Theo MacDonald

From the outset, I would say I was kind of aware that universities generally are kind of a cold place for people of a more maybe conservative disposition.

I think most lecturers' academic material is kind of geared towards a certain viewpoint with, you know, an emphasis on concepts such as, you know, equality of outcome as opposed to

Equality of opportunity, perhaps an emphasis on combating climate change, using other terms that I would regard as slightly subjective, such as misinformation and disinformation, which is kind of mainly, I would say, directed at people on kind of one side of the political spectrum.

So I think from the outset, you're perceived as somewhat of an outcast.

I recall this being kind of most evident in political societies in which, you know, members would be castigated and scolded for bringing forward motions or proposals, you know, on certain issues, only to be told by the hierarchies within the party apparatus that they couldn't proceed.

And on campus, there were, you know, several small political parties that would be on the left, politically speaking, such as, you know, People Before Profit, the Social Democrats, the Green Party.

But there weren't any kind of equivalent kind of right-leaning societies involved.

And I decided to myself to put my head above the power pit and actually represents the political party ain't to during a mock doll towards the end of my time in university only for this to be mentioned in an article in a university college, Dublin's university observer, as though, you know, I had committed some,

thought crime of sorts.

I'd often hear some of my colleagues in my class and some of my lecturers mention that they listened to the likes of Joe Rogan or other podcasts.

But I think there was a reluctance amongst a lot of my peers who actually expressed that point of view for fear of opprobrium from their classmates and also, dare I say, the lecturers as well.

So, I mean, I would encourage people in university to be open about their views, be respectful, listen to the other side and, you know, be brave because, you know, they aren't alone.

Don't be reluctant.

Don't be intimidated.

You know, there are a lot of like minded people, even if they don't really express themselves, you know, openly.