`Political Correctness' Hurts Liberals

To the Editors of The Crimson:

In his opinion piece titled "The Myth of `Politically Correct'" [December 11], J.D. Conner does a great disservice to the liberal values which he suggests might be advanced by the person asked whether he or she is "politically correct." It is, as Conner correctly points out, difficult, if not impossible, to find the "tyrants" of political correctness, and most students here at Harvard are commited to an inclusionary atmosphere of discourse.

This, however, does not mean that an atmosphere of "politically correct" views does not dominate, and the problem is that a majority of those conveniently assuming the protection of "political correctness" are unable to defend and advocate the underlying philosophy of liberalism against the attacks of conservatives.

Thus, we find extremists dominating the current discourse (ORGASM and AALARM), while the liberals have lost the motivation to argue intelligently for their positions. It is not a defense of liberal values to say that an opponent is "racist" or "homophobic," and as the current assault on Roe v. Wade shows, liberals must be careful not to fall into the complacency of an established position.

While it may be a myth that there are "agents" of "political correctness" at Harvard, the sooner liberals realize the presence of an atmosphere dominated by "politically correct," the sooner they will be able to rethink and restate the liberal values underlying much of what should happen to be "politically correct" views. Nader Alexander Mousavizadeh '92