RUTHFULLY YOURS

Many students at Scripps College are absolutely furious that Madeleine Albright will be their commencement speaker — because Albright is a “white feminist.”

“It was announced recently that the 2016 commencement speaker will be none other than former Secretary of State, white feminist and repeated genocide enabler Madeleine Albright,” senior Kinzie Mabon wrote in a piece for the Student Life, the school’s official newspaper.

That’s right. Albright may have been the first female Secretary of State, but that doesn’t matter! She’s also white — something so awful that it automatically makes her an unacceptable choice.

Now, to be fair, not all of Mabon’s criticisms of the selection are unwarranted. For example: Mabon explains that — as a woman who does not support Hillary Clinton — she does not want to have to “sit quietly” and listen to someone who once insinuated that women who do not support Hillary Clinton have a “special place in Hell.” As a fellow woman in this category, this is definitely something I can understand.

According to an article in the Claremont Independent, however, much of the objection to Albright’s selection was specifically due to “the fact that Albright is white.”

The article chronicled some of students’ complaints on the matter, including:

2012 and like 2008 appeared to be people of color. but also SO MANY white women.

and

*Just out of curiosity* does anyone know how many POC we’ve had as guest commencement speakers at Scripps? 2…3?

to which another student responded:

real question. real problem.

Oh, and then this:

With Madeline [sic] Albright being our commencement speaker (and a war criminal and a white feminist) I know some of our professors are refusing to be on stage. I was wondering if any of the students were planning a protest or perhaps some sort of show of disagreement with Albright and what she stands for?

Albright is, of course, a very liberal person, so you’d think that these liberal students would be happy about the selection. But apparently, however, no amount of liberal cred is enough to make up for that cardinal sin of whiteness.

— Katherine Timpf is a reporter for National Review Online.