When glorified disc jockeys
spill their guts on talk radio or do it in print, they reveal some outstanding
truths about the prevailing culture that many agree is ailing.
A good example of that is the
article which came under the title: “Hillsdale College stands out for its
courage in face of liberal onslaught,” written by Everett Piper and published
on July 12, 2020 in The Washington Times.
Before we analyze Piper's
piece, we need to identify a requisite concerning the art of human
communication. Basically, there are 4 ways that people use to communicate
complex ideas to each other. First, there is the description of reality as it
concerns our thoughts and observations. A good amount of the communication we
do, happens to be of this kind. It is best done in declarative sentences
because they are the simplest of all.
Aside from that, there is the
citing of precedents that were accepted or rejected in the past. We use this
method to illustrate how things ought to be or ought not to be. There is also
the description of a situation in the abstract to mean that what's described
applies not only in the current situation, but applies universally. And there
is the use of the fictional metaphor to describe unfamiliar situations in
familiar terms and images.
Novice communicators spend
years learning how to use these methods separately, and how to mix them without
confusing the audiences. On the other hand, seasoned communicators use them separately
or mix them to add depth to their message. But devious communicators also use
them to make a bad message sound reasonable and acceptable. The most vexing of
these techniques is the use of the non sequitur.
There are many illegitimate
ways to use the non sequitur, but they all boil down to talking about two
things as if they were cause and effect, when in reality they are not. For
example, if I am an inexperienced novice and I want to make you believe
something that I know is not true, I would say something like this: The
universities are so bad, they produce ninth grade sophomores that cannot read
or write. Well, given that a university is not a high school, you'll know right
away that I'm full of it.
Believe it or not, Everett
Piper said something like this, but used a technique that made it a little
harder to detect the deception. Here is what he did in the first paragraph of
his article. He asked the question: “How could so many of our nation's
18-years-old become so clueless?” And here is what he answered in the next
paragraph: “Your colleges and universities have taught them to be”.
Since it is an extremely rare
occasion when an 18-years-old, would graduate clueless from a college or a
university, having been considered a prodigy at the age of 14 when he was
admitted to the institution of high learning, it is obvious that Everett Piper
is either a snake oil salesman, or he is the one that's clueless about the
stuff he incessantly blathers about; and does so profusely.
You know what, my friend?
That's not the only occurrence in the Everett Piper article that shows how
removed the man is from knowing what he's talking about. In fact, having
asserted that, “The proof of the ivory tower's culpability is seen in the list
of apologies pouring forth from leaders,” Piper gave a number of bad examples,
then identified the one exception which he praised no end. This is how he did
it:
“Consider Hillsdale College.
When pressured to issue statements [of apology,] this college's leadership
responded as follows: 'a number of alumni and others have insisted that
Hillsdale College issue a statement concerning Black Lives Matter … Well,
Hillsdale College's founding is a statement'”.
Everett Piper quoted a few
entries from the College's statement. They went as follows:
“Our curriculum is a statement
… Our teaching is a statement … Organizing our affairs to maintain principles
of equity and justice is a statement … Dispensing financial help to students
who cannot afford tuition is a statement … Helping private and public schools
across the country is a statement … Postgraduate programs with the aim of
advancing human dignity, justice and equality are all statements”.
It looks like Everett Piper
missed the significance of that development. He failed to see the drama that
played itself out on this occasion. He may have heard the voice that told the
leaders of Hillsdale College, times have changed and they ought to catch up
with what's unfolding.
But Piper did not understand
the response of the college's leaders. What they said in essence, is this: Why
are you telling us this? We have been at the forefront of change since our
founding, and have not relented for a moment being a part of change if not
leading it.
What this means when all is
said and done, is that whenever Everett Piper praises Hillsdale College for
what it is doing, he praises what the new “woke” movement is about; that
movement which includes Black Lives Matter.