I am always hesitant about a candidate when I read that they are receiving a large number of support from college students. Unlike the American Revolution, where a small group of individuals raised awareness about the tyranny of England and vowed to give the people individual rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, other revolution that we now do not admire have been propagated on university campuses.

Take for instance China. The university students in China were all in support of Mao’s plan. They had sit ins, they ratted out their friends and neighbors, all for the good of the country. Yet, we know realize that communize takes away many individual rights. A similar situation happened in Iran. When Iran became the Islamic Republic, many university students were on the forefront of supporting the new regime.

Why do college students seem to be more radical in their views than the rest of the country? Party because of idealism and naivety. When you are studying governments and political viewpoints, the ideal looks very appealing. Sure it would be nice if everyone contribute to society equally and that we had all our needs met. But real life does not always afford this idealism. College students have not experienced enough of real life to grasp the whys and why nots of political factions and positions.

This does not mean that college students have not been on the forefront of changing the nation for the good. Think the civil rights movement. Many college students stepped up when others refused to do so. However, we must be wary that radical change or revolution is not always a good thing. In fact, it can be a terrible thing.