Life at MA

By Jason LaBau in Winter 2025

I read with interest the front page opinion piece, “Forcing Conformity,” in the Fall 2024 issue. I am sympathetic to the concerns expressed there: if conservative-identifying students feel ostracized within our community, that’s something we should address. However, as a historian of conservative politics, I noted two underlying assumptions that must be unpacked as part of that work.

The first is the conflation of “conservative” with “Republican” and “Christian.” While we live in a historical moment when these identifiers have significant overlap, they are not identical. Further, “conservative” can reference both identity and ideology — each with a range of meanings. As we address issues of student belonging, we will need to be more clear about which students are experiencing exclusion.

Second, this article reflects an assumption — widely shared in our national culture — that for each issue of importance there are two equally valid perspectives, represented by the major political parties. If that were the case, a healthy school should see both partisan positions represented with equal frequency. But even a cursory glance at history reveals that this has not been the case: no mechanism ensures the parties reflect a range of truths in equal measure. What both major parties (and their aligned media) do share is an interest in Americans viewing all issues through a partisan lens. 

More often, in my experience, teachers’ choices are best understood in light of the standards of their profession and their discipline. They pursue clear ideas about how evidence is evaluated and knowledge is created, such as the scientific method, formal logic, literary analysis, etc. As people, they also have social or political convictions. In the classroom, however, those concerns are secondary to their disciplinary and pedagogical commitments. Just because something is perceived as partisan does not necessarily mean it is motivated by partisanship. Leaping to that conclusion closes off more useful analysis.

I will happily join the effort to better understand the experience of conservative, Republican, and Christian students on our campus. But that effort will need to begin with at least a willingness to accept alternative explanations. If we start by assuming partisanship, we have already harmfully narrowed the scope of our search for knowledge.

-Jason LaBau, History Teacher