Opinion
An open letter to The Movement
By Hady Hewidy ’17
December 3, 2015
Nothing is as powerful as a person who is armed with nothing but the virtue of their ideas. If members of The Movement truly believe in their own cause, I do not see the reason why they need to address their demands under the name of all student. As a minority, low-income, first-generation Hamilton student, I give you no permission to speak on my behalf. I could very well speak for myself and I do not feel threatened doing so. Allow me to imitate your style: We, the students of Hamilton College, demand that The Movement only speaks for itself.
The fact that we are giving that much attention to a phone app that could be easily removed is pitiful. As an anonymous group, I do not think you have the right to critique an anonymous platform, as ironic as that might sound. I am not entirely certain whether members of The Movement view themselves as liberal or progressive. But, if you claim to be belong to either of these schools of thought, I would urge you reconsider your affiliation. Moreover, I assure you that censorship is an untamable beast. Today it might work in your favor, but you can never guarantee whom it will bite later.
As sad as this might sound, I actually thought that the letter you wrote was sarcastic. If someone did conspire to write something to discredit potential activism on our campus, he would not have done such a good job. Three years have passed since The Movement appeared on our campus, besides recurring community discussions, I do not think you have succeeded in creating any positive change. The obstacles to potential change is not the rigidity of our community; rather, it is your immature and divisive tactics and language.
Indeed, there is a lot to be done to foster the sense of community in our campus and to supporting every one of its members. Indeed, the United States is in a dire need for racial and social reforms. I am afraid that the current trend of pseudo-activism—with an obvious detachment from reality—has done nothing but monopolize morality and righteousness; It has done nothing but exclude potential supporters. Members of The Movement, I am not going to demand you—rather I hope you—would reconsider.
—Hady Hewidy ’17