To the editors:
Meredith B. Osborn (Opinion, May 5) tells us that "moderation has abolished the stating of principles from our country's conversation." Nothing could be further from the truth. Moderation means that it is possible to have students who are "anti-affirmative action, but [who would] like to see more diversity on campus," students who think about every issue as a separate entity instead of holding to an ideal that cannot possibly generalize for all situations.
Yes, moderates do not want to be pigeonholed, but not because they are unprincipled. Instead, it is because they do not want to lose their individual voice and personal opinions. What is the difference between a moderate who adamantly supports diversity but sees affirmative action as discriminatory and the liberal who adamantly supports diversity and supports affirmative action? Is one less principled?
It seems odd that Osborn would first condemn extreme conservatives as "backward" and liberals as "self-righteous" and then ask that we all abandon the intelligent discourse that comes with a broad political spectrum to follow blindly the dogma of these extremes. MAY 5, 1999
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