Sorry, Not Sorry

Read the original post: https://advocatepressonline.wixsite.com/blog/single-post/2017/04/14/Dear-White-Law-Students

Somewhere deep in the jungles of Okinawa, and some seventy years ago, my grandfather laid in a foxhole in the midnight open air, fighting to stay alert and awake. As he gripped his rifle steady, he pondered the possibility that even if he were to survive this battle, arguably one of the most gruesome in the history of modern warfare, he would inevitably fight in the likely invasion of Japan, a battle of which he surely would not survive. Suddenly, and without warning, a Japanese soldier leapt into the foxhole with a knife in hand, and my grandfather instinctively raised his rifle upwards. The Japanese solider fell upon his bayonet, skewering himself like a kabob. My grandfather slumped back into the edge of his foxhole, and with labored breath, he declared to his fellow Americans, “thank God I still have my white privilege.”

While this is a true story, that’s not what my grandfather said, because that would be absurd. Equally absurd is the idea that present day law students, or anyone for that matter, should apologize, feel guilty, or see their existence with any less worth due to the actions of those who came before them. Said simply, the modern trend of holding people accountable for the actions of their ancestors, which seems to focus only those of European descent, is regressive, unproductive, and quite frankly, illogical. Personally, I would never expect a person of Arab descent to apologize for the Barbary slave trade, I would never expect someone from Turkey to answer for the Armenian Genocide, nor would I expect a Mongolian to feel guilty for the sack of Baghdad. In truth, however, all three atrocities resulted in the enslavement and deaths of millions. In all three examples, the descendants of those responsible have done nothing deserving of blame, yet the current trend of identity politics seems to suggest that the crimes of your ancestors stay with your bloodline for all eternity, as if you are somehow inherently stained by the fact that they happened. Thus, you should constantly apologize and feel actual guilt for events in which you had no involvement. I both understand and encourage having empathy towards others who have themselves been wronged by the actions of one’s ancestors, but on the other hand, the self-guilt encouraged by identity politics has very little logical support, if any at all.

You may be asking, “Devin, what the hell do you want us to get out of this article?” Said simply, be proud of who you are and where you come from, and don’t let anyone debase your experiences and opinions due to your heritage or identity. Someone in your bloodline made immense sacrifices for you to be where you are now, and for us, that place is in law school, one of the most difficult academic endeavors in our society. I for one am proud of my great-grandfather, who came to America through Ellis Island with 50 dollars in his pocket and made a life for my grandfather, who gave 40 years of his life to public service and made a life for my father and uncle, who have represented thousands of indigent defendants and have fiercely defended our civil and constitutional rights, who have in turn made a life for me. Now it is my turn to ensure that they sacrifice was worth it. Some of my ancestors have done terrible things, but so have yours. As human beings, we are broken and fall short of perfection. Therefore, the last thing we want to do is point our fingers and cast blame on the fallen apple rather than the tree that bore it. Look forward to the future, not backwards at the past, and make your mark on history. As future lawyers, this is what we were born to do. The old is gone, the new has come.