If the common conspiracy theory of the world being a social experiment was true, Exeter would be the perfect place.
Just think about your classes. But let me show you what dark truths our school avoids. If you think I am extremely dramatic, that is what sells in showbiz.
We have an after school activity called Bridging Cultures! In a world where no culture different from the norm is accepted.
The play “Almost, Maine” about love! Does Maine love anyone except its white lobstermen and lessened diversity, I wonder?
Or look what our newspaper criticizes, the Dining Hall not having enough options. But I have never seen even one student criticize African governments for not taking any action when Pygmies are hunted and eaten! And yes, they are humans just like you but with much different fates.
Look at what we talk about! What Trump did, what Putin said and what the EU will choose. Whatever they do, say or choose will not mean anything for most of the world.
And that “most of the world” I am talking about are not Maine’s white lobstermen, Exeter’s vegan students or our teachers who are so committed to accepting differences.
That “most of the world” I am talking about are probably thinking about what to do with their ten dollars they earned today. If they earned that much, that is. And we will not be able to save them with whatever growth theories we learned in class.
So when you leave Exeter next week, please do not be surprised when you hear a “POP!” sound. That is the Exeter bubble popping to reveal the twisted world behind.
Now, I am going to talk about some things that our world has not yet solved since the average Exeter student was born.
I wonder how many people in Exeter identify partly or wholly as Chinese. We have 56 students from China but beyond that? I want to ask them if they feel comfortable here.
Because apparently Muslims in their country do not.
Their re-education camps force Muslims to eat pork and drink alcohol. Hmm, smells like cultural genocide.
And while many of your ancestors might have made coming to Exeter possible for you, they surely have not helped them much.
But is it only them? Surely not.
We have 21 Canadians here. And somehow no one recognizes the genocide their country committed against the indigenous communities. Even the UN!
And no, this was not just cultural. And no, this is not the same as white people from Wisconsin shouting at Native Americans. This is much more serious.
And you thought both the United Nations and a country like Canada would never do such a thing.
But it gets worse! Canada ranks tenth in the Human Development Index while its native people suffer from poverty, much lower life expectancies and worst of all, silenced press.
Do you want to hear more? I think you do. And if you don’t, we must have great concerns about the future. Even the wealthy children of educated nations, and that is us, are ignorant to all the world’s problems!
Just this week, BBC featured a story about children in Nigeria.
Now, guess what it was about.
I bet you couldn’t even come close. It was children tortured and killed because people thought they were witches.
Just last week, I wrote an article for this very newspaper about the plague saving Europe from the medieval spiral. And that included accusing people of witchcraft and burning them!
Well yes, this did not happen in Europe but that is even sadder.
It is definite proof that humanity has achieved its goals only for some of us. And everyone outside that circle has no idea of what could happen to them. Will you be hanged, drawn and quartered because your grandmother thinks you are the cause of all entropy? Who knows?
Right now, thousands of children live on the streets because their families have expelled them because of witchcraft. And this phenomenon is widespread not just in Nigeria.
According to Amnesty International, 1000 people were locked up and forced to drink a dangerous hallucinogenic potion in Gambia.
So now with only one week to step out of your bubble (and probably enter another one), I hope you know what is waiting out there. Maybe your home for you, but darkness for a thousand others, and unfortunately, this is more important than any Harkness can teach you: the fact that humans have failed each other.