Minority status

by Chad Aldeman, DI editorial writer

Republicans have no right to feel like victims in today's world. They control the White House, Senate, House of Representatives, and Supreme Court. It is fashionable to be conservative these days.

The "market" and free trade are the solution to all of our problems. Forty-five million people uninsured in this country? Why, the market will solve it with health benefit accounts. Senior citizens living longer and collecting more Social Security benefits? Why, the obvious answer is to privatize, despite senior citizens being the least likely group to be in poverty. Pollution a problem? Just sell someone the right to pollute, as we do with emissions trading.

So I'm not very sympathetic when Republicans host a "Coming Out Week" here on campus and then cry intolerance when people criticize the slogan. Yes, Republicans are the minority in this town and on college campuses nationwide. But so are blacks, gays, Latinos, men, PETA lovers, etc. The criticism the local Republicans are receiving goes back to the week's motto, the co-opting of another group's term for pride and strength. It is extraordinarily tasteless (albeit clever) for the Republicans to steal the "coming out" slogan from homosexuals, a group the national party openly fights.

William says he's tired of being subjected to ideas and movements he doesn't agree with. He equates the outrage over the slogan to distaste for the conservative agenda. He's basically arguing, as students at Georgia Tech are, that the left is being intolerant of intolerance. But no one will disapprove of the woman he marries, if he wants to have kids, or go on an Easter egg hunt.