Our last few reports on Georgetown University featured a member of Egypt’s Nazi Party and a Condom bandit.

However, as an essay by Georgetown student Angela Morabito shows, there is both class and common sense at the institution.

…Shame is no longer a deterrent to deviant behavior. Deviant behavior is a marker of individuality in most cases, and a moneymaker in the most exceptional cases. Differentiating between right and wrong is now “judgemental,” and judgemental — in the eyes of good progressives everywhere — is wrong. It is not wrong to want people to do the right thing. It is not wrong to want the best for other people. It is not wrong to want to see others making the best choices for themselves.

In her book, When Did White Trash Become the New Normal?: A Southern Lady Asks the Impertinent Question, author Charlotte Hays decries what she views as American economic and cultural decay. Part of what she rails against is generational. Tattoos, for instance, are markers of deviance to our parents, but are so commonplace among today’s young adults that we hardly notice them. Hays goes on to discuss what she calls “White Trash Money Management.” This is her abrasive term for fiscal irresponsibility, as she explains: “There are, I thus adduce, two keys to not being White Trash: having a job and paying your bills on time. The first is getting more difficult in this economy, but it is still White Trash to go on disability if you aren’t positively unable to lift a finger.” (Going on disability when you’re not disabled is not only tacky — it is fraud.)

In short, Hays wants people to be able to provide for themselves, independent of government assistance, but acknowledges that the current economy makes that difficult for many. The horror! She’s preaching the same self-reliance, independence, and responsibility advocated by such extremists such as … Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, and Thomas Paine.

Had Hays’ book been published 20 years ago, it most likely would not have been controversial.

…In a culture of “no judgement,” it becomes taboo to state clearly what is right and what is wrong. It is good — and classy — to be responsible, hard-working, and kind. The role models for that kind of life are becoming fewer and farther between, even though there are infinite ways to be smart, independent, gracious, humble, and compassionate — all very classy traits. Classy comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and income brackets. It’s time we start celebrating classy behavior in all its forms.