Where We Stand

The times are a-changin’. We live in such a crazy world that folks are having a hard time deciding where they stand, whether it happens to be politics, religion, sexuality, or child-rearing. Are you a he, she, they, or them? Do black lives matter, or do all lives matter? Is being anti-Zionist different from being antisemitic? Is Hamas a brutal terrorist organization like ISIS, or is Israel an aggressive white colonizer? Does the notion of good and evil exist, or does everything depend on the “context?”

In 2018, before purchasing Twitter, Elon Musk put a toe into our current political and social battlefield scene by tweeting the above cartoon by Colin Wright. In it, Musk tried to convey that while he is still who he is, the goalposts have been moved, repositioning him from a hero fighting against global warming to a demon in his support for free speech and First Amendment rights.

Once again, our country is dangerously divided, similar to the 1960s, 1850s, or the Civil War. The division could be one of pro-choice vs. pro-life, a law-and-order stance to beef up the police vs. one of defunding them on the basis that victims have rights too. These battles had been playing out on our public streets, corporate boards, the U.S. Congress, and the Supreme Court, but today, the fight is raging in our public universities.

While I generally think of myself as a center-right Libertarian, after watching last week’s Congressional hearings, which looked like The Confederacy of the Dunces – minus the pointy hats – I find myself to the right of the center.

In this brave new world, people blame Israel for having played a part in the ensuing barbaric attack by Hamas on October 7, demanding a proportional response and an immediate cease-fire. But think about it. When Japan attacked America at Pearl Harbor – where 2300 American servicemen were killed – it was America’s overwhelming response that ultimately resulted in the guarantee of the very freedom that allowed those Ivy League students to protest in the first place

While we are certainly standing on the shifting sands of history, I believe in America and trust that after completing three full 80-year cycles, she will find her moral bearings to start a new cycle.

— Sina.