This week’s Rose Cafe guest speaker was Professor Enns, who teaches in Cornell’s government department. I really liked the set-up of this event in Professor Blalock’s office because it was much more conducive to holding conversations. This evening’s discussion was fueled primarily by our questions, comments, and observations on the current political happenings. Some of the topics discussed were the checks and balances of the government, the two-party system, and political polarization.

Often after leaving such political discussions, I find my head spinning with new ideas and perspectives that I had never considered before. I left the event questioning myself on some of my own beliefs. For example, Professor Enns spoke about political bias versus principle. He was against the confirmation of Betsy De Vos as Education Secretary and upset that the Republicans strategically decided to delay the confirmation of Jeff Sessions as the Attorney General so that he could partake in the voting. Yet, he was unsure if he was against this solely on principle or just because he didn’t approve of De Vos. Likewise, I found myself questioning how I was so against all of Donald Trump’s executive orders and thought he was totally overstepping his power. Yet, I applauded when Barack Obama bypassed Congress to pass his own executive orders. It’s really difficult to separate bias from principal, but is something that is really important to be cognizant of.

The other main topic was the intense polarization on both sides of the parties and how the media is in the thick of it all. It’s so difficult to have a conversation with someone on the opposing side when the very ideas of ‘truth’ and ‘fact’  seem to no longer exist objectively and independent of the human mind. A phrase I had read recently in an article, “fight fear with facts,” really resonated with me. As a populist candidate, Trump was able to gather supporters who voted for him out of legitimate fears over their safety, job security, etc. I think the best and really only way to cure this intense political divide is to have open conversations with people of differing political opinions. As Professor Enns advised, we should not come across as attacking the other person,  but rather be understanding and sympathetic. I know that many people have great respect for the truth and I do believe that educating others is the only solution to fight fear on both sides.