This decision is about honor, which will make it very difficult for some to understand. Praising and celebrating someone, or creating sinecures for them, are forms of honor. Morell is resigning an honor to protest the assignment of a similar honor by the same organization, thus in effect choosing to enjoy less honor himself in order to shame another. The other in question deserves the shame, and thus the honor assigned them becomes in a sense emptied: better men will refuse to share Manning's company.
Well done, Mr. Morell.
UPDATE:
It worked, too.
But notice the penultimate paragraph, which shows that Harvard simply does not understand honor. The fact of a fellowship is an honor. The attention is an honor. The position is an honor. The opportunity to present yourself in a well-regarded environment is an honor.
They got this wrong because they don't understand honor at all. That's a significant problem: these who do not understand honor are training a significant part of our future leaders.
"...indeed, my duty..."
ReplyDeleteThere's a phrase you don't hear much from public officials anymore.
Indeed, good for Mr. Morell.
Hopefully, he will attend the event, and perhaps ask a few pointed questions.
But notice the penultimate paragraph, which shows that Harvard simply does not understand honor. The fact of a fellowship is an honor. The attention is an honor. The position is an honor. The opportunity to present yourself in a well-regarded environment is an honor.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. I think they very clearly understood the invitation to be an honor, and that they do indeed hold Manning in esteem. But they got caught and called out by someone who actually deserves honoring, so they made up this lie to pretend they didn't really "understand that some people consider this an honor", so that they can avoid controversy.
Remember, this is the university that fought tooth and nail to keep ROTC off its campus for over 50 years. They hold leftist ideals in a place of honor. And Manning represents those ideals to them. Good for Mr. Morell for holding his honor in higher esteem.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if Mr. Morell knew, or knew at a close second hand, informants who were identified and killed as a result of Manning's actions, as well as damage done to our relationships with countries that covertly provided national security assistance to the United States.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Mr. Morell could stand to be in the same room with the POS.
Actually, Harvard ROTC drills down the street at MIT, so they're still not geographically on campus, even though they are now recognized as Harvard organizations.
ReplyDeleteHere's an interesting article from the Crimson on ROTC at Harvard.
MikeD - I somewhat agree. I think they notice it when it crosses a boundary. When it's just all the "interesting" and "controversial" lefty people being discussed they regard that as normal, and just doing business, exposing their charges to different points of view. This can extend all the way to the center, and sometimes, even a teensy way into the right.
ReplyDeleteBut once the boundary is crossed, they are surprised. Someone has something public and negative to say about "Chelsea" Manning? Why, that's a bit closed-minded and even disrespectful, isn't it? That is, they notice that honor has been taken away. On the other side, if someone too far out on the right, or second-cousin to a Republican is given an invitation, someone will immediately point out that the university/city/4-H club is whoa! Giving credibility or aggh!bestowing an honor on them. This cannot be done!
There are some who are conscious of what is happening but ignore it because it works in their favor. Yet I think that leftism ultimately requires not knowing some things that you know, and the human personality as always been capable of that. Screwtape tells Wormwood that their best work is done, not by putting thoughts into people's heads, but by keeping them out.
And people thought I was crazy.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the world and the US is a lot crazier than whatever things I did or said between 2007 and 2015.
If the world is the new normal, then I prefer to be considered insane. What are they going to do, kill me? Smirks.