Rick Law claimed yesterday in his column that he "can't help but critically observe our human behavior." But his column demonstrated just the opposite — total ignorance of human behavior under the thin guise of that hackneyed topic of social control.

Firstly, Law fails to recognize that most social norms exist because they function to the benefit of everyone. When the traffic light turns red, hopefully Mr. Law follows the "system" and stops his car. Secondly, merely following the "system" does not guarantee the "opulence and high status" that Mr. Law promises.

Most lower-class and working-class Americans have followed the system to the best of their ability. Next, Law speaks out against the college ideology. But education is a form of mental discipline; you come to college to acquire knowledge and mental skills. Part of this is discarding certain independent thoughts that are implausible or invalid. Mr. Law's system is made up of social institutions such as the family, education, and the political and economic orders. His column claims that such a system is useless and should be warred against. Law's insipid prattle demonstrates only that he himself is not thinking; he should not project his own inadequacies onto others.