TO THE EDITOR:
As a proud liberal and a proud American, I had a problem with Anthony Dent’s characterization of the “central liberal truth” in his column, where he labeled liberals as “anti-culture” and made a thinly-veiled attempt to say that liberals really support getting rid of no-fault divorce. As evidenced by attempts to “take back” marriage and limit a woman’s right to choose, conservatives too have certain aspects of our culture that they desperately want to change, but it’s just wrong to label one view as “pro-culture” and one as “anti-culture.”
I can’t speak for conservatives, but closer to the central liberal truth is a quote by Aaron Sorkin in the show “The West Wing,” where Toby says, “Government should be a place where people can come together and no one gets left behind… an instrument of good.” My liberalism doesn’t compel me to “save [culture] from itself,” but it does compel me to push for good schools, a strong safety net that cares for all citizens and a marriage system that includes all persons, regardless of sexual orientation. These causes are more than cultural reactions—they are strong indicators of where we are as a society and how we treat others who may not talk or think like us. When I go to the polls in May and November, I’ll bear in mind that I want my government to embody the highest ideals of American culture, ideals that include compassion, equality and liberty — and that’s why I’ll vote liberal.
Jonathan Edelman ’14 Philosophy
