“If I had a choice between talking to you and talking to Barack Obama today, I’d be right here talking with you,” said Notre Dame Philosophy Professor David O’Connor to a group of about 20 students at a Rodzinka club event. After enjoying a home-cooked meal and conversation with students, he reflected on American politics, the importance of local government, and confronting a contraceptive culture.
O’Connor stated that most reflections on politics in the U.S. are “useless” because they neglect the “distinguishing genius” of America: the interaction between states and the federal government. He explained the importance of reflecting on politics at the local level.
The Civil War, Great Depression, and two world wars tested states’ rights. According to O’Connor, such national emergencies hurt sound political organization.
“In effect, America was living in a militarized government, a government that refused to shrink after the wars,” he said. Big government sentiments became prevalent especially after World War II, and political figures found it impossible to relinquish the convenience of centralized power. O’Connor explained the appeal of centralized institutions: “The story is so simple. There’s a problem? Well, let’s have a government organization solve the problem.”
According to O’Connor, Tolkien’s political message in The Lord of the Rings applies today. For Tolkien, centralization is a mark of the dark powers. In contrast, the hobbits of the Shire, a small community, “are pretty stupid.” One of the losses of a small community is sophistication. Frodo and Sam are odd among hobbits for their experience outside of the Shire and for their level of worldliness.
“This is Tolkien’s way of seeing the trade off of the political world,” he said. “People falling to the glamour–people see problems that need to be solved and say we can solve these problems through the federal government.”
Students are likewise susceptible to the glamour of big government. “Few people want to graduate and go to a county seat,” O’Connor said. “They want to go to D.C. It’s the fairy glamour of D.C. I don’t have anything against fairies, but if what you want to do is work, go somewhere else.”
The United States enjoys a robust relationship between state and national government that resembles the Catholic principle of subsidiarity, the belief that matters of authority and justice ought to be handled by the lowest institution that can do so effectively, including the family. “America has potential to be organized in a way unusually congenial to Catholic subsidiarity,” he said.
O’Connor believes that U.S. bishops have gotten caught up in this big government attitude by focusing on acting as a lobbying group in Washington. “The Catholic bishops in the U.S. are the greatest national failure of my lifetime,” he said. He said that the bishops want one big lever in Washington rather than 50 levers in the individual states.
“This is a terrible, deadly dance with the federal government. I do not think there was any single response to Roe v. Wade as something that should have been a state issue. It was yet another move to kick up federal power, like [in] the slavery issues,” he said.
Furthermore, he argued, the bishops are 40 years too late getting into the conversation about contraception. “I think they will cave, just like I think [University President Rev.] John Jenkins will cave,” he said.
“Contraception is a family issue because individuals aren’t fertile; couples are. The notion that this is a women’s rights issue is a distortion of the question,” O’Connor said. He teaches a popular class called “Ancient Wisdom and Modern Love,” in which students read Humanae Vitae.
“I always get some very hostile emails when I go through the basics of the hormonal effects of contraceptive pills,” he said with a touch of amusement. “It’s not news. Someone who’s selling you a car doesn’t tell you everything wrong with it. Someone selling you contraception doesn’t tell you everything wrong with it.”
O’Connor ended his talk on a more hopeful tone. “You’ll all have to do your work locally. The idea that all we have available to utilize is the local government seems small, but when I graduated high school, we thought the iron curtain was permanent.” Citing the importance of Pope John Paul II’s witness to the fall of communism, he said, “I hope for prophets in my own day who will touch people’s hearts and go locally.”
Following his talk, O’Connor fielded questions from the attendees for almost an hour.
Madeline Gillen is a sophomore history and art history major living in Welsh Fam. She totes needs to get ove her penchant for abbrevs, lest she continue incurring the ire of her unfortch friends. Contact her at mgillen@nd.edu.
