Diary of a Gen Z Student: Protestors shouting over Bernie Sanders wasted an opportunity

US Senator Bernie Sanders' refusal to call the horrific events in Gaza a genocide would do little, to earn the support of students. 

I have learnt a lot since coming to college. My degree is in literature, so a large portion of my learning takes place in small group tutorials where we’re asked to have discussions. While those discussions are often fruitful, there is also a real sense that the discussion must come to the ‘correct’ conclusion. 

I have definitely felt a real tendency to echo each other in these discussions. There is a correct thing to say, and in most cases, we will all say it. 

We are scared of the alternative, in some ways. There is rarely a devil’s advocate. And if anyone is brave enough to voice the alternative stance, they’re often cut off at the knees. The other students, and I include myself in this, will struggle to engage with ideas that are too far from the bounds of what is acceptable to say. Sometimes, what falls within the bounds of ‘acceptable’ is very narrow. 

I once made the mistake of saying that I could see some elements of comedy in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, which Shakespeare wrote as a comedy. But that was not the ‘correct’ response to a misogynistic text, I learned.

 I think we see ourselves as the most progressive, most inclusive cohort on the population. But our difficulty when we are faced with someone we disagree with only delineates how our good intentions do not always result in robust discourse.

Last week, Bernie Sanders came to Trinity College, where I am a student. He was to be interviewed by Fintan O’Toole about his life and career. His left-wing politics were, however, not enough for students to overlook the fact that Sanders failed to support calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. His visit was highly anticipated. 

A hearty welcome to Bernie Sanders who is in Trinity tonight for an event organised by the The Ireland.NewYork Project (I.NY) - Bernie Sanders: A Brooklyn Spirit! pic.twitter.com/qgoqDdCk3q

— Trinity College Dublin (@tcddublin) February 16, 2024

Murmurings about it were heard in practically every hallway in the college all week. I saw students posting on Instagram about it, voicing their disgust. I was not at all surprised by students’ contempt. People were not happy. And understandably so. His refusal to call the horrific events in Gaza a genocide would do little, to earn the support of students. 

So, as expected, there were protestors gathered in front Square of Trinity to make their feelings over Sanders’ visit known.

For the most part, the event ran smoothly. Protestors could be heard outside the building, but it wasn’t until the end that protestors became vocal inside. While it was disappointing to hear, to no one’s surprise, he described the events in Gaza as a ‘horror’, not a genocide. We already knew he would do that. 

Someone stood up and demanded Sanders provide an answer to why he has not called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. His insistence that he was doing all he could was again, not surprising. While the questions by protestors were totally valid, it was clear that there was real discomfort in the face of an opposing view. In all honesty, I was disappointed by protestors in the back of the hall shouting while he was responding to questions. I support a ceasefire in Gaza, so do the vast majority of people in Ireland. But shouting for a ceasefire during the brief interview with Sanders did very little to help the cause. 

It gave him an excuse not to answer the questions seriously. He told someone to "call up Mr. Netanyahu and say…I think you should have a ceasefire’." 

What was a rare opportunity for real discussion, where Sanders could have been really challenged on his views, was missed.

Instead, our trouble with listening to someone’s conflicting view was put on display. It was as though, people thought that allowing him to respond, meant they were surrendering their own views in some way. 

I see that happen inside the classroom so often; of course, it will translate out into how we deal with people we disagree with in the real world. Sanders’ visit demonstrated an issue that is campus wide in so many universities.

 But the reality is, any sort of meaningful conversation requires real engagement with clashing perspectives. Becoming more comfortable with uncomfortable conversations, is something that we could all benefit from some practice in. 

Democracy demands that discomfort. But that’s a muscle that we have become scared to exercise. I don’t know what the answer to all this is. 

But I know that shouting over someone who is expressing their view, will do little to remedy any problem. You can’t dismantle someone’s argument, before you’ve even heard it.