Whiteness as a Pandemic? How Modern Academia Undermines American Foundations

The University of Minnesota’s recent claim that “whiteness” is a pandemic has drawn sharp criticism from across the political and cultural spectrum. While the university frames this idea as a call to confront systemic racism, the underlying message goes much deeper—it challenges the very cultural and moral foundations that have long defined American life. By labeling values like hard work, family integrity, and personal responsibility as harmful, the institution risks replacing tradition with ideology.

These principles—often associated with the Protestant work ethic, stable family units, and respect for laws and institutions—have not been tools of oppression. They have been the engine behind generations of upward mobility, innovation, and national strength. From the homesteader to the small business owner, from the immigrant who built a life from scratch to the veteran who returned home to raise a family, these values have shaped a society where character matters more than color.

Yet today, some academic institutions treat these same values as if they were diseases to be eradicated. The idea that a culture rooted in faith, self-discipline, and community is inherently toxic reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of history and human nature. It also reflects a broader trend in higher education: the replacement of truth with ideology.

When universities begin defining cultural norms as “pandemics,” they open the door to a new kind of moral panic—one that does not seek justice, but rather rewrites the past to fit a political agenda. This is not about inclusion. It is about control. It is about replacing the legacy of individual responsibility with the politics of group identity, where merit is dismissed and victimhood becomes the primary claim to moral authority.

The consequences are already visible. Young people are being taught to distrust their parents, to question the value of hard work, and to see the rule of law as a tool of oppression rather than protection. The family unit—once the cornerstone of society—is now portrayed as a relic of the past. When institutions like the University of Minnesota promote this narrative, they do not strengthen equality. They weaken the social fabric that makes equality possible.

True progress does not come from tearing down the past. It comes from building on it. The United States rose to greatness not because it abandoned tradition, but because it embraced it. The same values that helped build railroads, win wars, and establish civil rights are the same ones that continue to empower individuals today.

We must ask: what kind of future do we want? One where students are taught to reject their heritage, or one where they are empowered to learn from it? The answer should be clear. We should not fear our history. We should honor it.

The real threat to American identity is not whiteness. It is the erosion of truth, the rejection of personal responsibility, and the dismissal of hard-earned values. These are the true pathogens. They spread not through race, but through ideology. They undermine not culture, but common sense.

Let us not allow academic institutions to redefine our nation’s soul. Let us preserve the traditions that have made America exceptional—faith, family, freedom, and the belief that every person matters. These are not outdated ideals. They are the enduring principles that still hold us together.

When we defend these values, we do not reject diversity. We affirm it. Because diversity thrives not in the absence of shared values, but in their presence. Let us not apologize for the past. Let us learn from it. And let us pass on the legacy of a free and virtuous people to the next generation.

Published: 11/29/2025