Hate Group or Hated Group?

University liberals and the truth have a tenuous relationship at best on many campuses. However, one liberal group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has gone so far as to call a conservative student group a “hate group” in order to remove the conservative voice from campus. The Student Coalition for Progress pushed a petition to label the school’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom a “hate group” whose efforts “create a hostile environment on campus.” Of course, that could not be further from the truth. Young Americans for Freedom is nothing more than a conservative student group that seeks to share an alternative viewpoint on a predominantly liberal campus. They do this by hosting conservative speakers and debates about political topics relevant to students.

However, the Student Coalition for Progress is determined to remove any opposition to their liberal agenda. Their petition featured a number of completely false accusations, like saying that the conservative group’s guest speakers make minorities feel unsafe and that YAF members oppress homosexual students. Other student groups quickly came to the defense of Young Americans for Freedom. UW College Republicans Chair Jake Lubenow said, “The petition does not make a single claim substantiated with evidence of any kind.” Lubenow was not the only student to spot the deception. Apparently other students were able to see through the lies as well because the petition topped out at just over 200 signatures, which is far short of what it would need for any official action to occur.

Although the turnout for the petition was laughable, this blatant disregard for the truth is no joke. This felonious petition shows that liberal campus groups are willing to completely disregard the truth if it allows them to gain an advantage over someone of a different viewpoint. That is what separates the liberal from the conservative. Conservatives believe that our ideas and principles are strong enough to stand up to scrutiny. We need not make slanderous claims in order to come out on top. The hallmark of a successful ideology is that it needs nothing more than the truth to be accepted and promoted.

Click here to listen to today's commentary: