Differing values in a divided country

Wealthy people on the wrong side of history should not be memorialized, regardless of what they bought. Any respectable research institution should be looking for areas in which their institution can grow. However, at the moment, the idea of growth is not a universal notion across the political spectrum.

Psychology tells us that when a person faces cognitive dissonance, they must look at how the contradicting beliefs or behaviors reflect against their identity. People who don’t find the information to be a vital aspect of their character will choose to be open-minded. In contrast, a person whose identity is threatened will reaffirm their own beliefs.

Right now, our nation’s values are more divided than ever. While some institutions are chiseling names from their walls, others need guards to protect the monuments of confederate soldiers. By removing these symbols, we subvert the poisonous ideology of racism of our past.

I applaud the actions taken by the administration of UCB, and I would like to thank you for the article (“UC Berkeley Law School strips itself of racist namesake” in the Jan. 30 edition of the Daily Journal). Looking toward the 2020 election, I am very interested in seeing more articles exploring the dichotomy between the fundamentalist and progressive thought.

John Gibson

Syracuse