Don't focus on protesting individuals

About two months ago, a man wearing an armband depicting a swastika stood firmly on Turlington Plaza. Jewish professors came to his aid to ensure he was not harmed. Passionate students came forward in art and song to discredit his hate. Well-meaning as his opponents were, he still got the attention he wanted, and a debate sparked on campus about the nature of free speech and how far the public is willing to limit that sacred right for the safety of all.

The outrage has already begun in anticipation of Ben Shapiro’s arrival to UF. Famous for having made questionable comments about Islam but being relatively anti-Trump, Shapiro’s views reflect a version of American conservatism the public is not used to seeing recently. There have been large-scale movements on other campuses to prevent his speeches. His Jewish background has led him to receive anti-Semitic hate mail. One would think he would know what it was like to feel outcast and even threatened in a hostile America.

A man embracing the swastika is not a man who may be reasoned with or convinced by a song of love. Protests against him were decorated with the best of intentions. To the dedicated students once again looking to fight outdated intolerance by protesting Shapiro’s visit, this progressive activist has a thought: bigger, stronger causes need us right now.

Picking battles is difficult. I usually roll my eyes when people tell me to pick my battles. “Don’t tell me what to do,” is my first thought, followed by a realization of how condescending it is to impose upon another your notion of what is worth fighting for. Today’s youth feels more empowered than ever to fight for their beliefs, and I applaud and encourage them to keep fighting. But activism and advocacy is not a battle. It is a long-term fight, and it requires full attention and participation throughout life. Civic engagement and social awareness is not something to dip your feet into when convenient. It demands energy and stamina for the long haul.

Protesting the swastika armband took time, energy and commitment that could have been better spent on tougher but more worthwhile fights. To spend a day around Nazi imagery is exhausting, yet doing so accomplished little in the battle against fascism. The man had nothing to contribute to the conversation and his message would have been diminished the most by a collective effort to ignore him. Ben Shapiro has made some problematic remarks. He has retracted some, too. He has some conservative views that will not be swayed, yet he has switched other opinions fully in a decade’s time. He is a human with a voice to give toward political discussion and we owe non-violent voices a fair chance to share their opinions.

The university atmosphere is one of acceptance and growth. We learn best as a community. Our eyes open through diversity and willingness to accept new ideas. Perhaps Shapiro’s address to the campus community will give passionate students new fights to focus on or thoughts to consider in our own future debates. Barring the case of someone loudly declaring violent calls to action against people in their hate speech, we need to be careful about how we protest individual people, and we should instead focus on causes and movements as a whole.

With caution, I look forward to what Ben Shapiro has to share. I hope to find common ground with him, and I am prepared to work as an activist against causes he brings to my attention with which I disagree. There are bigger battles that need everything I have to give right now, and I cannot expend too much energy on this one person. In the interest of the health of my fellow students and the progress of the causes I care most about, I hope the Gator Nation will do the same.

Megan Newsome is a UF astronomy and physics junior.