> DAVID REITER
Duke running on shaky premise
The image of David Duke is
morally problematic.
Lately some people have
turned this into a new political weapon,
which might be called “the Duke ar
gument.”
They begin by asserting that Duke
is morally problematic. Then they
claim that there is a connection be
tween Duke and some other thing.
The punch line is that this other
thing also is morally problematic,
because it is connected with Duke.
Some proponents of this argument
have taken aim at the Republican
Party. But the soundness of the argu
ment depends on the nature of the
connection between Duke and the
Republican Party and on the real source
of the moral objection against Duke.
There are significant similarities
between Duke’s political doctrine and
the doctrine of the Republican Party.
If we drew up lists of their official
political ideas, the two lists would
have a lot ih common.
Even Clayton Ycutler, chairman
of the Republican party, has con
ceded that Duke’s position is con
tinuous with Republican Party doc
trine. When Yeuttcr was asked how
Duke differed from the GOP, the only
difference he could think of was that
Duke is a protectionist.
But continuity of content doesn’t
guarantee that the Duke argument is
successful.
A moral objection against some
one may derive from a source other
than what they say. For this reason it
is possible to say the same thing a <
creep says without being a creep i
oneself.
So a crucial question is this: Docs
the moral objection against Duke come
straight Irom his political views, or i
docs it come from some other source? i
Certainly some political and so
cial views are morally objectionable, i
But what about Duke’s political views I
in particular? ]
For example, is opposition to af- i
lirmativc action in itself morally
objectionable?
The question of whether affirma
tive action programs arc just or help- i
ful is complex. I have heard philo- i
I I
A moral objection
against someone, max
derixe tram a source
other than what thex
sav. For this reason
it is possible to xav
the same thing a
crew ssxs. without
beine a creep one
self
sophical lectures on the issue. Even if
social justice docs require certain kinds
if affirmative action, that is not self
evident.
Therefore, it is inappropriate to
brand someone a racist simply be
cause he or she disagrees with af
firmative action.
The Duke argument against the
Republican Parly ultimately fails
iccause the moral objection against
Duke does not derive from his politi
cal views. Then, just what is the source
if the objection?
The answer has to do with who
Duke is and the sort of campaign he is
unning. Duke is defending a legiti
natc political position in a morally
ibjectionablc way.
There is moral space for disagrcc
nent with the National Association
or the Advancement of Colored
3coplc. Lots of people who supported
he confirmation of Supreme Court,
lusticc Clarence Thomas arc not rac
ists.
But there certainly arc morally
ibjectionablc ways of expressing
iisagreement with the NAACP.
CNN’s “Crossfire” showed a-clip
from Duke’s campaign in which he
smilingly and enthusiastically assured
supporters: “Well, ladies and gentle
men, I can promise you one thing —
that this governor will NEVER get in
bed with the NAACP!”
This type of behavior is sympto
matic of the real problem, which is
Duke’s failure to make a clear and
convincing repudiation of his past
involvement with racist groups such
as the Ku Klux Klan.
Duke has put forth some effort to
do so. When asked about it, he speaks
of regretting former “intolerance.”
He also makes frequent references to
being a born-again Christian.
But taking the religious claim seri
ously does not help overcome the
moral problem with Duke. In light of
Duke’s actual behavior, it only makes
the problem worse.
Racism is inconsistent with Chris
tian doctrine. One of its foundational
claims is that all human beings are
created in the image of God, without
restriction to one particular race or
nation.
This image-bearing claim provides
me oackurop lor me multicultural
salvation offered in the New Testa
ment. In the Gospels, Jesus commanded
his followers to “make disciples of all
the nations,” and the Apostle Paul
declared that Greeks who believed in
Christ were the spiritual offspring of
Abraham.
There is more trouble for Duke.
The New Testament talks a lot about
faith in Jesus, but it always connects
faith with something called repen
tance. The Greek word for “repen
tance” means “change of way.” Re
pentance is a basic reorientation of
the deepest commitmcnlsof the heart.
It is an internal change, but it is sup
posed to be externally visible.
Thus, Duke’s religious claim only
aggravates his moral credibility prob
lem. It only ought to raise our expec
tations that he repudiate his past in a
way that is clear and convincing.
* Unfortunately, his “repudiation”
is neither.
Reiter is a graduate student in philosophy
and a Daily Nebraskan columnist.
LINDA KAY MORGAN
People of color telling of pain
Sometimes, I can’t believe some
of the conversations that take
place in the Nebraska Union
— covering subjects from politics to
personal life.
One day while I was walking
through the union, I overheard a
conversation as someone started to
look through the Daily Nebraskan. It
went something like this:
“Let’s check-out the paper today,
to sec what the columnists arc talking
about. Most of the time I find the
articles interesting. On the other hand,
many are non-stop rhetoric.
“Each time I run across a story
written by a person of color, the ar
ticle appears to be angry and full of
hatred toward European culture —
why?
“Why do these people of color talk
nnlv about the past and present
the only thing rounded is their thoughts.
I respect everyone’s ethnic group,
but my utmost respect lies within my
own. To educate someone about one’s
ethnicity shows a sense of pride in
oneself.
Many people may not know about
themselves nor their history. But what
a person does know must be shared. It
docs no one any good when the only
person benefiting from knowledge is
oneself.
Many people think they have gradu
ated and have learned all they need to
know to succeed. But if people missed
half as much information as I have
missed, then people are far from being
completely educated. A degree does
not stop a person from continuing to
learn. Individuals only stop them
selves.
Think about what audience the
person of color who writes in a news
paper is trying to get. One may think
the writer is once again faulting Euro
UK_r m
Now, piven a
chance, people of
color will speak until
their hearts are
cantmL What they
sax max appear to be
rhetoric, but it actu
ally is the pain and
heartaches they were
forced to shut up
about.
shut up about.
As an African-American, I often
feel that it is my duly to relay the
frustrations of and truth about my
people, leaving room for us to grow
and learn together. I speak of people
of color, because I believe everyone
needs to become educated about oth
ers as individuals before we start to
pass judgment as a people.
Do people still find fault with the
topics people of color wish to dis
cuss? How often do people find them
selves questioning their knowledge
of another culture?
If people continue to believe they
are well-rounded individuals, yet they
lack knowledge of people around them,
struggles of their people regarding
racism and discrimination?”
For years people of color have
been told to be quiet and to say noth
ing, that if they keep their mouths
shut everything will be OK. But eve
rything isn’t OK.
A lot of stories about people of
color never surfaced and often the
truth went untold, leaving what is
now a world of lost and confused
souls.
The opportunity to finally speak
freely was a blessing that far too many
people of color were once denied.
Even though everyone was entitled to
free speech under the Bill of Rights, it
didn’t hold up so well for people of
color. They could speak but only what
they were told to speak.
Now, given a chance, people of
color will speak until their hearts arc
content. What they say may appear to
be rhetoric, but it actually is the pain
and heartaches they were forced to
pcan culture. But a person of color
secs it as a lime to educate, a lime to
say what people of color have been
restricted from saying for so long.
When given the opportunity to speak
to a massi vc aud iencc, people of color
address those whose eyes may be
closed and could use a chance to be
opened.
Although that may come off as
being blunt, that is the way to get the
message across. A writer can‘t just
look out a peephole to determine what
the reader wants. The writer must
open the door if readers are to find
out.
It’s not a matter of how many ears
were closed to people of color in the
past, but how many arc open now.
Morgan Is a sophomore advertising and
broadcasUng mpjor and a Daily Nebraskan
columnist.
. —
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