Mainstream Values Versus Pluralism

In response to “Mainstream Values vs. Campus Pluralism,” Campus Correspondence (“Correctness is intolerance by another name” and “The privileged classes must yield in the name of equality” (Opinion, Nov. 25):

I read with great alarm the article by a group which claimed to promote “traditional American values.” This group seemed to imply that it had the ability to define what the “ideals of faith, family, country and community” actually were.

Whether conservative or liberal, I cannot believe anyone would choose to idolize those institutions which have often been the most severe stumbling block to this nation’s progress. Religious fervor and its zealous followers have often marred our history with witch hunts and hatred. Can we fully revere the traditional family which for so long stressed male achievement while leaving countless women tied to a life of unfulfillment and misery? Can we trust the community which still can support segregation?

Tradition does have a valuable place in providing guidance to today’s youth. The history of this country should be remembered, however, not for how things were, but for where it has taken us today. No single individual or group can or should define what is “ideal” for any other individual. We need all available voices and perspectives to define what values we truly wish to pass on to the next generation. This is progress and this is what a forum like Harvard is all about.

JAY ROSSITER

Harvard, Class of 1986

Manhattan Beach