College Republicans become bit players in their own farce

Correction
In his Oct. 13 column "College Republicans become bit players in their own farce," Matt Compton stated that Richard Bean was manning the CR table when Bean's flag was burned. Though he did staff the table later, at the time of the event, Bean just happened to be passing through.

On Wednesday, Richard Bean, a College Republican staffing his organization's table in the Pit, watched a man go to jail.

Just after noon, the person in question, a homeless man named Kevin Sellers, walked quietly through the crowd, pulled a lighter from his pocket and set Bean's American flag on fire.

Sellers is charged with a felony, and should he be found guilty, he will forfeit his right to vote.

For four years, I've seen College Republicans wrap themselves in that flag and parade from one end of campus to the other, brandishing its symbolism as a shield against all the criticism heaped upon them.

Each year, I've watched as College Republicans act as if that flag belongs to them and no one else.

But a week ago, I finally saw one man stand up and announce to all those who could hear that he had as much claim to that flag as anyone else.

The truth is that, in the eyes of the law, Sellers had no right to do what he did. And because he confessed to his actions when questioned by police, he will likely pay a price for his stance.

But many of us who saw him burn the flag needed to hear what he had to say. When Sellers shouted, "If there was a draft right now, we wouldn't be fighting this war," the lunchtime crowd got quiet.

And when he said, "There wouldn't be a war if you all were fighting it," more than one person nodded their head in agreement.

No one needed to hear what he had to say more than the CRs did. For four years, I've watched them become more and more small-minded, constantly spinning their message until they've become dizzy and disoriented.

They have walked around with a siege mentality, hurling invective at anyone who disagrees with their message, prickling at every imagined slight, tilting against windmills and bogeymen more often than not. But their attacks aren't misguided - they're calculated.

The guise of poor, maligned castaways battered back and forth on the tide of liberal opinion at a soulless, godless, freethinking university is a mask they wear.

The story they tell about the terrible misfortune conservatives suffer at the hands of liberal professors is nothing more than a farce.

They play at martyrdom because that, more than anything, helps them achieve their goals.

No other group on campus has the ability to convince a U.S. Congressman to intercede on its behalf. No other group on campus can call a few reporters and force the University to change its policy concerning summer reading. No other group on campus gets as much from the administration as often as it wants.

And the conservatives on campus know it.

But the problem with constantly playing a role is that, before too long, you become the part that you play. You begin to believe your own spin.

The College Republicans and those like them insulate themselves from opinions with which they disagree, and in doing so, they become insular in their thinking.

No wonder, then, that they separate themselves from the rest of the students at this school.

For instance, at the beginning of the year, the CRs were asked to participate in VoteCarolina, and Jordan Selleck, the group's chairman, agreed.

But as the deadline to register voters approached, participation from College Republicans dropped off.

When asked to comment on meeting attendance, the chairman of VoteCarolina, Amon Anderson, told me, "Neither Jordan Selleck nor a representative from his organization have been present in weeks."

Of course, with the election approaching, priorities change. But leaders from other organizations, including the UNC Young Democrats, continue to support VoteCarolina's nonpartisan efforts. For the CRs, apparently the goal of seeing every student vote in this election is not important.

That action is entirely indicative of their attitude, more generally, toward engagement on this campus. They demand equal time and equal billing in campus debates, but they don't want to hear the other side - they want to drown it out.

That's why Kevin Sellers' actions a week ago were a wake-up call for me. Someone finally managed to shout above the conservatives.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'd like to close by admitting my bias. At this time last year, I was a Republican. Since then, my positions have not changed, but my party affiliation has. I'm biased as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore.

Contact Matt Compton at mattcomp@gmail.com.