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The President of @Princeton, Christopher L. Eisgruber, has condemned this piece of writing by their professor, Joseph Katz, & the administration is apparently "looking into the matter further" https://twitter.com/JohnHMcWhorter/status/1282289675395313669?s=20
The President: âWhile free speech permits students and faculty to make arguments that are bold, provocative, or even offensive, we all have an obligation to exercise that right responsibly...Joshua Katz has failed to do so" https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2020/07/joshua-katz-black-justice-league-terrorist-organization-quillette-letter-princeton
Another member of the Princeton faculty has claimed that the declaration we published has lead to death threats (unverifiable, of course) & she is calling on the President to censure Katz for "reckless endangerment"
The report in the Daily Princetonian unfortunately repeats a egregious & libellous claim made about Quillette in a dishonest attack piece in the @nation, written by a writer who openly sympathises with antifa
It's disappointing to have to defend ourselves from charges of racism, etc. We're political moderates who abhor racism. We support individual rights & civil liberties. We've published thousands of articles if you want to comb through & find evidence of fascism, be my guest...
Back to the Declaration by Katz. Another Princeton faculty member--Chair of African American Studies described his writing as "triggering" and made him feel like he wasn't a person (?)
Hyperbole, much?
Hyperbole, much?
Not surprisingly, at least one student has said the declaration "merits a formal inquiry," however she doesn't believe that Katz should "lose his tenured appointment" (how gracious)
AND of course there is a petition titled "A denouncement of 'A Declaration of Independence by a Princeton Professor'" which is signed by dozens of students https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGiSCyQTLO6khAF9y_06YOyId-5rvPYVSHonjqCsdsXk5Qew/viewform
In a week in which many discussions about Cancel Culture have been taking place, I would argue that this is a perfect example of how Cancel Culture operates.
Step 1. A professor is concerned about activism on his campus, & how it may threaten academic freedom & scholarly integrity. So he writes his thoughts down. Sends them off to @Quillette. We publish. https://quillette.com/2020/07/08/a-declaration-of-independence-by-a-princeton-professor/
Step 2. The writing is widely praised in the larger academic community for its courage & attracts positive comments & tweets from well known scholars around the world. Goes semi-viral.
Step 3. It is denounced in the professor's immediate academic community.
Step 3. It is denounced in the professor's immediate academic community.
Step 4. No counter-argument is sent to Quillette for us to publish. No op-ed response is written. No debate is entered into. Aggrieved faculty & students mobilise internal administrative mechanisms to formally censure him.
Step 5. A petition is set-up that is signed by dozens of students.
Step 6. In reports on the episode, only aggrieved students & faculty are interviewed. Supporters are ignored or erased.
Step 6. In reports on the episode, only aggrieved students & faculty are interviewed. Supporters are ignored or erased.
Step 7. In reports, the publication in which the professor's writing appears in is maligned with 2nd-hand defamatory accusations.
Step 8. The professor is rebuked by students, faculty, the university President & university newspaper & he may be subject to a formal inquiry.
Step 8. The professor is rebuked by students, faculty, the university President & university newspaper & he may be subject to a formal inquiry.
Step 9. Although the professor can't be fired (tenure), he may be stripped of administrative roles & formally censured.
Step 10. Other academics who are watching realise that if they want to defend their principles in the face of activist demands, a similar fate awaits them.
Step 10. Other academics who are watching realise that if they want to defend their principles in the face of activist demands, a similar fate awaits them.
That's how Cancel Culture works. Again, all of this fuss is because of a brief piece of writing. Read it, and make your own judgement. https://quillette.com/2020/07/08/a-declaration-of-independence-by-a-princeton-professor/
