Word: deweyã
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...very Catholic” and “very Orthodox” members, she says, she recently quit the newspaper. Internal critics aside, those across the aisle, like members of the Harvard Democrats, do not directly cite religious teachings as political policy, but in contrast to Dewey??s comments, many are quick to say that religion does influence their political beliefs. “Religion is a personal and private matter that does and should color people’s perception of politics,” says Eric P. Lesser ‘07, president of the Harvard...
...first heard about Mahtani’s comment from several members of the Harvard College Democrats. They felt that Dewey had been wronged and that the Dems should rally to his side. The argument, as I understand it, is that even if Dewey??s beliefs are wrong, he shouldn’t be attacked for them. Like every other member of the Harvard community, Dewey should be able to express unpopular beliefs without being yelled at from the pages of The Crimson. Civility must prevail...
This argument has some surface validity. People from all political persuasions should be entitled to respect. If Mahtani had made disparaging remarks about Dewey??s mother, I would be the first to object. But Mahtani has been criticized for doing exactly what should be done in an environment of free and open debate. Though his criticism was harsh, it was focused on the idiocy of Dewey??s beliefs, not the integrity of his character. If civility demands that we politely stand complacent while public figures on this campus openly trash a movement for equal rights, then...
...most common argument I’ve heard against Mahtani’s comment simply doesn’t hold water. Everybody I’ve talked to agrees: Mahtani may be right, but he should have stuck to critiquing Dewey??s ideas rather than resorting to ad hominem attacks. But they have it wrong; Mahtani’s criticism wasn’t an ad hominem attack. It was based entirely on beliefs that Dewey has publicly advocated. Mahtani just pointed out that Dewey??s public comments are radical, misguided and a bit nuts. This...
Those who were offended by Mahtani’s comment generally agree that it’s okay for Democrats to criticize President Bush—or even Ken Mehlman, Dewey??s equivalent on the national stage—but they feel that such criticism is off limits when it comes to our fellow students. Unfortunately, when Harvard undergraduates publicly air ignorant and offensive beliefs, we tend to give them far more slack than they deserve. For some of us, it appears, loyalty to Harvard comes before responsibility to the broader community. Dewey attacked the queer community...