never vote for Sarah Palin. But I believe that her anti-intellectual populism carries an unfortunate amount of truth, especially when applied to Brown. Elite liberal institutions often are out of touch with the beliefs of the majority of Americans. Instead of offering general support to our country, they prioritize narrow social agendas and dismiss all of those who do not share their form of social liberalism. Similarly, elite intellectuals neglect to show proper gratitude and support to the armed forces who fight and die for their academic freedom. In the debate over ROTC, Brown has shown all of these regrettable qualities of elite liberal opinion.
I doubt that any Brown students will alter their positions to appease Sarah Palin. But they should be aware that their arrogant and dismissive form of liberalism only makes Palin more popular. By disrespecting our armed forces and refusing to engage with those who do not share their social values, these critics have set themselves apart from all but the most socially liberal Americans. In doing so, they have improved the electoral prospects of Sarah Palin and every other conservative populist.
Oliver Rosenbloom '13 is a history concentrator from Mill Valley, Calif. He can be reached at oliver_rosenbloom@brown.edu.
