2008 Woodie Awards
Humboldtpolitik
The diverse political climate of Humboldt State
Melody Stone
Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: Culture
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It was a political science advising session. A professor had just brought in pizza and people were milling about, talking and laughing. Patrick Sullivan talked about how he thought he was liberal, and then he moved here.
Sullivan is a junior at Humboldt State University, originally from a suburb of Los Angeles. He was known in high school for his radical liberalism. As the editor-in-chief of his high school newspaper, he was always writing "bleeding heart liberal" articles on everything from gay marriage to anti-war. He marched and protested.
He was drawn to Humboldt State for a number of reasons.
"The first time I came up here to check it out I stepped out of the car and fell in love with the trees," he said. The political atmosphere was just icing on the cake for Sullivan. He came from a politically moderate area with "constructive political dialogue."
After moving to Humboldt "I realized how the community I grew up in fostered political dialogue - there was enough descending opinion on either side of political ideologies," Sullivan said.
Sullivan described the political climate of Humboldt like an echo chamber. He feels people simply go back and forth agreeing with each other and "people with anything but the most liberal views are afraid to speak up."
"I see this bumper sticker that says, 'Challenge the dominate paradigm,'" Sullivan said, "I agree with that slogan, on a national level, but in Humboldt, ultra-liberal is the dominant paradigm. I believe we should challenge that, if only to foster a more diversified political dialogue."
Not everyone on campus sees a problem with the political dialogue.
Kathern Almaquer moved to Humboldt State as a transfer student this fall. She loves the environment and feels that "everyone is allowed to have his or her own opinions. They want to tell you their own view points, but they let you believe what you want to believe."
She came from a primarily conservative town in Santa Barbara County. She feels that Humboldt State has given her tools to build her political identity.
"I know what I believe in [politically]," Almaquer said. "With all the information around me I've been given more direction."
Heather Tucker has a different view of the political culture of Humboldt State.
"I think there's this huge facade that it's this hippie liberal oasis," she said while munching on her lunch and studying in the Depot.
The women's studies major said she sees the political culture and feels that even though people are educated and know about the issue, the action isn't there. Tucker moved to Humboldt from San Diego to get away from the city life.
"A lot of people understand organic growing, issues in other countries, capitalism - but people don't understand how much inequality persists in both the university and the community," Tucker said.
She cites the rape case from April 2006, the name-calling and stereotypes by both the administration and students, and history classes omitting Native American studies. She looks at all the causes people are fighting for and when all she sees is white people she says it kills the romanticism. She said, "[Humboldt State] is still pretty backwards when it comes to social justice."
Melody Stone can be reached at forevermelody@gmail.com
Sullivan is a junior at Humboldt State University, originally from a suburb of Los Angeles. He was known in high school for his radical liberalism. As the editor-in-chief of his high school newspaper, he was always writing "bleeding heart liberal" articles on everything from gay marriage to anti-war. He marched and protested.
He was drawn to Humboldt State for a number of reasons.
"The first time I came up here to check it out I stepped out of the car and fell in love with the trees," he said. The political atmosphere was just icing on the cake for Sullivan. He came from a politically moderate area with "constructive political dialogue."
After moving to Humboldt "I realized how the community I grew up in fostered political dialogue - there was enough descending opinion on either side of political ideologies," Sullivan said.
Sullivan described the political climate of Humboldt like an echo chamber. He feels people simply go back and forth agreeing with each other and "people with anything but the most liberal views are afraid to speak up."
"I see this bumper sticker that says, 'Challenge the dominate paradigm,'" Sullivan said, "I agree with that slogan, on a national level, but in Humboldt, ultra-liberal is the dominant paradigm. I believe we should challenge that, if only to foster a more diversified political dialogue."
Not everyone on campus sees a problem with the political dialogue.
Kathern Almaquer moved to Humboldt State as a transfer student this fall. She loves the environment and feels that "everyone is allowed to have his or her own opinions. They want to tell you their own view points, but they let you believe what you want to believe."
She came from a primarily conservative town in Santa Barbara County. She feels that Humboldt State has given her tools to build her political identity.
"I know what I believe in [politically]," Almaquer said. "With all the information around me I've been given more direction."
Heather Tucker has a different view of the political culture of Humboldt State.
"I think there's this huge facade that it's this hippie liberal oasis," she said while munching on her lunch and studying in the Depot.
The women's studies major said she sees the political culture and feels that even though people are educated and know about the issue, the action isn't there. Tucker moved to Humboldt from San Diego to get away from the city life.
"A lot of people understand organic growing, issues in other countries, capitalism - but people don't understand how much inequality persists in both the university and the community," Tucker said.
She cites the rape case from April 2006, the name-calling and stereotypes by both the administration and students, and history classes omitting Native American studies. She looks at all the causes people are fighting for and when all she sees is white people she says it kills the romanticism. She said, "[Humboldt State] is still pretty backwards when it comes to social justice."
Melody Stone can be reached at forevermelody@gmail.com
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