President Bruce Murphy

ART PANEL 10/23/07

Why I took the public display down.

As contradictory as it may sound… the reason I ended the public display of The Black Flag was because I agree with both Rev. Ter Beest’s and Professor Carlson’s concerns.

The reason….

I believe one important way to understand what has taken place in our community is as a clash of principles.

On the one side we have a group of veterans and their families and supporters from rural America (statistics indicate that rural America much more than our metropolitan areas is supplying soldiers for our current war) who believe deeply in the principle of sacrificing for one's country. On the other side we have defenders of the free expression of opinion, a long held value in our society and perhaps especially within academia. By making this distinction … I am not saying that these two principles are necessarily mutually exclusive… not only… I’m only suggesting that in this instance there is a clash…

It is easy in such a clash for each side to misunderstand and even demonize the other.

And it is when this happens that I believe education and particularly Christian liberal arts education finds its calling. More than winning in the battle of "principles" our goal is a deeper understanding of both sides.

Sometimes when two principles clash with emotional intensity the only way to move ahead is for one side to make the first move by indicating that they do not have a corner on the truth and can learn something from the other side. Whatever it may look like to others, this is what I was trying to do in ending the public display. Far from backing off on the goal of broadening people's perspective I was seeking to provide an environment where just such broadening could take place. Deeply felt emotion is certainly a part of the process-- keeping people from being angry is not our purpose. But we must move beyond anger on both sides. And indeed, to some degree, this has begun to happen. Since the decision to end the public display, some of the veterans who were most adamant about their "principle" only, have acknowledged the merit of seeking to understand Greg Schoon's position.

You notice… what I have not said is the reason…

Money… or to placate those who complained…

Much more complex than that…

Much less to curtail dialogue… rather to allow genuine dialogue

The real answer in my mind to situations like this is to neither to censor the fine arts nor to alienate potential audiences but to prepare the way before controversial exhibits take place.

First, clarification….

Freedom of expression… perpetual search for truth.

Fear…fear art…

Cut short the conversation…

Schoon… country has done something to our flag, so black

Dialogue…

Locking the door made Schoon’s argument more true.

The strong response….

What was not the reason…money….to placate…

You have taken time to respond in a thoughtful way to information you received about decisions made on the Northwestern campus. I want to honor your concern and conviction underlying the free expression of ideas so dear to our way of life, is the desire to communicate and more deeply understand the truth that unites us all. Sometimes the greatest obstacle to this worthy goal is the clash between "principles". This, I submit, is the situation in this matter of the "Flag" display on our campus.

Out of such an understanding, I believe, life's deepest truths can come.