Dishonor Code

Richard Spencer, aka Dick, or Dickon attended the same undergraduate university as I did. We’re both white males.  We both live in Northern Virginia.  There, I hope the similarities end.  With a Jewish father and some (admittedly modest) sense of decency, I aspire to be nothing like the anti-semitic, racist, rabble-rousing rickhead that keeps popping up in the news.

I’ve gone back to dear old UVA a handful of times since graduating in 1999, to see an occasional basketball game (they’re much better now than when I was there, as is their arena – RIP U-Hall), or a disappointing football game (they’re much worse now than when I was there, in the heyday of the Barber boys), though as a scrubby walk-on runner, I couldn’t take credit or blame for either. I’ve revisited the lovely town of Charlottesville for a break from the DC Metro area, be it a relaxing weekend at the Boars Head Inn, apple picking at Carter Mountain, sightseeing at Monticello, or masochistically decimating my (lack of) leg muscles on the hills of C-Ville for the demanding marathon in 2015.

Dick Spencer has revisited our alma mater with tiki torches in hand to freely express the viewpoint that he is superior to minorities, and that Jews will not replace him (whatever the hell that is supposed to mean). He proudly brings out the worst of the worst to one of the best small cities (and touring, coming soon to a town near you), elevating hatred and bigotry.  This guy stood on the National Mall and quoted Nazi propaganda last year.  One of his recent events led to one of his supporters mowing down over a dozen counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer.  In short, Dick sucks.

I’m not going to argue the merits of free speech versus hate speech, or whether or not this sucker Dick deserved to be sucker punched (while violence is not to be encouraged, I confess to not shedding a tear over that incident). I do not support the safe space concept, wherein colleges are trying to avoid uncomfortable topics or questionable opinions (looking at you, Berkeley).  But I will question whether or not Spencer deserves to keep his degree from UVA.  Jefferson’s University proudly touts its honor code, and I find much of Dickon’s rhetoric and antics to be less than honorable.  While he safely escaped with his humanities degree in 2001 (how ironic), and went on to share the joy of his happy being with University of Chicago and Duke afterwards (Durham should have kept him), The University of Virginia expects its people to maintain their honor after leaving Charlottesville (and surely hopes if said people are going to return, they’ll not be dishonorable dicks).  As such, if Mr. Spencer has violated the honor code, he should be subject to repercussions, such as revoking his big degree.  Maybe then he will only return to his other schools or Florida, and leave C-Ville alone.

Thomas Jefferson proudly founded the University in 1819, recognizing that schools such as William and Mary were just too boring. Virginia needed somewhere better to teach young men to be better (women weren’t admitted until 1970).  Jefferson was not ideal, but was idealistic.  He wrote that “all men are created equal”, while hypocritically owning and boning slaves.  UVA was white only until 1955, 129 years after Jefferson’s death, yet integrated 23 years before Spencer’s birth.  Dick was born in the wrong century!  I’ll let Trump argue about the potential plans for Jefferson’s statues to follow Lee’s into the scrapyards or museums or wherever the monuments to great men who are later found to have been not-so-great eventually go (where is JoePa’s statue now?  Where will Trump’s towers be in a century?).  I’m not arguing against TJ or defending his faults or statues.  But I am using his ideals to explain where Spence falls short.  Jefferson also wrote the statute on religious freedoms, which  argued “no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of Religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge or affect their civil capacities.” Free speech is one thing, but acting to force out Jewish people or Muslims or … (long list) on the basis of their religions (as well as countless immigrants and minorities on the basis of their non-whiteness) is contrary to Jefferson’s eloquently written edict to live and let live.  So setting aside Sally Hemmings and the rest of the reluctant residents of Monticello, and the lack of women or minorities at his University, what did Jefferson stand for?  What did he want for his country?  Something better than the F.Utopia envisioned by Dick and his band of misfits.  I imagine Thomas J. would have supported Dick’s right to espouse unsavory views, while recognizing that Spencer and his people were idiots to whom he’d have stood up once the bullies tried to force their views on otherwise free and uninterested decent folk.

When I came south of the Mason Dixon to attend UVA, I was surprised to learn that the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday was labeled Lee-Jackson-King Day. It seemed racist to me to mingle the one nationally recognized holiday for an African American Civil Rights pioneer with two other guys who fought for something a little different.  But beyond enjoying a day without classes, I never took action or spoke up about it.

My closest allegiance to General Lee was having been a big fan of the Dukes of Hazzard when I was little. I was a much bigger fan of Bruce Lee than Bobby E, but then again, I’m partial to Asians.  Setting aside my personal preferences, and giving Robert E. Lee some credit for his leadership while part of the US Army (prior to 1862), I might not outright honor the guy with a state holiday, but surely he holds some local charm that merited a special statue in Charlottesville specifically.  Lee went to UVA, right?  Wrong.  Even though he started his collegiate studies at the same time as Jefferson’s University, he opted for West Point instead.  Then he at least spent some time living in C-Ville?  Not as far as I can tell.  So what gives?  Apparently some local named Paul McIntire (the same McIntire who gifted the McIntire School of Commerce at UVA) with more money than the University could handle, so he had to waste some of it throwing up replicas of big rebels on horses around town in the 1920s (https://hyperallergic.com/395627/robert-e-lee-confederate-monument-charlottesville/).  If Dick Spencer had gone through the Comm School at UVA, maybe his affinity for Lee’s statue would make more sense.

Stonewall Jackson was pretty far down my list of favorite Jacksons (Michael was the King of Pop; Bo knew everything; Mr. October (Reggie) attended my high school (years before me); Samuel L. was the man after Pulp Fiction; even LaToya graced the cover of my first issue of Playboy (she wouldn’t have been my first choice, but at the time, I took what I could get)). What did Stonie do?  He killed some Mexicans in an earlier war before being such a brilliant Civil War tactician that he got himself shot by his own troops and died of complications thereafter, according to Wiki (sorry, lazy research).

Trump should have been born 140 years earlier, and he too could have killed some Mexicans with Lee and Jackson, though who knows how well doctors in those days could diagnose bone spurs.

To be fair, the Commonwealth of Virginia ended their combo holiday shortly after I left UVA, separating the three guys into two days instead of the reverse single Oreo cookie day of commemoration. This was before Spencer finished his (Oh the) humanities degree, though, which may have inspired part of his rage.  How dare they give MLK his own day!

But back to dissociating Dick from UVA, via the aforementioned honor code (sorry for the long tangents). This honor code thing did not actually start with Jefferson.  It came about in 1842.  Still, as with almost everything else on Virginia Grounds, it is tied to Jefferson’s vision / ideals for moral behavior (though lying with slaves or stealing people from their homelands and cheating them of pay were not honorable acts).  The short version is that Thou Shalt Not Lie, Cheat, or Steal.  Pretty simple.  On the surface, that leaves room to argue that Thou can lead a bunch of torch-wielding neo-Nazis around town to demand that non-whites leave the country.  But I checked the finer print to see if maybe Honor extended a little deeper than those three (lie, cheat, steal), to see if there was a more nuanced expectation.  And the current bylaws did not disappoint.  Interestingly, according to the Honor Code History, “Following the Civil War, the System became romantically tied to the idea of the Southern Gentlemen and men were permanently expelled for cheating at cards, insulting ladies, and defaulting on payments of debts.” (http://honor.virginia.edu/history)  I think it evolved a bit further than these Southern Gentlemen notions since then, but otherwise, Dick would be in trouble for the insulting ladies part, assuming (I know I shouldn’t) that most ladies resent when he suggests that they should not have the right to vote.  (http://www.newsweek.com/alt-right-leader-richard-spencer-isnt-sure-if-women-should-be-allowed-vote-685048)  Watch out, Dickie boy, because if they find that insulting, I’ve heard that “their vindictiveness knows no bounds.”

Highlights from the Honor Committee By-Laws as of December 1, 2016 (an exciting, 49 page document – http://honor.virginia.edu/documents):

* The Honor System at the University of Virginia exists to foster a cohesive bond of trust among all members of the University community and to instill in all students a mutual reverence for the ideal of honorable behavior.

* Jurisdiction includes Charlottesville, Albemarle County, any of the University of Virginia’s regional centers, or anywhere else that a University student represents himself or herself as a student of the University.

* Former Students. Students who leave or have left the University for any reason (including graduation), at any time, whether prior to the official accusation of an Alleged Honor Offense or thereafter, are subject to procedures… In the case of students who have already graduated from the University, the Committee will initiate degree revocation proceedings.

* The Honor Committee and its support officers act on behalf of the Community of Trust to protect its interest in maintaining the ideal of honorable behavior. It adjudicates allegations that members of the Community bring to its attention.

* Any person may report an Alleged Honor Offense, provided that such Report is made within two years of the date of the Alleged Act.

* Question is more likely than not that student committed Act in question; committed such Act with Knowledge; and such Act was Significant. Deliberation is Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.

* The Honor Committee recognizes that a student may be afflicted by a mental disease or disorder or mental condition…

* The accused student is expected to take the principal role in explaining his or her actions. Student shall mean a current or former student of the University of Virginia.

* Honor Offense shall mean a Significant Act of Lying, Cheating or Stealing, which Act is committed with Knowledge. Knowledge shall mean that the actor knew, or a reasonable student should have known, that the Act in question might be considered an Honor Offense.  Ignorance of the scope of the Honor System shall not be considered a defense.

* Lying shall mean the misrepresentation of one or more facts in order to gain a benefit or harm another person, where the actor knows or should know that the misrepresentation will be relied upon by another person.

* Significant shall mean that open toleration of such Act would be inconsistent with the Community of Trust.

So, to summarize, J’accuse Mssr. Richard Spencer of lying about the superiority of his race and gender, when it is truly self-evident that all men are created equal. He misrepresented this fact to a series of followers, who relied upon his disinformation to support their discriminatory acts of intimidation at grounds and campuses and communities around the USA.  The quiet, quaint town of Charlottesville’s trust was violated by a group of khaki-clad Spencer followers, chanting offensive phrases that countered Jefferson’s declarations.  Dick “excited domestic insurrections amongst us” and “has endeavored to prevent the population of these States.”  One such follower of Spencer’s lies took it further and caused bodily harm, striking multiple people with his vehicle, and killing Heather.  Pretty goddamn Significant.  At another rally, another of Dick’s nuts fired a gun at people whom he believed were inferior.  These are the charges as I see them, and I’d hope the Honor Committee would investigate to determine if Mr. Spencer has the right to retain his degree from the University of Virginia.  I’d like him to be deported altogether (let’s let him found his alt-right, all-white, all-male society on another planet), but that’s a long shot and seemingly beyond the jurisdiction of this Honor Committee.

I don’t know if U Chicago has its own honor code, and don’t care if Duke does (since Dick dropped out before finishing his Dukie). I’ll defer to one of their bothered baccalaureates or masters to protest his presence there.  I can only speak to UVA’s policy.

In his informal defense (not formal Counsel), it’s understandable that this guy would have such a problem with foreigners, minorities, non-WASPs, based on his lifetime of struggles. He grew up poor, with a struggling mother who barely scraped by as a cotton farm heiress and an ophthalmologist father (you know, the eye doctors with a median salary of $254k per year).  If only he had some slaves to work his mother’s cotton fields, life would have been so much more fair.  He was raised in the impoverished enclave of Preston Hollow, Texas, where other notable struggling residents have included George W Bush, Ross Perot, and Mark Cuban.  Can you imagine how perilous it was for him to grow up there?  He was very fortunate to be accepted into UVA after an experience straight out of Dangerous Minds at St. Mark’s School of Texas, recently ranked as the best all-boys school in the U.S.  Actually, sarcasm aside, it is starting to make more sense.  He grew up super-rich in an all-white neighborhood near Dallas, went to an expensive, private boys-only prep school, and grew up believing that he was better than everyone else?  He doesn’t need a special white homeland; he just needs to go back home.

My limited research on Dickie went no further than Wiki, because I don’t particularly enjoy reading about particularly loathsome people (except for my addiction to fake news about Trump). There was no way I’d give Dick the pleasure of page clicks to read his website, so my bias is based not on firsthand knowledge of him, but instead on all of the articles / news reports / commonsense evidence that suggest he’s a racist douchebag.  Our President would label that fake news, but I’ll side with Jemele Hill on that one.  Note that Spencer has his own Wikipedia page!  Bully for him.  He really is (in)famous.

Is Spencer the worst person to come through UVA? Surely in its nearly 200 years, he couldn’t be.  George Huguely was hugely horrendous, though he’s kept away since being locked away.  Willie Dersch?  What a disappointment.  And I still haven’t forgiven Todd Braverman for ruining my New Year’s Eve 1999 Peach Bowl by blowing a gimme field goal against Georgia.  There was no Prince-like partying after that stomach-punch choke.  But neither George, Willie, nor Todd are currently perpetuating deplorable behaviors (Braverman’s tutorial tour on how to miss easy field goals would actually be kind of entertaining).  George does not have an oversized diploma hanging in his jail cell.  Willie is surely still fixating on his high school glory days, rather than his substandard college game (that’s okay Dersch-bag, I too peaked in high school).  And I hear Todd had a sex change operation and is currently looking for the holder who forgot the famous “laces out” mantra, so again, not advertising for the alma mater.  So it’s Spencer for higher marks on lower value to the world at large.  For the record, I’m not morally equating a sorry basketball player or an even sorrier football kicker with a murdering lacrosse player.  These are just the worst UVAers I could think of, and they’re all arguably better people than Richard Spencer.

So you tell me, Honorable People, is there enough fire behind Dick’s hot air and tiki torches to justify ejaculating him from the UVA body? Can you discharge him like… (Okay, I won’t keep playing with this analogy).  But seriously, can you review and tell me what would Jefferson want with Spencer?  WWTJD?  Live and let live, as far as I’m concerned (a little different from his message), but let’s have some standards of behavior for the people who came through Jefferson’s University.  Most UVAers are elitist pricks (though surely not me); let’s be a little more elitist by ejecting someone so clearly beneath Jefferson’s vision for humanity.  Perhaps the University can take Dick’s retracted degree, and honorarily bestow it upon a more worthy recipient.  To add the ultimate insult, let’s replace him with a Jew!  Just please not Jared, no matter how much money his family donates.

 

** PS ** The Honor Committee responded to my request to reject Spencer, but told me that there is a 2 year statute of limitations for graduates.  Much as they agreed that he’s deplorable (I believe they used the words “blatantly disgusting”), there was nothing they could do about it.  I read about the recent “Make Europe White Again” protests in Poland, where the same Richard Spencer was invited to speak, but he declined at the request of the Polish government.  So I guess the next step is for every local government to request he not participate in their racist rallies, and he’ll stay away?