Ism Week

Back in my university days I was witness to a collegiate episode sponsored by the campus Residence Life Department titled “Ism Week.” Each day of the week was dedicated to spotlighting a different problematic -ism, complete with posters, speakers, workshops, and sponsored discussions intended to raise consciousness of an alleged societal ill.

Thus, one day was dedicated to Racism, subtitled “The -ism race,” another day was dedicated to Sexism, or “The -ism sex,” and so on. The normal leftist stereotypes and clichés were on display throughout the week.

The entry that had me laughing out loud was Theism, which was qualified as “The –ism of religion.”

At first I gave Res Life the benefit of the doubt and said that they were confused by the coincidental use of the letters I-S-M in a word that meant merely “belief in the existence of God” and nothing more. I later learned, however, that the Residence Life staff thought that to be religious was to be discriminatory. Well, at least if you were a Christian; if you were a religious minority, you were exempt.

I asked if a future installment of Ism Week would include a day for addressing the Ism of Atheism. I was told that wasn’t funny.

These days we could start our own ISM week.

* Monday: Atheism, the -ism of godlessness

* Tuesday: Feminism, the -ism of misandry

* Wednesday: Liberalism, the -ism of unthinking rebellion

* Thursday: Socialism, the -ism of institutionalized envy

* Friday: Modernism, the synthesis of all -isms