When a member of the House of Representatives was accused recently of making anti-Semitic remarks, some of her accusers supported their accusations by saying that her remarks were “hurtful.” What an odd thing to say. Anti-Semitism is odious, unjust, and wrong. Why not use those words to describe it? Why call it “hurtful?”
The answer becomes clear if we consider this exchange between a professor and a student that took place at Evergreen State College in Washington, as reported in the Chronicle of Higher Education. When the self-described progressive professor objected to the plans of certain students and faculty on his campus, he defended himself by saying, “I am talking about terms that serve the truth.” The student responded, “We don’t care what terms you want to speak on. We are not speaking on terms of white privilege.”
