Karl Marx was born in 1818, but Marxism—in spirit—has been around far longer. “Smith, you fool,” you might say, “how can that be?” Because Marxism is just a modern mask for ancient temptations: envy, resentment, and rebellion against moral order.
Remember Eden? The serpent whispered to Eve, “You can be your own god.” That same whisper echoes today. Make your own rules. Serve your desires. Resent others. Take what they have. Marx simply built a political theology around these impulses—one that now thrives most visibly on American college campuses.
There, the serpent’s gospel is taught openly: be a victim, hate success, destroy what is good. Few places illustrate this descent more heartbreakingly than my alma mater, the University of Virginia.
For nearly 200 years, UVA’s student-run Honor System was sacred. One infraction—lying, cheating, or stealing—meant permanent expulsion. It was a cornerstone of character, trust, and self-governance. The architecture of Jefferson’s Academical Village wasn’t just beautiful; it was symbolic of a moral and intellectual ideal.
But the Honor System is now defunct, preserved in name only. Cheating scandals have surfaced, and UVA’s leadership has responded not with outrage or integrity, but with silence. President Jim Ryan and his administration have buried the evidence, fearing bad press more than moral decay.
When I attended UVA, cheating didn’t just feel wrong—it was unthinkable. I never once saw anyone cheat. It never entered my mind that anyone would cheat. The system worked not because it was policed, but because it was the belief system, it was the culture. Now, the administration signals that standards themselves are suspect—tools of oppression rather than pillars of excellence.
Critics from within claim the Honor Code is a vestige of “southern white male” ideology, and thus inherently racist. That’s nonsense—a pretext to discard responsibility and embrace the victimhood narrative. What’s really happened is that a new orthodoxy has taken over: the pedagogy of grievance. Its high priests preach resentment over rigor, emotion over ethics, and ideology over truth.
At its root, this isn’t just political. It’s moral. Marxism—and its modern derivatives—repackage an ancient deception: that freedom means license, that virtue is oppression, and that envy is justice and all that is good must be destroyed.
Virginia’s Board of Visitors has one paramount duty in its founding charter: to uphold the Honor System. That means defending its principles—and removing those who’ve betrayed them. President Ryan and his Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion apparatus have failed that test and expulsion is the only remedy.
