Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, has been in the news for a while. It's a public institution, founded in 1967 and it's well-known for its entrance requirements: anyone with a pulse can get in. (They have a 97% admittance rate.) This means that even with my high school algebra and geometry grades, I would have been welcomed and deemed a scholar at Evergreen State.
Evergreen State is infamous for being radicalized, but it pretty much started out that way because, at its founding, it attracted a lot of the hippie element, but it has become even more radicalized over the years to the point of campus chaos.
JUST HOW RADICALIZED?
The campus has become so chaotic that there are certain spaces, called "Safe Spaces," in which you aren't allowed to say these nine words: "Donald Trump is the president of the United States." Now, we should note that, whatever your politics, the undeniable and certifiable fact is, Donald Trump is the president of the United States. But at Evergreen State, in those designated areas, students can't state that fact. One congressman said, "That's scary."
It's like creating several areas on campus in which you can't say, "2+2=4."
THOSE HISTORY MAJORS
One of the annoying things about history majors is that they always point to some current event and with a supercilious attitude and in a condescending tone, say, "That's nothing new; back in 1774 . . ."
Then they talk down to us, telling us that the same thing at which you're amazed has happened many times before. History majors love what Harry Truman said, "The only thing new to you is the history you don't know." (Yes, that's true, but irritating.)
The history major will point out that something similar happens under all totalitarian regimes. In North Korea you can't say anything bad about the leader. You can't even say, "North Korea" in North Korea. You can't say anything sarcastic. You can't ask, "When was the leader born?" (There are many other things--you can't own blue jeans or a Bible. 80 people were taken to a stadium and publicly executed for owning Bibles. A journalist was executed for making a typographical error.)
There's something else about our culture: you can't question or criticize or point out any flaws in the theory of evolution. The theory resides like many pastors, six feet above contradiction. The theory, to apply Cassius' remark about Julius Caesar, "Bestrides the narrow world like a Colossus." The reason is obvious--without evolution, fallen man is left with only one option: creation. He does NOT want to go there because creation means a Creator and a Creator means accountability.
Back in the 1st century AD, there was something you couldn't say: "Jesus is Lord." This was because the state religion was all bound up with Emperor worship. Emperor worship was what held the far-flung Empire together, so Christians who wouldn't worship the Emperor's image, but instead would say, "Jesus is Lord," were treasonous. A totalitarian state can't tolerate any authority higher than itself.
WHAT ABOUT IT?
One wonders: in those safety zones at Evergreen State, could you say, "Jesus is Lord"? Could you recite John 3:16? Could you tell the story of Jesus? Could you distribute Bibles? Could you wear a T-shirt that said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved"? Could you wear a shirt with a cross on it? Could you state the name and office of the current vice-president?
George Orwell said that true freedom is the freedom to say, "2+2=4." That is, true freedom is the freedom to state the obvious.
I wonder how you feel about the changes in the moral culture of the country under our current President, as it relates to his actions to, on, and about black and brown people like me?
ReplyDeleteThat is a hard question because his article is about a totally different problem than the one you are talking about. He is saying that "true freedom is freedom to state the obvious". Facts and the obvious should be thoughts that are free to express instead of sensored.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually what you did on a different subject. If I was in the workplace or one of these safe places he is talking about, I could not express my opinions without fear of reprisal But, here, I will address what you are talking about by giving you my personal view, which has nothing to do with this author.
You speak of a supposed change in the moral structure of this country. I agree with you that there has been a change over the last 30 years, but I see it's source differently than you do. You base your test of morality on treatment of people based on the color of their skin rather than the condition of their hearts. Some people are shallow and do think this way, but you would be surprised how many do not.
What I believe has happened to us in this country is that instead of a focus on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the love that he declared we should have for one another, today's morality does not have it's roots in the morality of the Bible. The moral difference today is a view that has developed apart from the Holy Scriptures because so many people no longer go to church and no longer study the Scriptures. This new view is based not on the heart, but on the color of a person's skin. A true moral culture can only be achieved through a knowledge of Scripture. As long as there are a large number of people that know nothing about scripture personally, and only learn their morality from the world's view, this country will have problems.
As Americans we should work together as one people. As Americans we should have the same national goals. And these goals should have nothing to do with personal perceived entitlements or social differences. Yes, we each get to have our own opinions, and we live in a melting pot of many different cultures. But, we should work together to not allow power hungry politicians to use us and manipulate and divide us based on our differences. The issue should not be about the color of our skin. The goals of a politician are not in our best best interest. Their goal is to divide us into two groups - red or blue, and then to "win" our vote. We must not allow them to come between us. We are all God's children who are loved by God, and we need to respect that view and stand together as an American "family" against this division. God sees us as brothers and sisters in the same family, and we should operate under the umbrella of this concept, working together to achieve a safe and secure homeland for all of us. -- And mutual respect and concern for each other is the key. Division sewn by vote-seeking politicians over surface emotional issues will never be the answer for us. We must pray and work together, because if we allow ourselves to be divided, we will surely be weakened and this country will eventually fall. -- As for me, your skin color is irrelevant to me. I am committed to being your sister and to love you. - Nothing else is really matters. But again, this subject is not what this author was talking about.