The fact that there is a moral dilemma about the buildings names (on campus) does not make the article unfair. Observing something factual is the basis of objectivity.

And since when does the status of something as “history” excuse it from judgment? How can we be objective about the past if we are only allowed to view it through rose-tinted glasses, overlooking the atrocious ideas and events in our history, simply because it is history? How are we to learn from our history if we cannot criticize elements of our past?

The lens of cultural relativity has some definite limits for the average rational person. Simply because something is in its proper cultural context doesn’t make it ethical or acceptable by default. One of our nation’s foundational values is liberty; we should be perpetually outraged by what we allowed to happen here! If only for this, Caitlin, being racist white supremacists should definitely make them bad people.

Why should we not take issue with the bigoted and inhumane beliefs that these men held? If these ideas truly were things of the past, then why wouldn’t we be disgusted by the thought of commemorating men with such deplorable beliefs on our modern campus?  You said it yourself, Caitlin, “…the era of Nott, Graves, Morgan and Ferguson is not our own.”

We have to stop making excuses like “This is the South, people.” It’s not okay. It’s not okay that “esteemed men” were white supremacists. It’s not okay that our education school is housed in a building named for a Klan member. Why do we excuse men who advocated human slavery or relegating black Americans to second-class citizens? We don’t have to cling to racism to have a sense of pride or history as Alabamians.

Alex Hollinghead is a junior majoring in math and philosophy.