Kyle Kashuv case: What does forgiveness mean in modern America?
When is an apology not enough?
Public figures who’ve expressed remorse for their abhorrent speech haven’t always been spared the consequences – not even when offenses date back many years. Kevin Hart lost out on hosting this year’s Oscars. Disney initially fired “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn. And, this week, Harvard rescinded its admission offer to conservative teen activist Kyle Kashuv.
The ensuing debate over whether Mr. Kashuv should be admitted to the nation’s preeminent Ivy League school hinges on whether a teenager merits a measure of grace. Answers to that question tend to reflect partisan lines. Conservatives claim that liberals’ judgment on the matter is clouded by bias against a Parkland high school shooting survivor who is opposed to gun control. The left’s riposte is that going to Harvard is not a guaranteed right and that college admissions are based on judging people by what they did when they were 16. Then they bring up instances where the right was similarly unmerciful.
The debate might suggest perpetual gridlock in such matters. But some observers believe it’s possible
‘We are wrestling with what forgiveness looks like’Teenagers as targets of public shamingConsequences and character-building