AN OP-ED RESPONSE–

By H.D. Stone, Contributing Writer

“Can we talk about race?” asks a piece in the last issue of the Old Gold and Black. I will go ahead and answer this question:  “No,” well, at least not in the sense that the writers of this article so obviously yearn for. At the heart of this article, we see the same tyrannically formulated mentality that now plagues once great institutions such as The University of Missouri and Yale; institutions where now, the loons obviously run the asylum. What happens when the goal of our education system shifts away from the molding of critical thinking, informed, unprejudiced, Americans and toward the advocacy of radical [and, might I add, unrealistic] egalitarianism? I will tell you, anarchy. Freedom of speech, other constitutional rights, and the heretofore pillars of higher education  take a back seat to this “inclusion and diversity” rhetoric and the implementation of leveling curriculums that will no doubt contribute to the stagnation, and closing of the American mind.

A liberal arts education used to provide students with the tools they needed to become critically thinking citizens, not whining babies that cry every time someone recognizes their race, or doesn’t recognize it. I am a white male, yet this does not define me, nor do I venerate this aspect of my identity as some sort of signifier of my worth. I simply recognize it as fact. Here’s an idea for all of you:  educate yourself on real things. Read Aristotle, read Plato, really examine the tenets of America which make it so great. We live in a meritocracy that clearly advocates a certain way of life; yet, so many deviate away from this grand vision and advocate for this utopic, egalitarian society. In Greek, utopos can mean the good city, yet most modern scholars use it to mean “that which can never be.” You see, the Greeks studied human nature and believed that forces beyond our control would allocate happiness as they saw fit. However, this should not be interpreted as meaning that any specific group should give up.

This is the truly great thing about America; everyone can access social mobility if they take initiative and do so through education, true education. To quote W.E.B. DuBois, “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” On this point, I stand with him firmly. If we truly want to transcend the tyrannical and backward clutches of identity politics as DuBois clearly advocates, we must abandon identities rooted in things beyond America. We must truly integrate and give respect to the founding principles of our great nation. We must stand arm in arm with our brothers and sisters in Christ and say “I love you;” all of them, not just those of our specific racial group. So do it! Stop complaining, stop advocating for the radical diversification, secularization, and democratization which so ardently stand against human nature and prosper. Do so while channeling the honor, courage, and conviction displayed by our founding fathers. Do so nobly, and your reward will be great.