Proposals to form Young Libertarians and, until earlier this week, a chapter of Turning Point U.S.A. at Choate, may be signalling a shift in Choate’s political climate. Graphic by Sesame Gaetsaloe/The Choate News
The contention surrounding political discourse spans the nation and often permeates Choate’s campus. With the possible introduction of new clubs such as Young Libertarians and, until earlier this week, Turning Point U.S.A., Choate may be experiencing the start of a shift in political climate.
Earlier this week, the Turning Point U.S.A. club leaders decided to discontinue the club proposal process due to criticism from some students and faculty. The initial formation of the club nevertheless reflects the desire of some students to express less-represented political standpoints.
Conor Brown ’22, co-founder of Choate Young Libertarians, explained the libertarian political position as “one [that] is socially liberal but fiscally conservative, providing maximum liberty in both the social and economic fields.” Libertarian policies support social policies such as gay marriage, legalization of marijuana, and a woman’s right to choose, and they are also in firm affirmation of second amendment rights and lower taxation. “[Libertarianism] is all about minimizing government intervention in the economy and private sphere,” Brown explained.
Brown, along with his libertarian peers, feels that the polarization in politics has gotten too severe and that the two major parties are no longer able to accurately represent the beliefs of the masses. Libertarians, according to Brown, provide an alternative to the Democratic and Republican parties by seeking to maximize personal freedoms.
Spencer Villani ’21, one of the students who proposed the Choate chapter of Turning Point U.S.A., explained that the motivation for proposing the club was “to close the political divide on campus.” He said, “We wanted to create a new name where students would not be so quick to judge political ideology without identifying with a specific political party.”
Affiliated with the non-profit organization of the same name, Turning Point U.S.A. supports fiscally conservative policies as well as socially conservative policies, despite no explicitly stated partnership with the Republican Party. The organization, however, has had controversies such as affiliation with racist, sexist, and homophobic sentiment.
Villani said that the focus of the group at Choate would have been to discuss economics. “Yes, it comes near conservative beliefs, but it is not a neo-nazi or white supremacist group. The focus of Turning Point U.S.A. debates and values is [to discuss] capitalism and economic freedoms,” he explained.
The emergence of these club proposals has not gone unnoticed by the student body and faculty, who were quick to express both interest and disbelief. Nate White ’20, president of Young Democrats, conveyed his disapproval of the historic policies of the libertarian party and the non-profit Turning Point U.S.A., but supported students’ right to express their ideas and opinions.
“I’m curious to see how the perspectives of the Young Libertarians play into the current political dynamic on campus,” White said. He also voiced his concerns on the nature of Turning Point U.S.A: “I think there are better and less controversial conservative groups than Turning Point, but if that’s how students on campus wanted to express their political opinion, that’s their choice.”
White was not alone in his apprehension of the founding principles of Turning Point U.S.A. Eliza Marovitz ’21 similarly did not understand the need for the club, saying, “Turning Point U.S.A. was an issue for me because of their affiliation with its nonprofit counterpart, which is an undeniably problematic organization that is racist, homophobic, sexist, anti-semetic, and overall has very hateful ideas.”
As an alternative, Marovitz suggested Economics Club as a safe space to discuss issues surrounding capitalism and economic freedoms. “I was confused as to where the relevance of Turning Point U.S.A. came from. I also struggled with the idea of talking about fiscal policies without recognizing the social impacts of those policies,” she said.
Young Libertarians, on the other hand, has generally been met with support from the community. Marovitz commented that Young Libertarians posed less of an issue to her because of their standing as a bonafide political party whose beliefs do not fit into any existing club on campus.
The sudden desire for more political affinity groups on campus begs the questions: Is there a shifting political climate at Choate? Also, is there a need for more political diversity on campus? “There is a political shift happening, but it is not a universal one,” Brown explained. Rather, he believed that the issue of political diversity is a gendered one where men more frequently lean to the right.
Villani echoed Brown’s sentiments on a shifting political climate: “With the emergence of new political club proposals on campus, it shows that students are interested in learning about other viewpoints.”
According to Brown, “All too often, students are shunned for expressing conservative viewpoints or not being ‘politically correct’ or ‘with the times.’” Brown, Marovitz, White, and Villani, while rooted in different political beliefs, all believe that people must be willing to enter political conversations without preconceived notions and reconcile with political views that differ from their own.
Choate is a place of great political, racial, and intellectual diversity. By acknowledging the diversity of political viewpoints on campus, these political activists hope to find common ground, have productive discussions, and begin to bridge the partisan divide on campus and beyond.
