Once upon a time, intellectuals spoke of inalienable rights. They set up a country with a border and a system of government to protect those rights. Protecting rights was deemed more humane than democracy. The story was told of two lions and a lamb voting on what they’d eat for dinner.
And so, I return to the House of Spirits controversy in the Watauga County School District. In the old days, this would have been a no-brainer. If one person or a group of people suffered breach of conscience for an arbitrary activity, they should not be forced to participate; and if somebody dared force them, those compelled against their wills should be able to appeal to government for protection.
But no, this will be decided either by whether those who want to force their will on others outnumber those who want to follow their own consciences, or whether the former has more political pull than the latter.
Maybe we need to get some lettered dufus with red, blue, and green pie charts to show us the direct, indirect, and induced societal costs of suppressed thoughts. Maybe we are having this problem because thought is so invisible. If half the student body, teachers, and administrators said it would be cool to give all students a tattoo, or punch out one of their eyes; maybe we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
