As university commencements take place, many students may be force fed one more dose of liberalism before they leave. Those at Hillsdale College, however, had the opportunity to hear Justice Clarence Thomas on Saturday.
It’s been nearly 50 years since Thomas graduated college, and he admitted he finds it hard to relate at times to recent graduates. College itself seems different, with Thomas noting that “things that were once considered firm have long since lost their vitality, and much that seemed inconceivable is now firmly or universally established. Hallmarks of my youth such as patriotism and religion seem more like outliers, if not afterthoughts.”
Thomas, on the other hand, noted “I admit to being unapologetically Catholic, unapologetically patriotic, and unapologetically a constitutionalist.”
Times have changed though, with Thomas noting that “apparently we all deserve the same reward, the same status, not withstanding the differences in our efforts or our abilities. It is no wonder then that we hear so often what is deserved or to what one is entitled.” This is also applied with college students:
Entitlements would come up once again, with Thomas later noting that “today of course, there is much more focus on our rights as citizens and what we are owed. It is not often that one hears of our obligations or our duties as citizens, unless of course there’s talk about a duty to submit toyed another new policy being suggested or proposed.”
Thomas encouraged students to act as good citizens, even “despite unfair treatment” from segregation.
He also took a step away from what is to be expected at commencement addresses:
In closing, Thomas did turn to encouraging words, with one suggestion being to “not hide your faith and your beliefs under a bushel basket especially in this world that seems to have gone mad with political correctness.”
Justice Thomas takes the stage at six minutes into the video.
