Editor:
In response to the email sent by President Machen to university students and staff regarding the university’s “Moving Beyond Tolerance” t heme for the Sept. 11 commemoration,I would like to respectfully point something out.
I find the opening statement disheartening. “In memoriam of 9/11, we move beyond tolerance and acceptance to celebrating difference.”
I completely agree with a general respect for all people and do not agree or participate in stereotyping people based on race, religion or economic status. However, it saddens me that the university made its standby theme of diversity the theme for Sept. 11 memorial services. Once again, the university has chosen the politically correct platform of celebrating diversity rather than keeping the focus on the tragedy of the event.
The fact is that we Americans don’t ever celebrate criminal action as a category of diversity. We don’t normally try to gap the bridge between mainstream society and murderers, even if the murderers do belong to a fundamentalist branch of any religion.
Don’t turn Sept. 11 memorials into a political push for sensitivity and tolerance. Rather, let people grieve the way they choose.
I attended the memorial service put on by the university on Sept. 11 at noon, and except for the wonderful performance of the marching band, it was blasphemous. The speakers mentioned tolerance toward homosexuality at least three times, nearly turning a service meant to commemorate the victims of Sept. 11 into a gay pride rally. This is not what Sept. 11 is about. If we are going to celebrate anything on this day, let’s celebrate our freedom to live in the greatest nation on earth.
Aaron Chambers
Senior, Chemical Engineering