<p>Well put...</p>
<p>What a great post. Props to Prosby, who will be a great addition to whatever campus community is lucky to have him.</p>
<p>Well said, prospy. I agree 100%.</p>
<p>Exactly how "tolerant" is Vassar? Would an unrepetant racist, a radical-right winger, a facist, or a neo-Nazi be "tolerated?" Or is "tolerant" just another word for "within a certain range of left-wing?</p>
<p>Well Im sure its a good thing that Vassar, or really any place for that matter, is welcoming and embracins neo-nazis....but i doubt they would be chased out, provided theyre not staging demonstrations every other day.</p>
<p>Vassar is not tolerant of people who play sports, in my opinion- mind you I did not get in.</p>
<p>Now you have to be kidding with that last one. I doubt theyre purposely trying to make sure the incoming class has no athletes...</p>
<p>Ryan, neo-Nazis, racists, etc. clash with the fundamental values of Vassar (and almost every other college or university in America), so, yes, they would not be tolerated--or admitted.</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who liked my last post...</p>
<p>To RejectedRyan:
Vassar, from what I know (which, not to brag, is a lot considering it was my first choice and where I will be attending next fall), it is extremely tolerant AND accepting of all types of people. While the vast majority of the student and faculty population leans to the left, the student body is not intolerant of right-wingers or deeply religious people. However, I think the idea of tolerance and acceptance is all relative. I am possibly one of the most tolerant and accepting people you will ever meet. However, tolerance can only go so far. Is it really possible to be tolerant of those who are outwardly intolerant? Yes. While I do not condone the Ku Klux Klan or Neo-Nazi party, I am glad that people who are intolerant have the rights to be intolerant. Will I, or any other socially tolerant or accepting person, ever be able to "accept" a Neo-Nazi or Ku Klux Klan member? I am ideologically an atheist, but my father is a Jew, and I have a Jewish last name; can I possibly say that I'd feel comfortable or be able to "accept" a skinhead or anyone who does not tolerate, but even threatens people of Jewish descent? I'd like to meet someone who could.</p>
<p>As a liberal, I have very right-wing friends. I am accepting of people who disagree with me on every level. The only thing that might change between my interactions with others is levels of respect. Someone who is blindly conservative (or blindly liberal, for that matter) - those types who have opinions and are obviously uninformed, whether liberal or conservative, I have trouble respecting. Can I still accept them as people? Of course, but I guess you could say I'm intolerant of ignorance. Ironic eh?</p>
<p>To wildcatdude:
I'm assuming your remark about sports was a joke. If not, to say Vassar is intolerant of people who are good at sports (simply because you are and weren't admitted) is to say Harvard is intolerant of those who score 1600s. Otherwise, nice joke :P</p>
<p>Yes prospy-- as an alum, I am pleased to say that Vassar should be proud to have such an erudite rising freshman. Also, I have to believe that wildcatdude was teasing-- VC's sports have come a long way sine my days, when VC played flag football against Sarah Lawrence in the "pansy bowl". (Note: this was not a Politically correct name-- but meant no offense to anyone intentionally-- it was supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek takeoff on the Rose Bowl-- please folks-- no flames!!)</p>
<p>Well, i have to say that i really think that rejectedryan made a good point. I really don't think RejectedRyan was implying that Vassar should embrace Neo-Nazi's, I just think it was brought up for a topic of discussion. I've heard that Vassar students (along with many liberal people i know) are open to new ideas as long as they are left-wing. </p>
<p>From what i have heard, many people's single complaint about vassar is the abundance of blindly liberal students who are tolerant, except when it comes to people who disagree with them. This is probably my biggest fear as a new student- the lack of political diversity. </p>
<p>I agree with prospy- I have some very politically conservative friends, and I respect their opinions more than I respect the opinions of some of my blindly liberal friends. I also agree with you on the 'intolerance of ignorance'. haha. But simply because the two of us believe these things does not mean that we can dismiss the existance of this political closedmindedness on the Vassar campus.</p>
<p>lovegreens:
I'm not sure about the closemindedness of Vassar students with anything to the right of the left (if that makes any sense) because I don't go there yet. I guess you don't either, though. I guess you could say we're both equally ignorant (heh).</p>
<p>I guess it's impossible to generalize a diverse student body. Some (like myself, and most likely, you, lovegreens) might be more open to different opinions than others. And it also depends how you distinguish left- and right-wing. In other words, I think people are more accepting of certain political views than others. For instance, it might be more difficult for a pro-life creationist than one who believes in Reaganomics and little government involvement. And while Vassar is considered one of the most liberal campuses in the nation, I doubt that everyone falls in the far-left. A person who considers him/herself "liberal" from Manhattan or Boston might have completely different views than one from rural Utah. The degree of liberalism is often measured by our surrounding environments. Since Vassar has students from all over the country (and from different parts of the globe), the degrees of liberalism may vary. Plus, people sometimes categorize themselves based on a few issues that are particularly important to them (e.g. some liberals don't care about gay rights and some conservatives don't care about abortion).</p>
<p>Again, I realize I'm never succint. I apologize ahead of time...</p>
<p>Well, everything I said was hearsay.
Yea, there are probably varying degrees of liberalism at Vassar.
I don't think you have to accept someone's point of view in order to be tolerant of it. I have a really good friend from Texas who is a pro-life creationist, and she is one of the most accepting people I know. We are friends and everything- and we don't even set aside our political views. We talk about them. You can learn so much from people you disagree with. </p>
<p>People hold political beliefs because they feel that their beliefs are best for the nation and themselves. I find that I get some perspective if I take the time to realize that almost everyone is simply trying to make their life, or the world, better- they're not out to destroy our country and squelch the rights of others. No one is right, no one is wrong. If one answer was obviously right, there would be no debate. I dont think it should be the idea of a person to tolerate slight conservatism or slight liberalism and not the extreme of each of those. It's not about agreement or believing in the same things. </p>
<p>ahh Im rambling. A lot of the things I said were a little idealistic and poorly thought out. I dont even know if I made the point I intended to make. I guess well see!</p>
<p>lovegreens, I couldn't agree more. Happy new year!</p>
<p>RejectedRyan: When ultraconservatives (neo-nazis, rascists, etc) indignantly ask "Do you tolerate us?" of "liberal" colleges and universities, they see "tolerance" as applying to themselves but not to the minorities they are intolerant of. You cannot logically demand tolerance apply to you while rejecting the idea of "tolerance" altogether.</p>
<p>As a side note, I'm sure that many of the otherwise tolerant institutions would not tolerate intolerance, since intolerace at their schools would harm the tolerance that helps define them.</p>
<p>fire-
I had to read your post a few times to be sure I followed your point. I have a very basic question- do the ultraconservatives really "care" if others tolerate them? For that matter, militant groups at either end of the spectrum-- who are intolerant of others who do not espouse their beliefs, seem to come across like a mack truck- and don't seem to be too concerned about whether they are "tolerated"' by others or not.... Just a thought..
As for the tone at VC, when I was there for a reunion in the 80's, I was surprised to see the # of posters about the conservative groups/meetings, young repuplicans, and about a student more "right wing" publication, the name of which I do not recall. A sign of the times, I suppose?? Not sure. My experience at VC was one where differing views were embraced and tolerated, but dangerous behavior was not.</p>
<p>jym, i think you ignored that i was responding to Ryan's question "Exactly how "tolerant" is Vassar?"</p>
<p>ultraconservatives probably don't care, but they occasionally act like they do, if they think they can make liberals look hypocritical. RejectedRyan portrayed an ultraconservative viewpoint that seemed to care about tolerance for this reason.</p>
<p>I agree that dangerous behavior wouldn't be allowed, but i doubt that the tolerant people would embrace the harshly intolerant people. Yes, a diversity of political opinions is tolerated, and liberals and conservatives may respect each other, but I doubt that a "tolerant" person, who treasures tolerance, would respect a neo-nazi rascist.</p>
<p>Fire-
I think you might have misunderstood my comments. My point was that, in my opinion, militants can at times be quite aggressive and oppressive in their efforts to get their ideas out there-- I don't think "tolerance", which has a more, shall we say... civilized connotation to it, is of major concern to them. My point is that regardless of whether the extremists are right or left wing, if their methods are outlandish, their behavior will not, and should not, be tolerated. The county where I currently reside has both urban and rural components, and some of the schools have an interesting mix of individuals. If the skinheads mind their own business, they will be tolerated. If they burn a cross on someone's lawn, they will not. I agree that Rejectedryan was probably just testing us. Unfortunately, in any institution, the possibility exists that racists or neo-nazis or religious extremists, or what have you are quietly among them. While I doubt a neo-nazi would select a LAC, you really don't know what thoughts lurk in the mind of the person sitting next to you. But having spent 4 yrs at VC, I do believe that diverse thinking, at all ends of the spectrum, would be "tolerated". That is what VC is all about. Liked? No. Desired? Probably not. Tolerated? Yes. But you also speak of their being embraced or respected. These are far different concepts than tolerance. I don't think extremism would or should be embraced, regardless of which end of the spectrum they represent, and I differences may be respected, but the method these differences are conveyed may not be. If you look at one of my earlier posts about how a "protest" and takeover of the presidents office was handled in the 70's, you might have a better idea of how VC handled civil disobedience.</p>
<p>Hey guys...I go to high school right around the corner from Vassar. From what I know from people who go there and friends of those there, its an extremely open, diverse community. Poughkeepsie well suits the atmosphere of the campus with many coffee bars and clubs. Juliets is the billiard room and its right next to campus. I've been there many times and many students at Vassar hang out there. I've met many different people who go there and can honestly say that I have not gotten an intolerant vibe off of any. On the contrary, isn't Vassar one of the most liberal schools in the nation? Anyway, yes the majority of students look "artsy" or however you put it, but yes there are jocks walking around. Its a beautiful place and one of the nicest places to be in Poughkeepsie. =) hope this helps...probly not lol</p>
<p>To support/"accept" every kind of lifestyle is deny the existence of truth.</p>