Smearing Faculty
Under the auspices of this website: http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/
at least two of my colleagues at Brooklyn College -- and apparently several at Columbia -- have been viciously smeared by reports attributed to students (who have never entered their classrooms) and selective out of context quotes -- in some instances from secondary source reading lists as though they were the stated position of the faculty members attacked. To my knowledge none of these attackers has had the decency to check facts with the attackee -- either before or after the assault. Shame! This is not academic behavior -- it is thuggery pure and simple -- or better yet -- verbal terrorism!
Those of us who are well read in the Nazi era are all too aware of this ad hominem/red herring attack mode. We also saw it manifested by Senator Joseph McCarthy. Free speech there is, but those who employ such tactics should check with their lawyers as to the laws of slander and libel. Certainly all of us of whatever political persuasion should condemn this kind of attack for what it is -- an ugly resurgence of the worst horrors that we experienced during the 20th Century.
Those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it and those who do have an obligation to tell things are they are. We philosophers have long been at the job of showing up the 'sophists' for the games they play. This is a most dirty one and should be condemned roundly by all of us alerted to it.
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort
to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
--
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollegeConversation
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PeaceEfforts
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/440neighborhood
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudentConcerns
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AcademicFreedom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PrivacyRights
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net/blognews.asp
at least two of my colleagues at Brooklyn College -- and apparently several at Columbia -- have been viciously smeared by reports attributed to students (who have never entered their classrooms) and selective out of context quotes -- in some instances from secondary source reading lists as though they were the stated position of the faculty members attacked. To my knowledge none of these attackers has had the decency to check facts with the attackee -- either before or after the assault. Shame! This is not academic behavior -- it is thuggery pure and simple -- or better yet -- verbal terrorism!
Those of us who are well read in the Nazi era are all too aware of this ad hominem/red herring attack mode. We also saw it manifested by Senator Joseph McCarthy. Free speech there is, but those who employ such tactics should check with their lawyers as to the laws of slander and libel. Certainly all of us of whatever political persuasion should condemn this kind of attack for what it is -- an ugly resurgence of the worst horrors that we experienced during the 20th Century.
Those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it and those who do have an obligation to tell things are they are. We philosophers have long been at the job of showing up the 'sophists' for the games they play. This is a most dirty one and should be condemned roundly by all of us alerted to it.
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort
to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
--
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollegeConversation
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PeaceEfforts
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/440neighborhood
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudentConcerns
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AcademicFreedom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PrivacyRights
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net/blognews.asp
posted by Ed Kent at 9:09 AM
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