The video below of Michigan State University Professor William Penn on the first day of his creative writing class has triggered an investigation by the university into a diatribe against Republicans. A student filmed the comments (and it was released by a conservative group) where Penn is heard attacking Republicans for “raping” America and refusing to pay taxes. The case will pit values of academic freedom against the need for an open and welcoming environment for students at universities.
In the video, Penn states “If you go to the Republican convention in Florida, you see all of the old Republicans with the dead skin cells washing off them . . . They are cheap. They don’t want to pay taxes because they have already raped this country and gotten everything out of it they possibly could. . . . They don’t want to pay for your tuition because who are you? Well, to me you are somebody.” He then turns on any racists in the class: “I’m a college professor, if I find out you are a closet racist I am coming after you.” He adds that this country is “still full of closet racists.”
Penn then turns to voting suppression: “What do you think is going on in South Carolina and North Carolina. Voter suppression. Its about getting black people not to vote. Why? Because black people tend to vote Democratic. Why would would Republicans want to do it? Because Republicans are not a majority in this country anymore. They are a bunch of dead white people.” Even Ann Romney is on the hit list: “Ann Romney a first lady? And remember this if you are just going to be a greedy bastard all your life and just try to get things (unintelligible) In order to be rich like Mitt Romney and hide all your income offshore, in the Cayman Islands, you have to be — think about it — Mitt Romney. Anybody here want to be Mitt Romney? Him? I mean (sigh) married to her?”
Penn is an accomplished writer who explores stereotypes and issues of identity. In that sense, the discussion of racism falls closest to his academic writings. We also need to give a professor some room to explore difficult subjects and spark debate or thought in his classroom. This however appears less of a dialogue than a diatribe. He certainly could have been trying to spark debate and get students engaged. Creative writing is about passion and uninhibited expression. For that reason, the presumption should rest in favor of the academic. However, it is hard to see the academic purpose here or how such a diatribe would in any way advance the academic mission. We have not heard from Penn who may argue that the tape is edited or that he was clearly making the comments to try to prompt a debate over such issues. However, it comes across as more of a rave.
Penn is part Nez Perce and often writes of his mixed background: “I write to amuse and entertain, but I write from a center I take seriously, a center given to me by my grandfather, encouraged by my sisters, and nurtured by my wife and by my daughter and son with whom I tell stories. Indeed, All My Sins Are Relatives is dedicated ‘For Grandfather, who knows / And Rachel and Willy, so they may.’ Thus, I would say that much of my work is so they—the children, not just my own—may know my attempt to bridge the gap between the urban mixblood and Euramerican worlds to which I belong.”
Here is his school bio and class listing:
W.S. Penn teaches in the Creative Writing Program and is one of the founding members of the Native American Writer’ ‘ s Circle (initially the Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers).
He is the author of seven books, including The Absence of Angels (novel), Killing Time with Strangers (novel), This is the World (stories), All My Sins Are Relatives (essays), and Feathering Custer (essays). He has won the Stephen Crane Prize for Fiction (twice), an American Book Award (fiction), A North American Indian Prose Award (essays), and a Distinguished Faculty Award. Presently, he is shopping a new novel, Hazing: A Novel in Ten Satires completing a new novel, The Revenge of King George working on a collection of essays and revising two film scripts.
Penn is also a contributor to the Houghton Mifflin Anthology of Literature (fiction and essay), a new anthology by writers teaching non-fiction, and a continuing advisor to the Native Writers Circle and American Indian Studies Program at MSU.
COURSES TAUGHT
ENG 223 Introduction to Creative Non-Fiction WritingENG 228 Introduction to Fiction Writing
ENG 391 Special Topics in English
ENG 423 Advanced Non-Fiction Writing
ENG 428 Advanced Fiction Writing
I would not support a termination of Penn who has made impressive contributions to his field and there is no allegation of retaliation against students or bias in grading. Yet, there remains different forms of discipline that could be imposed from a reprimand to a required apology to suspension from teaching. What do you thing should be done in such a case?
Dear Disco. If you’re waiting for Democrats to abuse their power, then you must not be up on President Obama’s failure to faithfully uphold and carryout US laws and treaties.
I would believe that the diatribe was to be thought provoking if he had the same negative diatribe about Democrats.
“It wasn’t a particularly good rant. I would hope for better from a writer.” (lotta)
lol … I give him a C- for lack of creativity.
Max,
Totally different kind of threat. And appropriate. It’s geared to timely work product, not personal ideology.
Wouldn’t that be more of a “rant” than a “rave”? I’m just sayin’.
He’s not wrong, but unless this is a creative writing for political speeches class then there isn’t really a point to it. I share his hatred of the the modern day GOP and can’t wait for them to be crushed, only for the Democrats to rise up and abuse their power and be crushed by the next force – but what was the point here? There is no end game, just somebody slightly unhinged in his radicalism that vaguely reminds me of the very party he is pissed off at.
I’ve been told by professors, “Imma gonna come after you” in relation to turning in work late. Meaning, hold it against my grade if I don’t produce work. Seemed fair to me. I saw it as a turn of phrase.
What bothers me is: 1) his nonprofessional approach to his diarea mouth on his personal views on politics. 2) his lack of self awareness as to the age and makeup of his students. He’s the teacher… They’re there to learn from him… And boy, he did just teach them how he sees Republicans and Romney.
Tony,
Depending upon your major, CW classes may not be an elective. Especially the 200 level courses.
I may agree in substance with much of what he said, but he crosses the line when he tells a student “he’s going to get them”. That’s outta line. He’s an instructor. If he feels that strongly about closet racism, he should make his case and let the class decide for themselves if it is an evil. Students are there to learn how to think, not what to think. I ran across his type a couple of times in academia and, despite what some may think, that kind of instructor is generally in for a rough ride in their career if they hold that pattern. They are usually not well liked among their peers and often end up getting shuffled off to other gigs after having one too many run ins with students. However, this is a fairly mild case when all is said and done. I’ve seen worse. Not often, but I have seen much worse. Like profs hitting on female students and giving grade favoritism to the pretty ones who let him get away with it and telling people of certain majors to “drop this class because there is no way I’m going to pass you”. But this guy deserves a reprimand for the threat alone. That was inappropriate for the setting.
Juliet: College students are NOT a captive audience, they do not have to attend class and they do not have to sign up for a class if they don’t want to; Creative Writing is undoubtedly an elective class, and they probably had other choices.
All: “I’m coming after you” can be a rhetorical construct meaning “I am going to argue with you and show you where you are wrong and the harm your racism is doing.”
Restricting professorial speeches would harm education; and creative writing is necessarily about “interesting” subjects and crises that would include politics, sexuality, racism, bigotry, self-discovery, and so on. He could also be giving students fair warning that if they are closet racists, they should stay closeted in his class because he knows he cannot be objective about pro-racist writing, “creative” or not.
All: If you have gotten through four years of college and have never had your most cherished values and beliefs challenged, even disparaged, you have not gained a liberal education.
Tony C.: I don’t agree. For instance, when I was finishing up my undergraduate program, I had a two year leave of absence in which to do it. I took 18-21 hours each semester and 6 hours for each of the three summer sessions. I didn’t have the luxury of dropping a class because my professor was being a douche. I had occasion to speak with a friend of mine who is a political science professor. She said the academic freedom in the classroom belongs, primarily, to the students. She is careful to present topics for discussion and study, without being adversarial with those students with who, she disagrees. She (and I) believe university should be a place where even bad ideas can be discussed without threats or even rancor.
What is mildly offensive is that his rant isn’t very well constructed and meanders around with no real point or coherence. It also takes pot shot at Ann Romney for no apparent reason, “married to her” with a contemptuous tone. ? It wasn’t a particularly good rant. I would hope for better from a writer.
Reblogged this on Brittius.com.
Despite my agreement with the professor’s sentiment, I don’t think it was the time or place for his rant. Students are a captive audience, dependent on their professors’ good will. I recently changed my family’s primary care physician because I was subjected to a political rant against President Obama, complete with expletives and spittle, during an appointment.
The one statement I do find disturbing is that he will get those students he considers to be racist in HIS view. Sorry, but that has NO place in teaching to use the threat of failing a student for lack of PC to the instructors dictates. He is simply a standard Stalinist.
Well, it was the first day of class, a great day for any student uncomfortable with the professor to drop the course in favor of another.
In my experience, professors and their ilk tend most commonly to inveigh against religion. I remember one who proudly proclaimed to a lecture hall full of about 300 students that “Christianity is dead!” No one so much as let out a peep. One of my favorite professors of English spoke repeatedly against Calvinism, at one point calling it “a terrible sin.”
I
I hope you are being facetious, Professor Turley. MSU should promote the video as an example of the exhilarating, thought-provoking atmosphere of a true university.
Where can I go see the Monument to this guy?????
That’s his truth…. And I agree with him… However, MSU is just 15 or so mile to the Capitol steps…. All three branches republican controlled…. He might just be in a fight for tenure….
Firstly, This professor will be cheered by many here. What the professor said was not surprising to me. I heard some of the same when I returned to college in 1999 to get my teaching credits. I was in my mid 40’s and was quite shocked @ the indoctrination type of teaching. I had a professor ask me several times, “What did Rush say today?” This was w/ venom dripping from her voice. I told her each time I am not a Rush fan or listener, to which she just scoffed. I bit my tongue until it bled sometimes. When I did speak was when a 20 something student was getting intimidated like this in a history or education class. These were kids w/ simply a more conservative opinion compared to a very left professor. They would thank me after class and express fears about their grades.
What this professor said does not bother me nearly as much as how he mocked his student. This professor holds a POWERFUL hammer, that being his grade given to a student. He is a bully. No editing could have been done that would not make that clear. I have played devil’s advocate as a teacher. That is a very effective tool. That is not what we saw here. What should be done? Just circulate this video and let the sun shine, that’s all.
He gets a pass from me for speaking not, with a forked tongue – minus one letter grade as he forgot to mention republican’t treachery…
Give him a slap on the wrist. After all, he didn’t lie, was just a bit over the top..