In the most recent edition of this newspaper, published on Nov. 18, a viewpoint was offered with the goal of “Illuminating a ‘deplorable’ perspective.” This piece of writing gathered quite a bit of attention and seemed to satisfy the writer’s “life affirming” goal of attacking “politically correct liberalism.” If you happen to be one of these so-called liberals, thus having “the luxury to be offended,” then you may have read this article and felt attacked by some of the writer’s views.

However, even if you do not identify solely as the “fragile counterpart” to the conservative, but simply as a student or faculty member at The College of Wooster, then you too may have felt attacked by such comments. The writer claimed, “The propaganda that many of our professors attempt to pour down our fellow students’ throats is astounding: most do not even notice as they choke it down.”

Apparently, the masses of students are victims of a line “too often blurred between being taught how to think and what to think.” But do not fear, my liberal friends — luckily, we have been informed of this wonderful insight and can now change our behavior accordingly.

We live in a post-fact society where the capital “T” Truth has been reduced to a merely subjective end, a society where the goals of this institution, and higher education in general, have been vilified. Professors — individuals who have spent their professional lives dedicated to the study of a specific discipline — are seen as no longer offering their students an informed interpretation of the facts, but rather a mere opinion, as the conservative student must “adhere to a professor’s view just to get the grade.” Professors are now seen as offering mere views, not knowledge. It would appear as though the real world evades the liberal, so we “scurry to a safe space” and hide from it.

Perhaps it’s not that we do not understand how the real world works, but rather we understand it all too well and recognize that this status-quo so cherished by the alt-right is not acceptable.

This is not a civil discussion concerning the merits of trickle-down economics. We are talking about putting people on lists because of their religion, or threatening conversion therapy based on sexual orientation or the denial of respect for the natural world when climate change is called a “hoax.” These are undeniably beliefs the Trump voter either must support or be able to dismiss. I cannot.

A post-fact society where experts are dismissed and mistakes in moral thought cannot be recognized as such is an incredibly dangerous world and one that I am not willing to accept.

While I would promote a civil discussion with any conservative of this community, I will not concede the ethos of this institution in the process. If you do not subscribe to the intellectual process, academic analysis or scientific method, and dismiss the results produced by these practices as a mere view, then you fundamentally disagree with The College of Wooster and higher education as a whole.

Those of the “deplorable perspective” do not like that liberals think there is something “morally ill” about their views. And to the liberals calling out the moral illness of views held by the President-elect and his supporters: I urge you to please continue and not begin to fall victim to the idea that the values to which we subscribe are simply views rooted in mere opinion or belief.

The self-proclaimed conservative “extremophile” pleads with his peers to “remain steadfast” and to “not let other groups determine [the future] for us.” And I plead with my liberal peers to not let mere views determine the future, but to remain steadfast in our conviction that the goals and methods of this institution are sound and should be continued.

Brandon Burkey, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at BBurkey18@wooster.edu.