Many Harvardians think of Harvard as a liberal institution. Our current president is an alumnus as well as two other Democratic presidents (Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy). Elena Kagan, a pro-choice Supreme Court Justice nominated by Barack Obama, received her J.D. from Harvard as well. Most undergrads who are affiliated with a political party are Democrats. At Harvard, being a Republican makes you a bit less cool than if you weren’t. (If you are an independent, you might be a closet Republican.)
However, since Occupy Harvard began last Wednesday (November 9, 2011), I began to question Harvard’s liberalness. The general consensus among Harvard students is that the occupation is absurd, purposeless, useless, annoying, and idiotic. My feeling is that the students don’t think the occupiers should be doing this and the former look down on the latter as bothersome troublemakers who are disturbing the peace at Harvard Yard (although the Yard is a lot quieter now without those bumbling tourists).
Again, I don’t agree with a lot of the occupiers’ views but I commend them for standing up for what they believe in a non-violent way (with the exception of the brief altercation with the police that occurred on November 9). They are fighting for social equality, decreasing the financial burdens on the lower and middle classes, regulation of financial markets, more active government programs to create jobs and provide welfare, and for the top 1% to pay their share of taxes. Unless I am severely mistaken, these are exactly what Democrats fight for. If Democrats have ANY values, they are reflected in the main requests made by the Occupy movements.
Honestly, I think Harvard students are more libertarian than completely liberal. This will probably become more apparent once they graduate and start working. The average Harvard student is very independent and has a Herculean work ethic. They know that they had to work very hard to get into an elite college. (Luck alone will not get you into Harvard, despite what naysayers may say.) Many will end up making six-figure salaries and be content with the financial freedom they will enjoy. (Again, this is post graduation; obviously, not now!)
Anyway, that’s what has been going through my mind lately. Feel free to disagree but I don’t think most Harvard students are that interested in the common American’s welfare. They don’t want to change the system; they want to win it.
