Letter: Campus radicalism is expression of democracy

I have a dirty secret to confess: I have a thing for campus radicalism. Declarations of absolute truth, no matter how nuanced the issue, give me goose bumps of anticipation for the indignant responses that will ensue. When Jessica Rutter and Yousuf Al-Bulushi lead their coterie in misdirected crusades of anarchy, I shudder at the sweeping (and sometimes inane) representations of issues I care about, but I also relish an event that will shake things up. When Bill English assaults the evils of liberalism with his army of (often invisible) Duke conservatives, I shake my proverbial fist, but inside I am cackling with glee - finally, someone with whom to argue! And when Rob Goodman responds to everyone with a thinly veiled theft of Locke's social contract, and the entire campus seems to rise up in a collective indignant squawk about the right to free expression, I snuggle back with a contented sigh and think, "Ah, now that's democracy!"