Dear Mr. Crimm,

I have read your letter to the editor of the Old Gold and Black several times now and each time I am more disappointed and heartbroken than before. There are so many things I could say in response to all of your points, but I’m frustrated and don’t even know where to start. I’ll just go through them one by one.

First of all, political correctness is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the avoidance of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.” So political correctness is not something practiced in order to exclude anyone, but rather to include them. It is about making sure that no one feels they cannot express or practice their opinions, beliefs or ideals throughout their daily lives. Discrimination and exclusion based upon gender, race/ethnicity, culture, religion and sexuality are extremely prevalent today, whether or not you are willing to recognize it.

Now that I’ve gotten that first point out of the way, I’ll respond to your other four points in the order you stated them:

1. The full page ad for an intrauterine device is not there to promote or encourage sex. It is simply there to show female students that if they choose to have sex, there are precautions they can take to help them protect themselves against an unwanted pregnancy. As a fellow Christian, I understand your concerns that this will only encourage premarital sex, but I disagree with that stance for a couple of reasons. The first is that there are many people in college that are going to have sex no matter what your opinion of their actions are, so they might as well be made aware of the safe options of birth control. Secondly, it is not your decision what women, or men for that matter, decide to do with their bodies. This ad does not “spurn” the Wofford Methodist heritage in any way, but instead makes women aware of options available for their bodies. Just to let you know, some women choose to use birth control to help regulate menstrual bleeding and subdue side effects of their menstrual cycles that can negatively affect overall health, not because they are choosing to have sex.
2. As a feminist, it honestly made my blood boil reading this point. You’re right that gender equality does not exist. Women have made great strides in the past 150 years, but we still are not yet seen as equals to men, and your argument is actually embodying the misogynistic views that continue to hold us back. Domestic abuse, unequal pay for equal work and control of one’s body have been addressed, you’re correct about that, but they are not enforced or in effect in many places and simply being addressed is not enough in most cases. Domestic abuse and rape culture are prevalent in today’s society more than ever before. A prime example happened this past summer when Brock Turner, a Stanford swimmer, was charged with three counts of felony (assault with intent to commit rape of an unconscious person, sexual penetration of an unconscious woman and sexual penetration of an unconscious person) and was only sentenced to six months in a county prison and three months of probation. He then only served half of his jail time. Females on average still make $0.79 to male workers’ $1.00. If you think that this issue has already been handled and you’re willing to leave it be, you can take the $0.79 I’ll make when I graduate and I’ll take the $1 you’ve been making for the years you’ve been working. The “feminist philosophy” you are demeaning in your argument is simply that feminists want equal rights for people of all genders. Also, these unequal standards you’re referencing and the female Marine analogy are not sufficient evidence to support your claim that women should not be equal to men. I am positive there are women Marines that serve our country today who outwork and overpower their male counterparts. For you to demean their accomplishments is ignorant, ill-mannered and unpatriotic.
3. The entire Black Lives Matter movement is not to demean anyone of any other race, but simply to bring awareness to the discrimination black people face in the United States today. The truth is that people of all races and backgrounds commit crimes. To stereotype someone because of his or her race, background or socio-economic status and punish the person for it is discrimination in itself.
4. The reason “trigger” words are called that in the first place is because they are associated with hateful acts and feelings. People would not be upset, or “triggered,” if there was no malevolent meaning behind the words and the reason for the person saying them in the first place. Are any words off limits to you? At what point does exercising your right to freedom of speech develop into an excuse for hate speech? “Trigger” words are only a problem because the people who use them use them spitefully and do not have respect for the person they offended in the first place. It all stems from a lack of respect that people using these words have for others. One of the values that Wofford holds dear is respect for not only yourself, but for others as well. It may be our world, but it’s ours to share respectfully.

I understand that when you attended Wofford, only males were allowed to be full-time students. My grandfather, who graduated in 1964, also attended when only males were allowed and my grandmother attended a few summer school classes her, as she wasn’t allowed to be a full-time student. With that being said, Wofford has changed since then and I believe with all of my heart that it is for the better. We now accept students of all genders, races/ethnicities, sexualities, cultures, religions and socio-economic statuses. We are moving toward the inclusion of people from all different walks of life, learning to accept our differences and learn from each other. Wofford isn’t perfect, but we are trying our best to make sure everyone truly feels included in this place we call home.

Emily Washburn ‘19