Club Wars

Nov 12th, 2008 | By Rodrigo Neely | Category: Commentary

Many Edger readers have or are currently in campus freethought clubs.

I am in one as well, UT Dallas Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists (A.S.H.).

I imagine that in a healthy club some amount of disagreement is inevitable. I am currently involved in a massive disagreement in our club. It is purely administrative and would probably bore anyone who wasn’t in our club, so I won’t spend a lot of time on it. Essentially what is at stake is the timing of elections, the definition of officer positions, and amending our constitution. Pretty administrative.

But I am writing to make some basic suggestions about how to proceed when this sort of thing happens.

First, I think it is important to keep the big picture in mind. Personality conflicts are common, especially in a club known for advocating an unpopular opinion. But it is important to not degenerate into ad hominem when advocating any controversial change.

The best way to proceed is always to remember that we are trying to present ourselves as a community, and to do right by that community, and impartial observers.

It would be a terrible shame if someone was considering freethought but rejected a club due to its visible pettiness.

On the other hand it is also important that one not simply back down to avoid discomfort.

When there is a legitimate argument to be had, and the counter argument is that no argument is best, this is anti-democratic.

It is part of a healthy club for disagreements to be voiced and advocated.

I think that trying to table, or ignore, disagreements is like a species of euthanasia for a club.

What is best is to have a clearly organized way, and time, to allow for member uprisings. In my club we failed to provide for this and now we are paying dearly for it.

I find myself in the camp of displeased membership, and accused of “causing drama.”

I think “dramatic” is an accusation that could be weighed against anyone who is anything but passive, but thats just me.

This is where I’m at.

I hope this post provides some useful down to earth perspective on the nitty gritty of trying to have a freethought club on a college campus. As our clubs increase in efficiency and effectiveness, we inch ever further to what could be a culturally significant student movement.