My sophomore year, I was invited to participate in a panel discussion to supply the "white male" perspective on the issue of political correctness. Conforming to the stereotype, I was, by far, the most conservative speaker at the event.
Black, Hispanic and female panelists bemoaned the oppression of various minority groups at Dartmouth, while, I, the lone white male on the panel, spoke of the evils of the prevailing politically correct orthodoxy.
If I were to receive an invitation to speak at a similarly structured program this year I would not attend. While I relish the give-and-take of intellectual debate, these events reflect a dangerous phenomenon especially prevalent on our nation's elite college campuses.
As Dartmouth students we are too often identified with the groups to which we belong, rather than as unique individuals.
With the complete failure of Marxism apparent, the academic left has replaced its theory of economic determinism with a perverse brand of cultural determinism. At Dartmouth, it seems that we are supposed to be little more than the sum of our gender, race, religion, Greek affiliation and sexual orientation.
If you are black , you must think a certain way. If you are gay, you must have certain beliefs. And if you are a member of Beta, you must behave in a certain manner.
In short, the left's drive for "diversity" stifles the very diversity they claim to seek. Conservative African-Americans are labeled Uncle Toms, and conservative women are thought of as unenlightened simpletons.
The treatment of Clarence Thomas during his confirmation hearings only shows the lengths to which the politically correct will go in order to stop any minority who threatens to expose their world view as untrue.
At Dartmouth, it is indeed very easy to lapse into "group-think." The Freedman administration has made attaining its false view of diversity one of its top priorities and seems bent on shoving it down the student body's collective throat.
This "group-think" pervades every aspect of a student's Dartmouth experience beginning with the moment he sends in his application.
Instead of solely examining applicants' individual merits, the College's affirmative action program has transformed the admissions process into a convoluted racial, gender and ethnic spoils system.
Within his first week on campus, a freshman is subjected to the infamous Social Issues night, a veritable celebration of group consciousness. Preaching against every -ism in the P.C. handbook, this sensitivity training session formally begins the College's efforts to mold students' thoughts.
During his four years at Dartmouth, a student is exposed to constant reminders of the importance of group affiliations.
Affinity groups preach the gospel of separatism and constantly warn members of the hostility of others in the community.
Dartmouth's academic curriculum is filled with various victim's studies departments and courses, some of which are little more than political cheerleading sessions. And, the Greek system, while beneficial in many respects, unfortunately too often becomes a barrier to broader participation in the community.
Instead of relying on "group-think", the Dartmouth community should promote the individualism at the very center of the American spirit.
The United States is a wonderful nation and Dartmouth is a great college because of the unique talents, interests, contributions, and ideas of individuals.
The individual is the basic building block of any community, and it is his development that should be emphasized, rather than the development of various group loyalties.
While recognizing our differences is positive, an obsession with them only fosters divisiveness and ill-will among the various groups on campus. For example, race-based admissions policies, housing arrangements, and scholarship opportunities serve to increase rather than to eliminate racism.
Just as Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) would be horrified to hear Gloria Steinem offering the "female perspective" on political issues, so would many liberal white males on this campus be upset to hear that my views are supposedly representative of what white males at Dartmouth believe. I can no more speak for all white males than Gloria Steinem can speak for all women or Jesse Jackson can speak for all blacks.
It's time that we begin to foster a diversity even more varied than that envisioned by the intellectual orthodoxy of the left. A collection, not of fifteen or twenty different groups, but rather thousands of individuals, each with their own unique contribution to make to the Dartmouth community.
