Liberal praise

To the Editor:

Kudos to Dan Dudis for recognizing one of the most significant problems plaguing liberal activism at Yale ["Not that there's anything wrong with that," 11/6/98, YH].

Although I am a supporter of most liberal causes, I have become increasingly disillusioned with the hypocrisy of the activist community at Yale; it is a community that claims to promote diversity and encourage dissent, and yet its members seem to be intolerant of any deviation from a specific set of ideological principles.

Rather than debating the relative merits of a variety of opinions, the small, exclusive group of students that controls much of Yale activism is quick to condemn and criticize. I see more and more students disinclined to rally for the causes in which they believe for fear of being scorned for ambivalent feelings toward a particular issue. I have even been condescendingly called a "bad liberal" simply for purchasing a shirt at the Gap.

If Yale activists do not want to lose the support of the vast majority of liberal to moderate students on this campus, they must learn to practice what they preach: a little open-mindedness goes a long way.

--Amanda M. Leff, PC '99

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