Propaganda at Princeton

"As you know, there will be a question and answer period during the event. It would be great if you could come prepared with questions, particularly about Mr. Gates' philanthropic efforts." — Excerpt from the Dean of Undergraduate Students' email to all Gates Scholarship recipients at Princeton.

The night before the arrival of the world's richest man, numerous Gates scholars contacted me through AIM asking, "Have you come up with a question for tomorrow?" It was 12:48 a.m. and instead of stressing out about a paper due the next day or some type of exam for a graded class, my fellow Gates Scholars were agonizing over coming up with the perfect question for some question and answer session. Of course, the perfect question according to the dean was a softball that Gates could easily knock out of the park like, "Mr. Gates, why do you believe that getting a college education is important for our future?" or, "What inspired you to begin the Gates Millennium Scholars program?" Nonthreatening questions keep everything cordial and protect the University from embarrassment, especially when the media is present. I always tell people that "if you ain't my Momma or my professor (or an editor at the 'Prince'), don't tell me what to do cause I'm a grown ass man." So when the dean sent this email, it really offended me. I started thinking about the most obnoxious and confrontational questions I could ask the chairman of Microsoft. I thought maybe I should ask Mr. Gates why Gates Scholars who plan to pursue a law degree, like me, get no financial assistance from the program for graduate school. "Where's the money at?" I would ask. President Tilghman would gesture that I should keep my mouth shut while Princeton security guards descended on the black kid with baggy jeans and a Rocky College hoody.

In my short time at Princeton, I have noticed that the University is all about appearances. Don't make a scene, especially when "important" guests are on campus, because we don't want to scare them away. Many students I know agree with the convictions of administrative staff, because they feel that protesting and asking hard-hitting questions serves no purpose. When Condi Rice visited Princeton to address the Wilson School, I remember one of my friends saying, "I don't know why people are protesting, all you're going to do is prevent other people from coming here."

Despite these alarming sentiments, Princeton can't be held entirely responsible because the reality is that we are simply falling in line with a disturbing trend in our society. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the media has lost the skeptical edge it picked up during the 1970s, inspired by two Washington Post reporters who brought down a presidency.

The Bush Administration has developed a talent for smearing their media opponents as far-left liberals and "quasi" socialists. Definitely not the most eloquent speaker, Bush has cut down on press conferences to further restrict the media's ability to challenge him. Recently, on prime-time television, Bush interviewed Marines stationed in Iraq. Following a strict script, the Marines reassured the positive sentiments of the President as he questioned them about conditions in Iraq. The awkward exchange failed to fool the media, and now it has become another PR disaster for the White House. The era of Bush has become an era in which the media fails to ask tough questions out of fear of being labeled "elitist" or "biased." The media's behavior has had a ripple effect on our society as whole, a society that prides itself on freedom of expression.

The free exchange of thoughts and ideas makes Princeton strong, so we shouldn't break precedent when important people come to campus. I wouldn't want Bill Gates to come to Princeton if he didn't want me to ask questions that were truly from the heart anyway. So with this in mind, I asked a question about the Chinese government using new technology to restrict civil liberties (yes, I'm a politics major). Bill Gates skillfully answered my question and then walked to the podium to accept the Crystal Tiger Award. He said thanks, and ran to catch his flight and the event was over. It was actually pretty anti-climatic but it just goes to show that the right to speak our minds should trump any fears about being embarrassed or making others uncomfortable, even in our little bubble of a town. David Smart is a politics major from Los Angeles, Calif. He can be reached at dsmart@princeton.edu.