Dear Editor,

I came to Vanderbilt in August of 1962 from Massachusetts as an incoming first-year intent on pursuing an English major. I soon discovered that the Vanderbilt Southern agrarian literary tradition clashed with my Northern industrialist upbringing, leading me to concentrate in history and political science. 

I grew up in the honored tradition of a liberal Republican. Unfortunately, the term liberal has been bastardized over the last several years by the ‘woke left’ to prioritize unquestioned fealty to an agenda that demands rigid conformity leading to a strict cancel culture. Perhaps an interesting way to view the societal divisions of 2024 is that the Democrats saw the election as “a threat to democracy” whereas the Republicans viewed it as “a threat to bureaucracy.”

Remember, for excellent reasons, we do not have a democracy but rather a constitutional republic. The 2024 election proved two points conclusively:

1. The American electorate maintains a tenacious grasp on reality such that they will not vote against their perceived best interests.
2. The most time-honored tradition in American politics is the continuing propensity to self-correct. Despite the caterwauling of the media, on both sides, America remains a center-right country.

Our inherent instincts prevent us from entertaining extremist doctrines from either side for prolonged periods. 

This time it was the woke left whose ox was gored. We must wait to see how the next midterm election turns before we can make any future predictions. 

I am certain of one fact: Yelling, screaming and not truly listening to one another is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. If we are not all Americans bound by an unbreakable social contract, then we will “all hang separately,” and the marvelous, yet imperfect, concept that is America will decline to no one’s benefit but those who are our enemies.

I understand that for many of you on campus today this sounds like a Norman Rockwell picture of an America long-gone. But you must remember America has gone through more contentious periods than today.

Indeed, perhaps the foundational tenet of Vanderbilt University was a desire to help bring our country back together after the Civil War. In 1873, Commodore Vanderbilt was the ultimate Northern industrialist and the wealthiest person in America. He was encouraged by his  Southern wife, Frank Crawford, and Methodist Bishop, Holland N. Mc Tyeire, to donate $1,000,000 — an enormous sum at the time — to Central University, which became Vanderbilt.

The world has always been, and will continue to be, a messy place — as, on occasion, Vanderbilt can be. The most important thing to remember for you on campus is that Vanderbilt is a community and that every one of you retains the right to express your views in a peaceful and mutually respectful environment. 

When we address our differences in such a manner, the inherent strengths of our Vanderbilt community should always remind us that what holds apart is never as strong as the common values that bind us together.

Sincerely,

Mark Goldman ‘66