We have been discussing the curious start of the academic career of Saida Grundy, an incoming assistant professor of sociology and African-American studies at Boston University, who released a series of tweets denounced by many as racist and sexist. “White masculinity isn’t a problem for america’s colleges, white masculinity is THE problem for america’s colleges.” In a January tweet, Grundy wrote: “Every MLK week I commit myself to not spending a dime in white-owned businesses. and every year i find it nearly impossible.” Previously, she posted comments like “Deal with your white sh*t, white people. slavery is a *YALL* thing.” With many objecting that the University would have fired a male or white professor for such comments directed against blacks or women, donors have begun to revolt and the University was forced to issue a statement condemning the comments. Now, after a surprisingly long period of silence, Grundy has apologized but may have aggravated the situation further. She has called the statements “indelicate” and says that they were in response to unidentified events. The response has been withering with many saying that few would view the comments “indelicate” if a white professor encouraged people not to buy things from black people or calling black males as the problem on colleges.
Boston University president Robert Brown expressed “disappointment” with her statements and his concern over “statements that reduce individuals to stereotypes on the basis of a broad category such as sex, race, or ethnicity. I believe Dr. Grundy’s remarks fit this characterization.”
Grundy wrote that the tweets were the result of “personal passion” to “events we now witness with regularity in our nation.” She added “I regret that my personal passion about issues surrounding these events led me to speak about them indelicately. I deprived them of the nuance and complexity that such subjects always deserve.” She further promised to be fair to whites and males in her classes, acknowledging her duty “to create an inclusive learning environment for all of my students. Both professionally and ethically, I am unequivocally committed to ensuring that my classroom is a space where all students are welcomed.”
My greatest concern remains the question of equal treatment for other faculty in making controversial statements. As previously discussed, we have seen actions taken against faculty for comments viewed as racist or sexist in social media. I believe that Grundy should be protected as a matter of free speech in such comments, but I also believe that Boston University has created a bright line here for future such cases. In such future cases of “delicate” speech, I hope that Grundy will now be the first to step forward and defend the right of those making such comments. With the new effort to punish “micro aggressions” on college campus and regulate speech, such macro aggressions can still be matters of free speech.
BeVewyVewyQuiet @1:43pm
Great comment. Those who view these racist and hateful remarks, as an indication of Grundy’s SPINE, reveal themselves to be the duplicitous individuals that they claim to despise. Their values and beliefs are consistently inconsistent, and they are far from the fair and just beings they have envisioned in their minds.
@NickS
Speaking of the Dems. . .
https://birtherthinktank.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/donkey-sewer.jpg
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Rick
Clinton was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, did it on his own, at the time. He admitted to getting into ROTC to avoid the draft and then bailing. He admitted this in a letter to his commanding officer. He blatantly stated that he did not want to interrupt his education and career in politics. This he did with no Daddy pulling strings. The difference between Clinton and Bush is that Clinton is a Rhodes Scholar and Bush is a straw man. Clinton left a surplus and Bush left the worst recession since the Great Depression. Any President has faults but when you step back, after they have done their bit, Bush, whoa.
Stanton
Ivy League grad-C- average before and during-would not have been accepted to community college without Daddy. Was captain of the cheer leaders though. Air National Guard because his Daddy pulled strings, otherwise Vietnam but hey. AOL for seven months. Only guy to get in without prior experience, but hey. Scored 25 out of a hundred and still made it past a few hundred thousand better qualified applicants. Application for the Air National Guard was an accepted way of avoiding Vietnam. W made it in, officer W. Failed miserably at every business venture, even with family seed money. Ideal straw man though for Texas GOP and then almost half of all Americans voting. America’s shame.
Most other Presidents have dark spots, but none as dark and vacuous as W.
OJ Simpson murder case might give a class taught by BU Grundy professor, gratification.
“I regret that my personal passion about issues surrounding these events led me to speak about them indelicately,” “I deprived them of the nuance and complexity that such subjects always deserve.”
In this statement, Saida Grundy has issued a perfectly crafted non apology apology. The non apology apologies are worse than no apology, as they are an attempt by the issuer to wriggle out from in under what ever was done or said by creating the appearance of an apology without having to actually apologize. It is actually a defiant act of non repentance.
Racists have no place as role models for our kids. However, if academic leaders at BU feel otherwise, then in all fairness, they might hire David Duke to teach a couse on race relations. After all, he now sports a Phd after his name, which makes him as qualified as Grundy. Would anybody seriously defend Duke’s right to teach as a free speech issue.
No. That would be as preposterous as hiring Grundy, who is just a racist of a different color. While she has every right to say anything she wants, she has no inherent right to teach. It is not what she had to say but what she said reveals about her character, and we surely do judge our teachers on their character.
That blacks have been and continue to be harmed by racism in this country does NOT…excuse racism on the part of any black individual. If anything, those harmed by racism should be that more sensitive to their own prejudice towards others.
Rick, If you learn nothing about hardcore Dems, learn this. They are SHAMELESS. There is a good series on TV w/ that name and it is a great depiction.
issac
1, May 15, 2015 at 11:54 am
Look a little more carefully at the ‘fighter pilot’ Prez. Bush was a draft dodger.
It’s astonishing that after Democrats went nuts over any criticism of Clinton’s wartime activity they will turn around and drop “draft dodger” at the drop of a hat. How embarrassing.
Rick – as someone who was draft eligible we all had choices. You could enlist (choice of service), you could join the Reserves (plan when you would do you active duty plus choice of service), join the National Guard (active first then reserve in Guard) or be drafted (Army). Of course you could fail the physical for the draft, then there were two classifications. 4F (you were never called up) and the other was 2Y (I think) they would call you up after they had called up every able bodied man available and then you would take a clerical position while that person became cannon fodder.
I do not remember anyone thinking the less of anyone of going into any service or taking any option. We were all going (most likely). Clinton is the only draft dodger.
With her name, and nobody’s doing nursery rhymes on this??? Whatever happened to literacy on this website??? Doesn’t anybody here READ??? Thank goodness for me!!! Anyway:
Saida Grundy
A New Nursery Rhyme by Squeeky Fromm
Saida Grundy,
Said it on Monday,
Tweeted on Tuesday,
Wiggled on Wednesday,
Took back on Thursday,
Took back more Friday,
Safe on Saturday,
Buried it Sunday,
The “Fifteen Minutes”,
Of Saida Grundy.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Note: There is a very famous nursery rhyme about Solomon Grundy, which wiki says, goes:
Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Grew worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday.
That was the end,
Of Solomon Grundy
the spine that you refer too, let’s the civilized world know she hates “whitey”…she likes workin’ in “whitey’s” school…why, BU is full of “crackers”…wonder how she can stand bein’ around all those cracker kids?…bet she likes spendin’ the money she earns with all those “dead crackers”, on that green federal paper she collects on a bi-weekly basis…her hypocrisy is more revolting than her “faux” apology…
LOL!
Me too Tony. She will regret it for the rest of her life, I suspect.
Inga and Tony – she is still the old racist she always ways, she just temporarily ran for cover. She has student loans to pay off. She needs the job. Just wait until she has tenure.
She thinks racist thoughts. She makes racist statements. She seeks to commit racist conduct. AND she puts her trash out there in the marketplace of ideas. Perfect! It’s the place where the heat separates the refined from the dross. You PC police that seek to censor her have lost your attachment to the fundamental liberty that allows a democracy to flourish. A passionate clash of ideas draws out the truth. It’s the only way. This notion cannot be in dispute. My only regret in all this is that’s she’s apparently now lost her nerve. Her actual attitude apparently only loosely held and now quickly abandoned when she sees a risk to her pocketbook. What a wuss. I liked her better when she appeared to have a spine.
how much is a job worth when all you do is flip burgers and serve fries?…
Eric,
Maybe because those certain corporate businesses she boycotts pay only minimum wage, thereby making it even more difficult for a black woman with children to lift herself out of poverty.
Bob Stone, We may be operating on different wavelengths. Of course there is hypocrisy w/ liberal lynch mobs. I was liberal once and see the hypocrisy through a clear lens. I expect little from that ilk and they never disappoint. I just want an opportunity to rebut. The private nature of Sterling’s comments is different than this, you are absolutely correct. But, once they were out there, from a financial and contractual standpoint, that became somewhat moot. There was an image crisis. The NBA is a black league. This meant $’s.
I don’t have a problem with what she said. Instead of crying about it, her words should be debated and discussed. Why would a black woman see white masculinity on campus as a problem? Or, why would a black woman feel like boycotting white (aka corporate) businesses on MLK day? These are legitimate, if challenging, questions that warrant discussion.
Eric – the discussion should be do we want a racist in the classroom. Is she a lawsuit waiting to happen?
aaaah…settling in with my morning cup of “mud”…no work today, my friday off…aaaah
Nick
Hey, your new pal just touched a nerve. We should all be so sensitive to avoid it happening again. Rubio, Cruz, Bush, etc.
isaac…you should be 1/10th as successful as the man you impugn…LOL!…president, governor, air force officer, fighter pilot, ivy league grad, etc. etc…..who and what are you?….get my drift senor?