American Great Awakenings have tended to require public confessions of sin. Stand up in front of the congregation, admit that you’re a sinner, and let the healing and forgiveness begin. This was extended to Alcoholics Anonymous. Stand up and admit that you’re an alcoholic. More recently, this has been adapted for the Great Awokening: stand up and admit that you’re a racist.
Princeton tried this collectively, via a letter from its president, and was not rewarded with the conventional “Hello, Princeton,” but instead with a letter from the Feds demanding to know if Princeton was lying in past years about not being racist (or maybe Princeton is lying now about being racist?).
From a 2008 coast-to-coast helicopter trip (ferrying a Robinson R44 from the factory):
That letter from the DOE was one of the most delicious things I read all year. Don’t ever let anyone tell you the DOE lacks a sense of humour!
“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”
priceless