We have recently discussed a number of incidents of professors acting badly in shouting down student protesters or journalists on campus. (here and here and here). This has include prior attacks on pro-life demonstrators. Now a teenage pro-life demonstrators has accused a University of California (Santa Barbar) professor of taking her sign and assaulting her on campus. Thrin Short, 16, and her sister Joan, 21, have posted a videotape of Feminist Studies Associate Professor Mireille Miller-Young walking away with their sign and getting into a confrontation with the teenagers.
The Shorts were handing out pro-life pamphlets when they say Miller-Young confronted them and became irate over their demonstration. They videotaped her after she appeared to organize students in yelling “take down the sign.” They say that she grabbed the sign and walked off–ignoring the protests of the teenagers. Campus police were called and Short says that she was pushed by Miller-Young three times — leaving bruises on her wrists — at an elevator confrontation.
On the video below, Miller-Young is seen taking the sign with graphic images and saying “I may be a thief but you are a terrorist.” At the elevator, she can be seen shoving the teenagers and blocking them. The fact (as noted by her students) that the teenagers do not go to the school is no excuse for this type of conduct. If there was some real violation in the protests (which seems dubious), Miller-Young has no authority to quash the speech. This appears a clear content-based act by Miller-Young. It is even more disturbing to see her encouraging her students to silence opposing views by stealing a sign. It is the very antithesis of the academic mission which is based first and foremost on free speech and association — and civility.
Miller-Young lists her areas as “Pornography; Sex Work; Black Film, Popular Culture and Art; Feminist & Queer Theory; African American & African Diaspora Studies; Visual Archives; New Media; Ethnography; Oral History.” Her bio states that she focuses on pornography and African-American women.
According to reports, Miller-Young has retained an attorney. Catherine Swysen of law firm Sanger Swysen & Dunkle (Notably, Swysen draws not only from her considerable legal experience but experience as a former teacher in the University of California system). She is making no comment but a student her Women of Color class, insisted that she was write to do what she did because “She’s pregnant, so she’s very sensitive to horrifying images like that.” It is very distressful to see a student supporting anti-free speech conduct, a concern expressed recently with regard to French students in suing Twitter.
She could face assault charges based on the videotape. My greatest concern is with her conduct as a faculty member. There are few violations as serious by an academic than attacking free speech or violently trying to stop the expression of viewpoints. Her actions are clearly incompatible with the position of a faculty member. The question is whether the university will act to remove her from the faculty based on this videotape. Putting aside the criminal allegations (that should be left to the criminal justice system), there is the separate question of her judgment and conduct as an academic. The delay in issuing an apology is only going to reaffirm concerns in the minds of some faculty. I fail to see a viable defense for this conduct. Once again, regardless of the status of these teenagers or the disturbing images of the protests, this was an act of free speech. If there is a prohibition on such displays (which would itself raise free speech issues), this was not how academics address controversial speech. If Miller-Young had a legal concern, she can call the police — not lead students in stealing signs and trying to silence their speech.
The faculty code states that faculty “accept the obligation to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending, and transmitting knowledge.” This includes a prohibition on “any exploitation, harassment, or discriminatory treatment of students.” Misconduct includes:
1. Intentional disruption of functions or activities sponsored or authorized by the University.
2. Incitement of others to disobey University rules when such incitement constitutes a clear and present danger that violence or abuse against persons or property will occur or that the University’s central functions will be significantly impaired.
The admission on the tape that she has stolen the sign will not help in any university investigation. Regardless of any claim of provocation by Miller-Young, the means chosen by the professor is clearly unacceptable and inimical to the academic mission. To call people with opposing views “terrorists” is a shocking view for an intellectual. To enlist students in an act of censorship only magnifies that violation.
What do you think should be the proper discipline (if any) for Miller-Young?
Catholic Group Leader Calls For Liberal Academics To Be ‘Taken Out And Shot’
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/13/austin-ruse-shoot-liberals-_n_4959747.html
Pro life: One who seeks to preserve life.
Pro choice: One who seeks to preserve choices a person makes.
I hope these Pro Lifers also are against war and torture and death penalty. Not just abortion. Or is it they care about the fetus enough to force a woman out of her choices and have a child born into a world filled with death? Are they ok with that fetus being born and growing up to be trained to join a military and kill? Is that even on their radar?
A more apropos name for them seems to be: Anti Abortionists.
Oh, but then the obvious Roe v Wade clash becomes apparent.
That’s my opinion on the term, pro life.
As for the professor grabbing the sign, keep to your self. Be respectful and don’t hinder someone’s RIght to protest current law. That may be you, too, protesting a law someday. What she should have done was call campus security and have the ‘visitors’ barred from campus.
On a side note: as someone who believes in the peace and reconciliation movement… I don’t travel around with pictures of mutilated corpses of troops. I have seen pictures of mutilated bombing victims and DU babies on posters by other people pushing their points and cringe every time as death doesn’t need to be on display. I’m after understanding and wisdom shared by all.
nick spinelli
The next thing you know is that they will want to ban the word, “bossy,” WAIT, that has already happened!!
nick spinelli
This professor was not b@ssy. That is banned in referring to women. You could use “bossy” if it were a man, I think. These speech codes are like Muslim laws, very complicated and ever changing.
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How about flusie?
Wait … she is a tree hugger … oh no … must be the season of the witch …
The pathogen?
It’s outrageous behavior like this, at every stage of all establishments, that destroys self respect, and we wonder why there are child mass murders, pedophiles, and immorality and lawlessness infesting all of society?
The professor was wrong and may have committed a criminal act. The university should discipline her like they would for any other staff member who is charged or suspected of criminal activity. We either all have free speech or none of us do.
She is an associate professor…. She can be terminated…. But if I say that…. I’ll be called racist and a mysogynist….in the same breath….. But let the law deal with her…..
And what is the pathogen?
Annie, you and I agree. We ought to argue like cats and dogs over our beliefs AND we ought to defend to the death one another’s rights to speak them.
Tony, people are being censored in liberal bastions and in conservative strongholds, BOTH. The school in Fond du Lac, WI. that censored the school’s newspaper article and took over the paper is in a very conservative area.
Yes what is this pathogen that makes some want to shut up other’s with an opposing view? Even Chairman Issa used his power to shut up a fellow chair’s speech in a Congressional hearing.
This professor was not b@ssy. That is banned in referring to women. You could use “bossy” if it were a man, I think. These speech codes are like Muslim laws, very complicated and ever changing.
The next thing you know is that they will want to ban the word, “bossy,” WAIT, that has already happened!!
I suppose, however, that, because it’s only pro-lifers that are being harmed here, it’s not a big deal. After all, they’re only stupid, superstitious, brainwashed, purveyors of hate desperately clinging to the religious crutch that was chosen for them by their equally weak and stupid parents. The off scouring of society. These type of people should have been eliminated by now anyway by natural selection. Survival of the fittest and all that. These ideas are dangerous to mental health anyway, aren’t they? Isn’t the enlightened atheist, the very paragon of intellect and objectivity and self-awareness, the only voice that should be treated as virtuous and worth hearing in the marketplace of ideas?
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The above is what the “enlightened”‘academic culture is teaching these kids. And it is not simply disrespectful to other voices but it is virulently and openly anti-free speech. It is biased and narrow minded to the bone. How far we’ve strayed from our first principles. I’d like to know why this has happened. What’s the pathogen in the culture that has brought us to such disrespect for the rights of others to speak?
Might doesn’t make right. No matter one’s stance on the issue depicted on the signs, stealing them won’t help. The girls had a right to protest.
In the 60’s and 70’s colleges and universities were bastions of free speech. The left have turn them into speech codes, PC, intolerant, zones. And, they want that to spread to our entire society.
Dredd has a reasoned, incremental take on the consequences. My dark side says caneing.
I fear Paul S. has it right, We see a similar pattern with law enforcement, circle the wagons to protect the establishment.
Reblogged this on This Got My Attention and commented:
Another professor behaving badly. The good ol’ days of “sifting and winnowing” http://www.secfac.wisc.edu/siftandwinnow.htm are less and less popular on many increasingly politicized faculties.
If the shoe were on the other foot, the student would be looking for bail money. And would be immediately expelled from the campus. It should cut both ways. As an academic, she is a disgrace and should be fired. Besides, terrorism is not one of her areas of claimed expertise.
However, having said that, my guess is that the school is going to cover for her. She is already building a ‘I am the victim defense.’ Nothing is happening here, move along!
A suspension first, if a committee of peers deems it appropriate.
On the next offense twice the term of suspension.
On the third offense, termination.
This is robbery under the CA penal code. The taking of property, of another, by force or fear.
In my opinion this professor is lucky she didn’t get hooked up for robbery. She committed an act of theft and in the immediate flight therefrom she assaulted another person. This is the basic definition of robbery, a felony offense.
Her position with the college should be terminated. This type of behavior is unacceptable for a faculty member.