I originally read the title as the University of Minnesota…then I re-read it. It was at Hamlin but now a bunch of the colleges here are having meetings upon meetings about this in the event they find themselves in a similar predicament.
This is the absolute archetypal example of the slippery slope.
I am Jewish. Say I voluntarily took an English literature course in which the professor included Oliver Twist (the original version, in which Fagin’s name is rarely mentioned and he is referred to repeatedly as “the Jew”, not the one Dickens later revised), Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Christopher Marlowe’s “The Jew of Malta” in the syllabus. The course description plainly says that one of the goals of the syllabus is to show how Jews were portrayed at various stages of English literature. The professor warns everyone that the portrayals in question are not exactly favorable, to put it mildly, but that is the whole point: for the students to engage in discussion about the meme of the avaricious, corrupt Jew in what are considered as classics of English literature.
If I attend this course, it should be reasonably expected that in the course of such discussions, I will make some very unfavorable comments about such portrayals. And of course, it is possible that I may argue (as have many scholars) that the authors of the works in question were more interested in portraying anti-Semitism at its worst than actually endorsing the stereotypical image in question (hence, e.g., Shylock’s famous “does a Jew not bleed?” soliloquy).
What should **not** be expected is that I be able to get the course cancelled, the professor dismissed and another victory in the never-ending battle for social justice notched on my battle record.
Somebody purposefully camped out, ignoring all warnings in the syllabus and in class that day, *expressly* so they could then file a complaint and raise a stink. For what reason, who knows, but fuck that person for intentionally making themself out to be a victim at the cost of the professor’s job and potential reputation.
AdFresh3918 says
So the professor gave them plenty of notice, told them mins before hand and people still cried about it?
TILTNSTACK says
Uno reverse.
Gaebriel29 says
I originally read the title as the University of Minnesota…then I re-read it. It was at Hamlin but now a bunch of the colleges here are having meetings upon meetings about this in the event they find themselves in a similar predicament.
amerkanische_Frosch says
This is the absolute archetypal example of the slippery slope.
I am Jewish. Say I voluntarily took an English literature course in which the professor included Oliver Twist (the original version, in which Fagin’s name is rarely mentioned and he is referred to repeatedly as “the Jew”, not the one Dickens later revised), Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Christopher Marlowe’s “The Jew of Malta” in the syllabus. The course description plainly says that one of the goals of the syllabus is to show how Jews were portrayed at various stages of English literature. The professor warns everyone that the portrayals in question are not exactly favorable, to put it mildly, but that is the whole point: for the students to engage in discussion about the meme of the avaricious, corrupt Jew in what are considered as classics of English literature.
If I attend this course, it should be reasonably expected that in the course of such discussions, I will make some very unfavorable comments about such portrayals. And of course, it is possible that I may argue (as have many scholars) that the authors of the works in question were more interested in portraying anti-Semitism at its worst than actually endorsing the stereotypical image in question (hence, e.g., Shylock’s famous “does a Jew not bleed?” soliloquy).
What should **not** be expected is that I be able to get the course cancelled, the professor dismissed and another victory in the never-ending battle for social justice notched on my battle record.
MuchoGrandeRandy says
I was in a karate class one day and the instructor told me he was going to hit me in the head.
I acknowledged his intent.
He hit me in the head.
What kind of douche would I be if I’d raised a stink about it?
wtfburritoo says
Somebody purposefully camped out, ignoring all warnings in the syllabus and in class that day, *expressly* so they could then file a complaint and raise a stink. For what reason, who knows, but fuck that person for intentionally making themself out to be a victim at the cost of the professor’s job and potential reputation.