Pinned by StudioBrule
Janice Fiamengo 1 day ago

Right after I recorded this, I realized I had forgotten to make the two most obvious points that deserved to be made:

1. The whole purpose of tenure is to protect academic freedom, so that professors can explore their subjects, both in their research and their teaching, without political interference, so it is particularly outrageous that Professor Mehta has been fired for statements; and

2. Professor Mehta HAS NOT HARASSED any individual or group with racist or transphobic comments. I am not such a libertarian that I believe any professor should be able to say or do anything in the classroom. Professor Mehta has presented evidence-based arguments on controversial subjects and has invited students to do the same. If we can’t make a distinction between these two types of discourse, then the entire academic endeavor is completely dead. I suspect that the firing of Professor Mehta represents a new phase in the campus war on dissident professors, part of the long march towards transforming all universities into pure Social Justice Indoctrination Centers.o