This past week, many collegegoers across the U.S., including myself, enthusiastically began the spring semester. For one campus, however, the first day of a controversial class consisted of law enforcement standing guard due to the threat of violence.
Ted Thornhill, a black sociology professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, tells News-Press he is presenting a new course entitled White Racism. Since the development of the class, Thornhill has reportedly received numerous malicious emails and voicemails from people referring to the lecturer by ethnic slurs.
Although the correspondence did not include physical intimidations and no violence occurred during the event, Thornhill explained it was necessary for campus police officers to be present to ensure student safety. Numerous pupils also expressed security concerns, yet ultimately decided to remain enrolled.
Re-Educating Whites?
What was the reason for the outrage? According to the Florida Gulf Coast University website, the class description is as follows:
“We will examine the racist ideologies, laws, policies, and practices that have operated for hundreds of years to maintain white cultural domination; and discuss ways to challenge white racism and supremacy toward promoting an anti-racist society where whiteness is not tied to greater life chances.”
In a November interview with Fox and Friends, Thornhill expanded on the content of the curriculum. He stated that Caucasians are “cocooned in a bubble of unreality” concerning ethnic matters and that he would offer a deeper understanding of inequality and challenge widely held yet “empirically” unsupported myths.
He went on to note that not all Caucasians are prejudice and “some are even” tolerant of others. The generalizations made by Thornhill display a biased viewpoint that those enrolled in the course may accept as fact.
LN adamantly condemns the bigoted slurs and ill wishes that were sent to Thornhill, as he has every right to express his beliefs under the First Amendment. Furthermore, the expression of opinions in contrast to one’s own should be encouraged as it contributes to intellectual growth.
A Flawed Concept
Where does Thornhill get it wrong? Liberty Nation’s Onar Åm explains that many leftist universities preach the myth that whites invented slavery and only they can be considered racist. He goes on to note that although discrimination does still exist, Caucasians mostly condemned such practices and even abolished slavery in many parts of the world.
Evidently, the majority of Americans are not hateful. The melting pot of our beautiful nation consists of individuals from all walks of life collaborating for the betterment of society. However, this is a point frequently rejected by many on the left, as they regularly force a victimhood mindset upon minorities, including Liberty Nation’s own Jeff Charles and myself.
One recent article by Leesa Donner, the Editorial Director of LN, notes how Charles has received numerous pieces of mail from liberal readers often referring to him as a “slave catcher” and “Uncle Tom.” Others have proclaimed he is “not really a member of the black community” due to identifying with his “oppressors” by holding conservative outlooks, as the editorial also documents. Charles has nonetheless firmly retained his beliefs despite the rejection endured.
Indoctrination Only
Moreover, many millennial colleagues have notified me that I am ignorant for identifying as a Libertarian, which is supposedly an ideology that perpetuates discrimination towards Hispanics. The stance is not only a common misconception from liberals, as "Hispanic" is an ethnicity and not a color, but is a logical error that Caucasians are inherently motivated to promote a white supremacist society.
In reality, individuals in the U.S. have evolved a mindset of progressing society as a whole and not just those of their culture, as evidenced by various groups working together in daily life.
Students at Florida Gulf Coast University enrolled in Thornhill’s course are likely becoming indoctrinated by his prejudiced views. One can only hope that colleagues will realize that teamwork from among those of all walks of life has built our beautiful nation.
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