This is a direct response to the column “It’s OK that conservatives don’t feel welcome.”

No, actually, it’s not. Before I start I need to clarify—I’m not conservative. I’m not writing this because I want to defend my right to express my opinions in class. When I discuss my often very liberal political views at Washington University, I’m generally met with support from classmates, professors and friends.

That said, I find the latest column appalling. Not only is it incredibly self-serving and presumptuous, but it’s also hypocritical and completely out of touch with the political reality in this country. It equates all conservatism with bigotry and likens the legitimacy of conservative political ideals to alchemy. In case you were unaware, we attend a university in a red political state. The majority of Missouri voters elected Donald Trump and even a moderate Democratic senator lost in the midterms by six points. Over 30,000,000 people in this country are registered Republicans, and you don’t think a single one of their ideas is legitimate enough for discussion? In your own words, these are ideas that “no one really believes”.

To that, I have two things to say:

First, being a liberal/progressive/Democrat does NOT make you morally superior. Again, being a Democrat does NOT make you morally superior.

Many people aren’t Republicans because they believe that people should die because they’re poor (your words, not mine) but because they don’t believe in governmental interference in personal affairs and/or personal responsibility. You thinking that you’re a better person than anyone who has different views on healthcare is both obnoxious and self-serving. Instead of dismissing other opinions, listen, acknowledge the often valid places where conservative arguments come from, and debate using logic and facts. Being an intelligent adult and productive member of society requires listening to and tolerating others as well as being able to defend your beliefs. Believing in universal healthcare is a perfectly valid opinion, but can you adequately defend it to someone who disagrees with you and respond to their criticisms? Democratic and progressive platforms are not without fault, and blindly claiming moral superiority based on party affiliation helps absolutely no one.

Also, if you still don’t believe me, Al Franken, Harvey Weinstein, Ralph Northam and Justin Fairfax are all Democrats.

You are never going to evolve or grow by refusing to acknowledge opposing beliefs, and surrounding yourself in an echo chamber is debatably how our country has ended up in the mess that it’s in. People and politicians this country need to learn how to recognize common goals that they may be approaching from entirely different standpoints and work together to create compromises. Suggesting that any political idea you disagree with does not merit discussion is pretentious and only serves to perpetuate this ideological divide. If you cannot express and defend yourself to someone you disagree with, you do not have a strong enough grasp of your own beliefs.

Second, conservatism exists on a spectrum. Recognize that, just like Democrats that run the gamut from moderate to democratic socialists, there is a range of Republicans as well.

While you are right in claiming that not every idea merits discussion in a public forum, conservatives on this campus are often not advocating bigoted beliefs. You repeatedly mention the president and his allies, yet the WashU College Republicans actively did not support Trump in 2016. Conservatism has existed for centuries, yet you seem to think you’ve solved hundreds of years of political debates by claiming that there’s nothing valuable in the Republican policy agenda. While you don’t have to agree with them, refusing to acknowledge that there are intelligent individuals across the political aisle is narrow-minded and somewhat narcissistic. Your political beliefs do not make you smarter than Republicans, no matter how much you want them to.

Also, your little joke about having “token” Republican friends is a lot like white people trying to claim they’re not racist by having black friends. Conservatives may not be an oppressed group, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be prejudiced toward them. Or, for lack of a better word, obnoxious.

I personally hope that more conservatives (and moderates) start speaking up in class discussions. Polite debate and discussion are necessary for progress, and being challenged helps me think critically about my own ideas and the rationale behind them. If you can’t deal with that, well, good luck. Maybe you shouldn’t have gone to school in Missouri.