As a firm believer in free market capitalism and as a fan of inexpensive, yet tasteful watches, I feel it is my duty to take a stand against the unconstitutional limitations placed against Washington University students.

It feels blasphemous to me that a group of my seemingly intelligent peers would take such blasphemous actions against Fossil. A staple of outlet malls everywhere, Fossil is one of the only stores where a guy like myself can buy a mid-range watch or bag these days. Why someone would want to be “Fossil Free” is beyond me. I do not know.

Coming from a middle-class family, I resent the fact that I will now be forced to shop for Mother’s Day gifts at the exorbitantly expensive stores frequented by the Wash. U. 1 percenters. For a school that claims to be changing for the better, this feels wrong.

Granted, I AM a little confused as to why Washington University has so many millions invested in Fossil at all—they must be their main benefactor at this point—but it doesn’t change the fact that the protests calling for an end to Fossil represent a serious violation of our rights as private citizens. One of the tenants and strengths of American society is its free market economy. Without the right to choose, we have nothing.

I mean, I can’t even really find anything that Fossil has done wrong. I mean, they were sued in 2007 for violating a patent filed in Texas, but that doesn’t really seem to rise to the level of multi-day protests and the formation of a “transparency committee.” I guess if someone has a problem with faux leather, that’s a reason for concern, but that’s a crime of fashion—not an actual criminal issue.

Washington University, we must stand together to fight for the reasonableness of our past. Gone are the days of the middle class. What’s next? Macy’s? K-Mart? Or, god forbid, JC Penny? So, please, stand up for your rights as citizens. Don’t let the communists win again.