Comical Politics

Doing My Part to End Student Abuse

Like my faculty colleagues – particularly Professors Colin Fewer and Alan Spector – I too am concerned about abuse of students by faculty.  It is simply unconsciousable that any faculty would ever have a political perspective that differs from their students or from the majority of other faculty members.  It is so wrong to offend anyone in America.

So, to all you students who feel as if you have been offended (particularly you Evangelical Christians – we all know how your world views are de-valued on a university campus) – please feel free to send me your anonymous audio tapes (edited, unedited – who cares) whenever you think your professors have said anything you deem crazy or inappropriate.  I will gladly post them at my website.  Did not get the crazy and/or inappropriate comments on tape?  No problem.  Just send me an email telling me what was said by whom, when, and where (what class, etc.) and I will post that information.

Remember, this in particular involves professors teaching inappropriate topics.  These are such things as politics in an english class, or the environment in a spanish class, or global warming in a sociology class, etc.

Do your professors not give you enough work? Do you think they grade too easily, too harshly?  What rumors have you heard about your professors? I will share your anonymous comments with the world! Just send them in.  I will publicly post the Professor, the class and all pertinent information – while making sure you, the student, remain anonymous.

Professors Fewer and Spector have made it very clear that it is all of our jobs to help students in this manner, and I intend to do my part.  And – do not worry – this is all anonymous.

What Did the Tapes Really Show?

Ever since my attack by Purdue University and its PC police began, central to their argument has been a "recording" of my lecture.  Specifically what I supposedly "meant" on those tapes.  I will now try to explain these to those who still believe in the freedom of speech in the United States.

One, these tapes are completely anonymous.  I do not know who taped them, when they taped them, or how many "hands" it has been through.  It is obvious that they have been edited.  That is obvious by the "perfect" eight minute "edited" sections.  Some of what is on these tapes has clearly been "doctored" or "tampered".   Each lecture, from the class from which these tapes are alleged to have come from, was for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  (By the way, there were 15 weeks, so that is 45 hours of lectures in total.)  Thus, what is heard is 8 minutes from either one lecture that was over 2 hours in length or multiple lectures each of which were over two hours in length.  To use an art term, there is no provenance for these recordings.  They are of no use as evidence (or even as a good example.)  All of this would be true of any "recordings" that would "pop-up."   Why not one from ten years ago, or five, or 20 etc. etc. etc.?

Two,  Not a single student from the class that these tapes were alleged to be from has ever filed a complaint.  They had 120 days into the summer to file a complaint with the Department Head, the Dean, or with the Chancellor.  Nothing, not a word, not an issue, until I came under attack this fall when it all of a sudden "surfaces."   Thus, no student who was actually in the class had any issue with my lectures.  That is the official and true record of events.

Three,  Some of the arguments that are presented come from the specific books I used in the class and addressed the topic of the class.  The best that I can tell, it is claimed that these came from a class entitiled: Introduction to Jewish Studies.  One may not like the arguments that were being made by these books, but they are legitimate subjects of debate. Two of the books that I used were: The Israel Test by George Gilder and Why the Jews? The Reason for Antisemitism by Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin.  The first book argues that the root cause of modern anti-Semitism is envy of the Jew, be it in Israel or in other countries.  The second book makes the case that the Jewish condition is unique in relationship to all other groups.

Four. In continuation of two and three above, some quotes are simply taken out of context and are plain wrong.  Without knowing the books I used and the context within which some of this material was presented, one cannot possibly determine whether a statement is unacceptable or acceptable.  Not being in class, one cannot make judgements about what one has no idea about.  Live lectures have a physical interaction in them for meaning that cannot be captured on audio tape.  That is definitely lost in a doctored clip.  Clearly, those very students who were actually in the class and heard my lectures firsthand, did not have any objections.

FIRE's LETTER to PURDUE

  FIRE letter to Purdue U Calumet Chancellor Thomas L. Keon, January 24, 2012-3

This is the cease and desisit letter from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education to Purdue.  There has been no answer from the Purdue Administrators, yet.