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illmetbymoonlight's avatar

In the movie "Maurice" a group of students at Oxford circa 1910 attend a tutorial on Plato. The tutor reads aloud, pauses, and says "We will pass over the unspeakable practices of the Greeks." So here we are again.

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Marie Martinek's avatar

If the rule says you can't

"ascribe to them less value as contributors to society and public discourse because of their race or ethnicity"

then doesn't that forbid racist talk?

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meh's avatar

The argument against that - really, from racist arseholes in too-close proximity - is that they (the people spouting racist speech) are not unfairly impugning people bc of their race.....no, no, not at all, so they say. They claim that their statements are based in fact, and that they are, as a result, 'race realists.'

Yes, it's that vile.

They're saying that racist speech is factual and anti-racist speech is fuzzy-wuzzy softie-bearsy empathy-laden lies spoken to coddle the feelings of inherently-inferior [yes, really, said out loud] minorities and soft-hearted liberals who don't recognize the real racial hierarchy.

Words can not express how much I hate this kind of racist casuistry, nor how hard it is to refute.

....

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Jen's Sparkling New Year's avatar

WAIT! Whar Bari and Matt and the rest of the no censorship ever crowd?

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Blair Lehman's avatar

#1 The class wouldn’t just be a reassignment but to an 8am T/Th class, meaning no one is there or if they are, they’ll be asleep.

#2 My whole senior seminar for a psych major was on privilege and no one was made to feel shame or guilt - we just had up front discussions about the challenges faced (or not faced) due to parts of our identities. How can a bunch of 21/22 year olds be more mature about these topics than the so-called adults running our country (and the state of Texas)?

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Danielle Scherer's avatar

More stupid than you could ever imagine

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Chris's avatar

So Texas A&M joins U. Oklahoma as "universities not to hire from." Interesting strategy, but I guess minting a bunch of unemployable idiots is good for someone.

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Wookiee Monster's avatar

What’s funny is that rightwingers used to claim they just wanted academic freedom because colleges were doing liberal Marxist indoctrination. But as we see at Texas A&M and Florida’s New College, the second they get control, they start banning any ideas they don’t like.

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Zyxomma's avatar

Ta, Dok. Today is David Bowie's birthday, and the anniversary of his departing this realm is in two days. My beloved husband and I believe that Bowie's death is what broke the timeline, and caused the stupid to flourish. His memory will always be a blessing, and apparently his departure ripped a hole in the space-time continuum.

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Hank Napkin's avatar

"Malmberg in Plano"?

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hvdv's avatar

Dunno how old Peterson is, but this mess is one of the reasons I took early retirement last year. Higher education is in freefall and at this point it's embarrassing to be part of it--at least it was for me. Now for a little part-time job (bc can't make ends meet on pension only), and my roman a clef about a plucky young immigrant heroine and her misadventures in US academia.

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Pexas Teat's avatar

I was a professor and was laid off because of budget cuts. Most jobs I've done since are frankly easier than professor work, although I miss the teaching.

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hvdv's avatar

I'm sorry to hear it. Yeah I miss the teaching too, at least the teaching I did earlier this century. I don't care what anyone says but online classes are BS. Looking for nice little part-time jobs has been hard!

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Pexas Teat's avatar

Depending on where you live, you might look at part time government jobs. At least where I live, government doesn't discriminate against older applicants.

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Hank Napkin's avatar

TEACHES YA, HUH?

"And God so loved the world He impregnated a married teenage girl."

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tegrat's avatar

I hope he can at least say "I can't teach you about this topic but here is where to find out about it and teach yourselves. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them as a private citizen and not your professor."

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Amanda Mitchell's avatar

Sorry, writing in Art Historian here (because it is so much happier than right wing bullshit), but Michelangelo is representing Heraclitus - the somewhat surly, swarthy guy in the front right of the picture. (I have to use my degree somewhere!!)

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Doktor Zoom's avatar

I was just going from what Wikipedia said, lol.

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PuraVida's avatar

Right and Donatello is off fighting crime with the other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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Amanda Mitchell's avatar

They don't call them heroes on the half shell for nothing!

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Amanda Mitchell's avatar

Also, Donatello was earlier than Leonardo, Michelangelo, & Raphael. (He was already dead when Michelangelo & Raphael were at their height)

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Bupkus231's avatar

"...that students would receive a less rigorous, challenging education..."

Hey, this is Texas, which is already scraping the bottom of the barrel in higher education:

Link: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/state/2024/09/25/us-news-best-colleges-2025-universities-texas-schools-education-rank-list/75360044007

"...18: Rice University in Houston (tie)

30: University of Texas at Austin (tie)

51: Texas A&M University - College Station (tie)

91: Baylor University in Waco (tie)

91: Southern Methodist University in Dallas (tie)

105: Texas Christian University in Fort Worth (tie)

109: University of Texas at Dallas (tie)

144: University of Houston (tie)

209: University of St. Thomas in Houston (tie)

214: Texas Tech University in Lubbock (tie)

220: University of North Texas in Denton (tie)

220: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (tie)

231: Sam Houston State University in Huntsville (tie)

231: University of Texas at Arlington (tie)

231: University of Texas at San Antonio (tie)

266: University of Texas at El Paso (tie)

273: Texas State University in San Marcos (tie)

288: University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio (tie)

296: Abilene Christian University (tie)

315: University of Houston - Clear Lake (tie)

329: Texas Woman's University in Denton (tie)

359: Prairie View A&M University (tie)

359: Texas A&M University - Kingsville (tie)

359: University of Texas at Tyler (tie)

371: Tarleton State University in Stephenville (tie)

377: Texas A&M University - Commerce (tie)"

How could it get much worse?

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Bks&Rcds's avatar

Doc, did you see the part where he submitted that he would be using the NYT story about the university censoring him for discussion instead?

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Jen's Sparkling New Year's avatar

heh that is good trouble

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