I never fail to be amazed by just how Stalinist the left can be in enforcing its dogma. The latest move comes as a faculty committee at Harvard endorsed a plan to ban all students from joining fraternities, sororities or exclusionary clubs whether on or off campus. There's a 22 page report the committee put out, but let me summarize it in a few words: "fraternities evil, must be destroyed."
It's a basic liberty of all Americans that they have the right of free association. It's part of the First Amendment to the Constitution. That right means that the government cannot stop free association, and Harvard is not clearly part of the government, although there are many ties between the two. Nevertheless, it seems bizarre that Harvard would want to ban students from exercising their right of free association.
Imagine the reaction of these same faculty members if Harvard were to require weekly attendance by students of Christian services. The outrage would be overwhelming. How about if Harvard decided that students could not take part in any race-based organizations. Sure, that might include the KKK but it would also cover the black students association or the Chinese students association. Again, the faculty would go berserk even though these organizations are by definition "exclusionary." So what is it about fraternities and sororities that so bothers the faculty? The truth is that these professors don't dislike the actual fraternities at Harvard, but rather they dislike their idea of what they think these organizations really do. Any group with limited membership naturally excludes some people. If you don't take everyone who applies, someone has to be left out. Those who are left out, then, are victims in the ideology of the left. Those who get in, therefore, are victimizers and they must be punished.
Look, I don't care if there are fraternities or finals clubs or whatever you want to call them at Harvard. When I was there, I never saw much impact from them, but, of course, I was in the law school and not an undergraduate. I do care, however, if the leftist faculty decides to impose its dogma on the students in a way that violates their basic right of free association. These supposedly well educated people should understand that the rights of Americans ought not be trampled no matter what the cause. We cannot destroy liberty for any reason. We need to support and fight for liberty and freedom.
It's a basic liberty of all Americans that they have the right of free association. It's part of the First Amendment to the Constitution. That right means that the government cannot stop free association, and Harvard is not clearly part of the government, although there are many ties between the two. Nevertheless, it seems bizarre that Harvard would want to ban students from exercising their right of free association.
Imagine the reaction of these same faculty members if Harvard were to require weekly attendance by students of Christian services. The outrage would be overwhelming. How about if Harvard decided that students could not take part in any race-based organizations. Sure, that might include the KKK but it would also cover the black students association or the Chinese students association. Again, the faculty would go berserk even though these organizations are by definition "exclusionary." So what is it about fraternities and sororities that so bothers the faculty? The truth is that these professors don't dislike the actual fraternities at Harvard, but rather they dislike their idea of what they think these organizations really do. Any group with limited membership naturally excludes some people. If you don't take everyone who applies, someone has to be left out. Those who are left out, then, are victims in the ideology of the left. Those who get in, therefore, are victimizers and they must be punished.
Look, I don't care if there are fraternities or finals clubs or whatever you want to call them at Harvard. When I was there, I never saw much impact from them, but, of course, I was in the law school and not an undergraduate. I do care, however, if the leftist faculty decides to impose its dogma on the students in a way that violates their basic right of free association. These supposedly well educated people should understand that the rights of Americans ought not be trampled no matter what the cause. We cannot destroy liberty for any reason. We need to support and fight for liberty and freedom.
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