Hypocrisy rules in objections to Coney Barrett's U speech

Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes a mix of national and local commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

•••

When I was in college the Vietnam War was raging. I had just gotten out of the military and so, by definition, I was a hawk. I felt our government was doing the right thing because, after all, it was our government.

After a while I became aware that our government was wrong. I did not become what you might call a "peacenik." I just felt that this specific war was wrong.

I had changed.

While I was a student and for long afterward, I would become righteously indignant, even enraged, when the university, my university, would invite speakers to campus who were not liberal in their views. I thought it was virtuous to demonstrate against them. It was my feeling, wrongfully so, that being the liberal institution it was, the university should allow only liberal speakers to come in and present their ideas.

That is hypocrisy at its finest. By definition a liberal institution should be liberal in who it invites to speak, letting individuals with varying points of view share their philosophies. I did not then feel like this.

And now, this month, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is coming to town to speak at the University of Minnesota. In the past I would have been upset. I was upset when Coney Barrett was appointed because of her conservative views, further tilting the court to the right.

Now I am upset that people are demonstrating against her appearance. I have changed.

On Oct. 8 the Star Tribune reported that U public relations director Jake Ricker was supportive of bringing Coney Barrett to the school. "As a university, our commitment and our responsibility is to bring new ideas and different world views to campus," he said.

But the story went on to note that student groups have been organizing in protest. "Students for a Democratic Society told supporters to claim the free tickets. 'We were encouraging people to reserve tickets and not show up to try and make it so it's as empty of a room as possible,'" one member said.

"Another group, the Young Democratic Socialists of America at the University of Minnesota, posted an online petition asking the U to rescind Coney Barrett's invitation because 'Hate has no place at the University of Minnesota campus.'"

If one does not listen to what one's "enemies" are preaching, how does one fight against it?