Posted by Wednesday is Blog Day for me. My advisers post blogs that inform and challenge me to reflect on problems that need solutions. Since today’s posts were extremely compelling, I thought I should encourage others to read and reflect on them. The link to each post is joined to the blog title. There is also a link to the authors page for future reference.
Walter E. Williams
Professor Williams post, Despicable Behavior of Today’s Academicians, focuses on the current discrimination against white males. He offers examples that are more bizarre than any I have read about. For instance, a college course entitled “Abolition of Whiteness”. And a statement from Don Lemon, a CNN anchor, floored me: “ We have to stop demonizing people and realize the biggest terror threat in this country is white men,…”. Be sure to read this a couple of times; you’ll be stunned in disbelief during the first reading.
Star Parker
Star Parker’s contribution, Save Emancipation Monument, Save American Ideals, contains some history that was “news to me”. The slave at the feet of Abraham Lincoln on the Emancipation Monument at Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C. is a young man named Archer Alexander. His story, and the story behind the monument itself, should be included in every American history book.
David Carlin
Dave is one of my former office mates. His insights are usually presented with a little spice to whet the cognitive palate, but this time he has a real Emeril Lagasse “BAM!” moment. Enjoy Down with Christopher Columbus?.
Columbus is a symbol, and I’m convinced that by hating the symbol our leftist neo-barbarians (what else can I call them?) are hating what he symbolizes. And what is it he symbolizes? At least two things: the virtue of courage, and western civilization.
Stanley Kurtz
Although I don’t read Stanley’s posts regularly, I do follow him with some regularity. This post, Taking Back the Academy, is particularly meaningful for everyone concerned about reclaiming higher education for education. As a Catholic, the formation of the soul is dependent on quality education. The current chaos in higher education is creating tortured souls who despair that life is as meaningless as it was for Sisyphus.
The post is a little long, but take some time to read it and reflect on the course of action recommended for taking back the academy.
Anthony Esolen
For many years, Anthony Esolen was a member of a Western Civilization team. His fight against political correctness at my alma mater, Providence College, forced him to resign from that school and pursue his scholarly work elsewhere.
In We Need More Patriarchy, Not Less, Professor Esolen recalls that fight as he reflects on the most recent act of politically correct behavior, vandalizing the cemetery for Dominicans at Providence College. His disgust with the statement issued by the former president of the college, Rev. Brian J. Shanley, is presented with more diplomacy than it deserves. Shanley’s statement is CYA, politically correct nonsense.
To understand the situation at my alma mater, read Anthony’s post from 2016, The Narcissism of Campus Diversity Activists. And note that Providence College yielded to the “barbarians at the gate” and implemented a diversity curriculum.
Annie Holmquist
Last, but far from least, is Annie Holmquist at Intellectual Takeout. Annie, like Walter E. Williams, is a key voice of reason in my quest for sanity. She posts a few gems each week, but the following two are extremely noteworthy.
Bari Weiss Cancels the NYT, Avoiding the PC Guillotine, recounts the recent resignation of a New York Times editor who, like Anthony Esolen, refused to support the politically correct, petri-dish culture at the Times. I was aware of this story before Annie posted her views, but, as usual, she summarized the situation better than I could dream of doing it: Given Weiss’ statement upon departing The New York Times, it appears that the few thinking individuals left in this world need to be more on guard than ever when consuming news sources. Will we be willing to absorb the one-sided opinions which news sources seem ready to give us, or will we be open to free discussion and an exchange of views which challenges our assumptions and causes us to grow? (Be sure to read Weiss’ Statement too.)
Last week, Annie offered Cancel Culture: Time to Get Your Big Boy Pants On. This young lady is truly gifted: If we want to make life a dull, blank slate, devoid of any flavor, excitement, or intrigue, then by all means, keep the cancel culture going. But if we want a flavorful life to return – one in which we ponder ideas, challenging or rejecting them or coming up with creative alternatives – then we need to pull our big boy pants on and stop shutting out any ideas that offend us.
As always, in the words of Edward R. Murrow, “Good night and good luck.”
Joe Allen 