Had Noah Riner opened his convocation speech with "I'm gay," this wouldn't be happening. That's not Noah, but if it were, no one would have resigned. No one would be organizing protests. Such a reaction, according to our rigid social standards, would be bigotry. If there were any Op-eds or outcries, they would be praising his ability to encourage individualism and progressivism in Dartmouth.
That is precisely what we should be doing now. We must certainly agree that Riner's religion augments his individuality. And, while some complain that it is not progressive, I disagree. It is progressive, just not novel.
Just like Christianity, freedom of speech is an old notion. But speaking from a platform of power without concern for offending anyone is not. So, in that way, Riner is not a bigot or opposed to new ideas. He is an innovator. He stood up against political correctness, and it is about time.
Riner simply made us think. Why are we so worried about offending people? He is not asking anyone to join him in church on Sunday. By that same argument, Paul Heintz cannot be criticized for the imagery in his anti-Christian comic. I commend Heintz too. But Riner is drawing a more furious reaction because of his Christian affiliation.
We look up to those who fight the big boys, especially in college. If you stand up against the majority, you're a hero. But, defend it, and you are a villain. The paradigm is understandable. As young intellectuals, we side with underdog causes to prove that we aren't merely following in the footsteps of the generation before us.
As Churchill stated, young people go against the grain to demonstrate their courage. That's apparently what we want from our president. In fact, had Riner asked for a moment of silence and prayer for our troops in Iraq, then the '09s would never have been painted as victims of his preaching. He would have been accepted because then his message would have been God for a sexy movement. It's sexy to be against Iraq. But speak out for a majority cause, then you are either bleating or spreading propaganda. Christianity is not as popular as anti-war movements, politically and socially.
The media barrages us with images of Christians as socially backward bigots, leading to mass stereotyping. But it is hard to argue that Riner is the one making assumptions about others and their religions.
We have a knee-jerk reaction to people like Riner because we are scared. Fear makes us use words like "appalling" and "abuse of power." We have a visceral, emotional reaction. But if we are going to consider ourselves part of an intellectual community, our reaction is downright hypocritical. Asking someone to suppress his or her ideas at one of the most forward-thinking institutions in the world is shameful.
Are they good ideas? Frankly, I don't know. I am not standing up for Riner because I am standing up for Jesus. That is not the point. I am standing up for integrity and intellectualism.
I will never persuade someone who is acting out of fear. Even if I spoke with more eloquence and intelligence that I can muster, I could never change them. Instead, I hope that this fearful reaction can be overcome by reason. Have a conversation. Ask Riner to listen.
Articulating is intellectualizing. That's the beauty of thinking, writing, and talking. We find out how wrong we sometimes are. If that is how we react, then we are intellectuals, revolutionaries and innovators. And then we are not a bunch of witch-hunting kids who are offended because someone said "Jesus."
We chose a leader who is willing to stand up and articulate his or her beliefs. We didn't default to someone who's doing this for a resume. That's a testament to how special we as a community. So let's take it one step further and allow Riner to say precisely what he thinks, without fear of political correctness. And then let's respond.
No one has been hurt or denied their rights. If anything, Riner has just created the chance for everyone to argue about a controversial topic. And Riner should be treated with the same intellectual regard he treated you, and argue back, with calm, with reason, but with passion.
So, despite the fact that I do not entirely agree with Riner, I commend him for having the courage to say something that he knew would create hysteria. He, if nothing else, has us all thinking about where we stand. That's impressive. And while we'd like to say that he's divided us by our religious beliefs, he's united us in something much more important. This is why we are here.
