People are talking about the renaming of buildings at Princeton University that bear the name of Woodrow Wilson, the desire by some individuals to erase and rewrite history in order to whitewash our past.
In this instance, describing the need by these people to remove a person’s name from a building because of a perceived slight is overly dramatic and self-serving.
First, Princeton should not weaken to these demands for removing Woodrow Wilson’s name from the building(s) in question. The reason for the removal is for alleged insensitivity. What hogwash. This man was the president of Princeton University at the turn of the last century and the president of the United States. He was president during World War I, was the chief architect for the League of Nations – the forerunner to the United Nations – and he “expanded Princeton into a full scale university” so the university, to honor him, “created the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.”
This school is known throughout the world – should it be renamed now? As one of the students at Princeton stated, “If the criteria for naming a building for someone was that they’d be perfect, we shouldn’t name buildings.” He was correct in his assessment.
Should we also look to remove his picture from the White House where it is hung in tribute to him as is done for all other presidents? When does political correctness go too far? Times have changed and what was once accepted and tolerated may no longer be; however, it doesn’t mean that history should be cleansed so that we can’t look back at mistakes or successes and learn from the past. Nor does it mean that a person’s accomplishments should be ignored because of modern day thinking.
To all of you politically correct individuals, learn to be more tolerant of the past and mature enough to know the difference. Stop blaming others for the slights that you believe are directed at you and enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that this great country provides.
Bruce Papkin
Edison