We recently saw rather bizarre case of a college president having to publicly apologize for saying the “all lives matter” rather than “all Black lives matter” in supporting protests over the Ferguson and New York grand jury decisions. (Ironically, I listened this weekend to protests where leaders chanted “all lives matter” in Washington). Now, Serhat Tanyolacar, a University of Iowa visiting professor and printmaking fellow, has been denounced for a piece of art designed to protest racism after the decision. Iowa officials have declared the art to be the equivalent to hate speech and ordered its removal within hours — with President Sally Mason denouncing the art and apologizing profusely. Now, however, students are calling for the artist to be fired and for a new speech-regulating committee to be established for such public forums.
The Klu Klux Klan figure is covered with newspaper clippings on racial injustice and violence. It is a powerful image that is both artistic and political speech. Tanyolacar sought to create something to “facilitate a dialogue.” He got it. The university however has abandoned any defense of the free speech expression or even tried to understand the obvious purpose of the art. The piece was placed in an area designated as a public forum. Nevertheless, Mason and her staff threw Tanyolacar and free speech under a bus. Smith has said that the school failed “to meet our goal of providing a respectful, all-inclusive, educational environment, the university apologizes.” She has demand that the school “prepare a detailed plan of action” to presumably protect against such expressions of free speech in the future.
Much like law schools supplying professional counselors after the Ferguson decision for students, Mason has ordered university-provided counseling for anyone traumatized by the art work.
I do not question the impact of such an image and I can understand why the image was disturbing for so many. While I cannot say that I share the same cultural and personal pain of African-Americans in relation to such images, I was raised with stories from my mother of how she would often go to sleep with a burning cross on a nearby hill when the local KKK would terrorize her Italian and Catholic community in Ohio. However, this artist was using this well-known image as an important statement against racism an hate. It has now become for many an image of growing speech regulation and intolerance on university campuses.
What is equally shocking is the statement of David Ryfe, director of UI’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UI, who supports viewpoint discrimination, stating “If it was up to me, and me alone. I would follow the lead of every European nation and ban this type of speech.” That is the director of a school of journalism.
We have previously discussed the alarming rollback on free speech rights in the West, particularly in France (here and here and here and here and here and here) and England ( here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here). Much of this trend is tied to the expansion of hate speech and non-discrimination laws. We have seen even comedians targets with such court orders under this expanding and worrisome trend. (here and here). However, it is the appearance of effective speech codes on campuses that are the most worrisome. We have even saw a professor attack demonstrators with the later support of faculty and students who have justified her actions as responding to the “terrorism” of pro-life displays.
The statue tar screen prints of newspaper clippings depicting coverage of racial tensions, riots, and killings dating to the early 1900s was a faculty member’s effort to express his own creative feelings in a place for public discussion. Nevertheless, he was forced to apologize and issued a statement that “I sincerely apologize for the pain and suffering I caused to the African American community on Friday,” he said. “I am hoping that I will be able to be forgiven for the pain I have caused with my sculpture.”
Tanyolacar is the father of a mix-raced 8-year-old boy and has faced “racism and prejudice” in his own life. He recently participated in an exhibition project called, “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot: Artists Respond” in St. Louis.
Nevertheless, students are continuing to protest and complain over the now removed art. Kayla Wheeler, a third year doctoral student in the UI Department of Religious Studies, has criticized the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for promoting the statue on social media and demanded a “social media oversight committee” to regulate such speech in the future to satisfy the sensibilities of the public. Moreover, she and others want the artist fired. Wheeler stated “If he is not fired immediately and returns to campus next semester, he should not be allowed to teach any students.”
By the way, Nic Arp, director of strategic communications for the college, who earlier attempted to defend the expression of free speech removed that defense from social media and issued his own apology “for contributing to people’s very real and understandable pain. I have learned a lot about how my own privilege and culture bias informed my own initial reaction to it.” He added:
“I’m a white person and responded to it first and foremost as a piece of art and not in the way an African American might — as a very real and scary symbol. I wanted to take personal responsibility and say, hey, I’ve learned a lot and I’m embarrassed by my own insensitivity about it.”
I will confess that I have a “bias” in favor of free speech that shades my view of this incident. Public forums come with all types of speech: good, bad, valuable or valueless. Bad speech is combatted with good speech — not pre-speech approvals or firing artists. Some of us have growing concern over the level of speech regulation that is occurring on our campuses, which were once bastions of free speech.
Source: KCRG
The meaning of this statue viewed from afar is different from the meaning when viewed up close.
From afar one may miss that the KKK figure is made out of newsprint, viewed from close by the newsprint is evident and it invites the viewer to read what is says which consists of descriptions of racist atrocities typical of those carried out by the KKK.
The artist has nothing to apologize for unless he himself decided to display it in an appropriate place, the University’s back pedaling however is contemptible.
Nick Spinelli,
“In your comment you state you are “on the record” stating this art display should be protected under the First Amendment. Please direct us to where we can read that record.”
I think if you read my post from Dec. 15th at 6:01pm you’ll see where he defended the art piece. I’ve included a link to that article.
Prof. Ryfe,
“I am sorry to see that the snippet of a quote I gave this student reporter has ricocheted across the media.”
Thank you for clarifying. There are some student reporters who have a habit of doing this because they have a particular angle they want to fill for their story. When I was interviewed for a story back in college, I had the same thing happen to me. I do not trust reporters’ honesty and fairness when it comes to quoting people, especially if it is a charged story. You could spend an hour with a student reporter and they’ll present one out-of-context quote as though it is your entire position. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with being misrepresented.
Reblogged this on saboteur365.
“Or maybe a reunion of the German American Bund. Anyone recall our history with that group back in the 1930’s?”
Not really. But I do remember Communist party USA, which outnumbered the Bund by about 250 to 1. And that’s just counting the spies in the FDR administration.
This song gives this whole story some perspective.
IOWA CORN SONG
Let’s sing of Grand old I-O-Way, Yo-Ho, yo-ho, yo-ho
Our love is strong-er ev-‘ry day, Yo-Ho, yo-ho, yo-ho
So come a-long and join the throng, Sev-‘ral hun-dred thou-sand strong
As you come just sing this song, Yo-Ho, yo-ho, yo-ho
We’re from I-O-way, I-O-way. State of all the land
Joy on ev-‘ry hand. We’re from I-O-way, I-O-way.
That’s where the tall corn grows
Our land is full of ripe-ning corn, Yo-Ho, yo-ho, yo-ho
We’ve watched it grow both night and morn, Yo-Ho, yo-ho, yo-ho
But now we rest, we’ve stood the test. All that’s good we have the best
I-O-way has reached the crest, Yo-Ho, yo-ho, yo-ho
We’re from I-O-way, I-O-way. State of all the land
Joy on ev-‘ry hand. We’re from I-O-way, I-O-way.
That’s where the tall corn grows
We’re from I-O-way, I-O-way. State of all the land
Joy on ev-‘ry hand. We’re from I-O-way, I-O-way.
That’s where the tall corn grows
I guess I could just say Ding Dong the Witch is Dead and let it go at that.
We need to bring John Locke, Thomas Paine and James Madison into the discussion. Iowa was just Indian territory back in their day. Well, part of Louisiana, owned by the French. It was not under the British Yoke. Right? So. The citizens today need to learn some things about the Constitution. The guy who put up the artifact was exercising his right of free speech to petition his government for redress of grievances. Or perhaps petitioning the government of Ferguson for the redress of Mike Brown’s grievances. But in any event his rights are grounded on the premier Prong of the First Amendment. We are not talking dongs here. Oh, maybe we are because we are talking about a college in Iowa where the tall corn grows.
“That does not make me a liberal or a conservative. It makes me and American”
Agree.
leej was unequivocal in her initial comment about this statue. She is righteous on the First Amendment, and has proven that many times here.
(Thanks, Nick)