There is a free speech debate at Drake University over hateful and vulgar tweets from Associate English Professor Beth Younger, who called for Republicans “to suffer.” We have seen increasing vulgar attacks from academics, including such high-profile figures as Laurence Tribe in the last few years. Notably, Twitter did not suspend Younger’s account for calling for harm to all Republicans. I do not believe that she should be barred from social media or fired from Drake as a matter of free speech. Even with professors who have justified the murder of conservatives or killing police are protected in such hateful expressions. The solution to such hate speech is more (and better) speech. I would rather we denounce such speech than censor it.
Beth Younger tweeted on October 26th that “I was just pondering how much hatred I feel towards all the Republican a**holes. They need to suffer.”
Younger also declared that all “men are trash.” and sent a message to U.S. Senator Josh Hawley on Jan. 7 that stated “f**k of you piece of shit.” She also attacked Melania Trump and called Secretary Mike Pompeo a “f**king moron and a traitor.”
Such sentiments are obviously concerning given many Republican students and presumably faculty on campus. It also have an impact on male students taking her class with her stated hatred for their gender. In a compelling and well-considered email, President Marty Martin correctly condemned Younger’s comments as “unacceptable.” Martin however stressed freedom of speech in her email this week:
The Drake University Statement of Principles declares that freedom of thought and freedom of expression are central to our educational mission. We therefore carefully refrain from restricting the exchange of ideas or regulating the content of speech. We recognize that the frank and open discussion of social, cultural, artistic, religious, moral, scientific, and political issues may be disturbing and even hurtful for some individuals, but the principle of free exchange and inquiry takes precedence because of its fundamental role in our educational enterprise. We seek to create through this robust exchange of ideas a community in which shared purpose transcends difference and respect for human dignity transcends conflict.
Younger’s tweets raise serious questions over sexist and political intolerance. However, there is no allegation that she has engaged in discriminatory or hateful conduct in classes. The question is whether universities would maintain such a position in favor of free speech if the statements targeted other groups like a male professor saying the same thing about women. It is not clear if there is a coherent line or policy on such cases. Free speech demands bright lines but the record among universities has been conflicted. I often hear from conservative and libertarian faculty about what they view as a double standard. They do not believe that the universities would show equal tolerance for criticism, let alone hateful attacks, of other groups. Certainly many liberal faculty and students have not shown the same tolerance.
As many on this blog are aware, I tend to be predictable on free speech issues. My natural default is to protect speech, particularly when exercised off campus or on social media. These are difficult cases when statements reflect prejudice and sexism as in the case of Professor Younger. However, there is a fear of a slippery slope once universities begin to punish those with unacceptable views expressed in their private capacity. We have been discussing efforts to fire professors who voice dissenting views of the basis or demands of recent protests including an effort to oust a leading economist from the University of Chicago as well as a leading linguistics professor at Harvard and a literature professor at Penn. The silence of many faculty in the face of crackdowns on free speech has been chilling in the last few years.
There is a palpable sense of fear among many conservative and libertarian faculty and students that they cannot express themselves on campus or in classes without be ostracized or even subjected to retaliatory measures, including attacks by the student government. While faculty member like Professor Younger might not show the same tolerance for opposing views, we have a greater responsibility to regain the trust of our communities in the tolerance for opposing views and expression on our campuses. She is the cost of free speech.
The vicious writers on the left are using words now because they haven’t quite gained the momentum to actually beat their targets to death and must satisfy themselves with the vicarious pleasure they derive from watching some whipped up tool in the street taking a brick to the back of an man’s head, or a man being hit in the head with a bike lock hidden in a plastic bag from one of their brothers in Academia, or better yet, 5 to 10 people kickig and beating a man in the middle of the public street. I’m sure it some kind of execration porn that they can’t get enough of.. I take them at their vile words. They are cauldrons of unbridled venom. I do not want their speech curtailed, it stands as a warning as to how deeply sickened these people have become. They know that it should be them that is driven away from the table of civilized men.
The correct response is to publicly (and privately) point out Younger’s responsibility to uphold civility, castigate her indulgence of
negative stereotypes, and stygmatize her use of profanities in public discourse. It’s up to the Drake U. administration what to do with her. Maybe make her sit through one of Howard J. Ross’s lectures on Bias Awareness, or dock her pay.
I predict a time will be coming when threats to personal safety waged online by militant activists will result in mob or lone-wolf assaults.
Remember what happened in Israel in 2004, when the vitriol of public rants, generously laced with accusations of treason, culminated in the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin? Do we want to see that happen here?
The government has fundamental responsibilities for public safety and a peaceful political process that will face the ultimate test with anarchist, radical incitements directed at citizens. The First Amendment will therefore evolve a set of red lines defining incitement of public or interpersonal violence, and will have to be diligently enforced.
The fact that such a red line will always require an element of judgment should not argue against its necessity. The use of public disturbance law comes to mind — it was conceived as a catchall to be used with discretion to make sure malcontents didn’t get to terrorize or intimidate the law-abiding community.
The fact that those with grievances are offered every opportunity to express themselves — with adherence to civility and respect for the rights of others — should be kept foremost in mind. Should respectfully-framed, peace-minded, constructive criticism begin to be squelched, then we have a true encroachment on free speech, and need to right the ship.
But, expanding the First Amendment to the extreme that radicals presume — vile, ad-hominem, threatening rants laced with paranoid denunciations of treason, riddled with consciously-deceptive untruths, coordinated through semi-organized media networks funded by dark money, and waged from behind a protective veil of anonymity??? — that is a prescription for a metastatic cancer of the spirit that can eventually overtake the Republic. In all citizen rights, there are counterbalancing responsibilities.
“I predict a time will be coming when threats to personal safety waged online by militant activists will result in mob or lone-wolf assaults.
Remember what happened in Israel in 2004, when the vitriol of public rants, generously laced with accusations of treason, culminated in the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin? Do we want to see that happen here?”
It has happen, A Bernie Sanders supporter shot Republican Congressmen while they were practicing softball and almost killing congressman Scallis of Louisiana.
It also happens that a Trump supporter named Cesar Sayoc attempted to kill several Democrats who’d been criticized by Trump.
There are crazy violent people on the right and the left.
The difference between these two incidents is that the Bernie Sanders shot and tried to kill and Cesar Sayoc did not try to kill. The judge said the design flaws in the bombs — including timers that were not set to go off and fuse wiring that was inoperable — indicated that Mr. Sayoc had only intended to scare his victims, not harm them.
Remember what happened in Israel in 2004, when the vitriol of public rants, generously laced with accusations of treason, culminated in the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin?
He was assassinated in 1995, twit. And Israeli politics has always been contentious.
Pbinca, irony of ironies, Younger might agree with you about curbing speech–as long as it’s not hers. That’s who you’re agreeing with: the very person you suggest curbing.
I don’t want to curb anybody’s political speech. That’s philosophically consistent because it’s morally symmetric.
We are waiting for the commenters here to find an equally vitriolic statement by a college instructor who is on the right. She has the right to say what she wants, but having my lineage setting at her feet is not an option.
Two things. 1. Tenure should be abolished. I agree with free speech but openly saying murder is okay and we should punish someone for their politics should have consequencies. 2. Drake University should change their moto, Veritas no longer applies.
Trumpets!
What kind of people are called Trumpets?
Fat kids, skinny kids, profs who climb on rocks.
Just go down the road and you will see their chicken pox.
Drake, Drake, go bake.
Banana fanna snowflake.
Fee fi no brakes
Drake!
If the first two teachers are ever the same.
You bop them both and lay the blame.
Another day, another group of Turley columns ignoring the outrageous and dangerous decent of the GOP since Trump into crazy world, while calling out Democrats for eating their peas with a knife and another column about a nobody Turley seeks to make the face of Democrats.
Yawn.
Says Joe Friday from another planet.
William, why do so many of your comments have nothing but insult?
The term ‘insult’ does not mean what you fancy it means.
What do you think I “fancy it means,” Arty?
Joe, Professor Turley’s column isn’t really about who is making outrageous comments. His point is that MANY leftwing faculties are restricting speech even as they make inflammatory statements, themselves. In the interests of full disclosure, I share his concerns.
To address JT’s argument directly, please, show MEANINGUL instances where rightwing faculty are restricting free speech and demonstrate that that rightwing misconduct is also WIDESPREAD on campuses. IF you can do that, then you can complain about bias on this blog. We are listening.
I’ve decided to take a more conciliatory tone in my comments. It’s cramping my creativity, but it’s a small price to pay for civil discourse. I would also say I’m under no misapprehension that I can change your mind. Our discussion is for the benefit of others.
He would have to locate right-wing faculty to begin with. See Paul Greenberg’s account of his time in graduate school, ca. 1960. Non-liberals were being weeded out even then. Dranke’s a private institution and can do what it likes. (This isn’t novel there). It just cannot admit to what it’s doing. As for the public institutions, their faculty have turned them into sandboxes as if they owned the places. They actually do deserve to suffer for that.
I thought about including commentary on public versus private, but it got too long and messy. I concede private institutions have more latitude, they just have accept criticism for what they do and not threaten to burn down houses and throw people in prison for objecting. I’m not sure people like Beth Younger really accept that.
Diogenes, I appreciate and welcome your more conciliatory tone will try to reciprocate, If you hadn’t noticed, beyond maybe some occasional sarcasm, I have trued to be respectful in my exchanges with you. That is not true with all posters here.
I acknowledge Turley’s special interest in the academic world, but his studied ignoring of outrageous political behavior and comments coming from his party and his network, which only recently led to an attack on the Capital and the Congress, renders columns like this one as tone deaf. I might take it more seriously if it wasn’t.
“his studied ignoring” You’re imputing an intention you can’t prove, Joe.
“of outrageous political behavior” Your idea of “outrageous political behavior” is not shared by many nor is it a legal definition.
“comments coming from his party and his network” JT leans left on non-legal issues, and nobody can prove Fox controls his commentary.
“which only recently led to an attack on the Capital and the Congress” My opinion, that clause is speculative, at best.
Applause for Diogenes!
Thank you, Cassidy 🙂
He’s an academic interested in the decay of faculty culture. You’re a troll from Correct-the-Record.
Arty, you frequently post comments assuming people whose opinions you disagree with are being paid to post here. You never present any evidence for it.
Are YOU being paid to post here? Why do you assume that others are? Is it really that uncomfortable for you to accept that people who aren’t paid post comments you disagree with?
Who would pay Deco? For these comments?
GOP!
KGB!
Bee eye nicki eye bye oh bee.
Nicki eye, nicki oh,
Boo boo.
Hey Joe. Please direct us to any statement you have made concerning the danger posed by BLM and Antifa. Anxiously awaiting your reply.
Trumpers constantly spew the most vile crap at liberals every day, but they can’t take any criticism.
Stupid comment. “Trumpers” don’t have access to communications media that broadcast their speech to liberals.
They have somehow figured out how to use Twitter, Facebook, Fox News, the comment section of many non-crazy blogs. I have even seen their hate on bumper stickers, lawn signs and flags.
M G look at what you helped elect, just about says it all
Locate one who has tenure.
JT.
The term ‘right-wing’ does not mean what you fancy it means. Going through life as a Madcow votary is not a good use of your time.
Defund all universities. Period. They are caldrons of hate, intolerance and indoctrination.
defund all universities
If only particularly in this era of virtual online ehjuhkayshun
Richmond.com
Bill to cap cost of online education at Virginia colleges is tabled
A House subcommittee shot down a bill that would have capped the price of online education at Virginia public colleges.
Since the pandemic, most colleges moved classes to a virtual format. But some parents think the new form of teaching is substandard, said Del. Jason Miyares, R-Virginia Beach, who sponsored the bill. If colleges can’t provide the same level of instruction, they shouldn’t be able to charge full tuition.
The bill would have required colleges teaching only online classes to charge no more than $2,500 per student. In-state tuition currently runs between $9,000 and $24,000 annually.
“At the end of the day, colleges are not immune to market forces,” Miyares told the subcommittee for higher education Wednesday.
But members of the subcommittee who expressed concern the bill was too rash and lacked detail voted 5-2 to table it. Delegates Amanda Batten, R-James City, and Danny Marshall, R-Danville, voted in opposition.
Batten said her son is an engineering major at Virginia Tech, and she can attest the quality of education is “not good.” Nationwide, some students have asked for refunds or sued their schools because they’ve paid full tuition for a different form of education.
At this point in time the “more speech not less” solution has no legs. The ability to counter Younger and others too numerous to mention is nonexistent within the social media. And this started with “hate crimes” which led to “hate speech” and now words are weapons and equivalent to violence. Maybe Biden will drive the bus off a cliff but it won’t be pretty.
Exactly. We used to define crimes as destructive action only, but the “intent” was not a separate crime. It only became a “hate” crime once it could be used to score against political enemies. It used to be that “Intent” was only if the criminal meant to cause the real injury, that was it. There was no legally “approved” or “disapproved”criminal motive. Jurors suddenly were capable of totally unbiased verdicts about “hate”, but only if they never had a political opinion in their lives.
Has Drake created safe spaces for men and conservatives in view of this hateful attack?
Free speech. Difficult to defend and censor in equal measure. Denounce, criticise, barrack, even insult, by all means, but not with physical harm or death threats.
They would fire a prison guard who displayed this verbal hate. Students are prisoners of professors like this, so I disagree. She should be fired and she can find another profession.
“She should be fired and she can find another profession.”
***
Kerry says making solar panels is a promising alternative. Probably she isn’t smart enough to code, the other alternative career.
She may have been ‘smart enough’ as a young person and I’ll wager she’s a vocational spinster, so IT wouldn’t have been a bad fit for the usual reasons. I’m wagering it’s been 20+ years since she put her mind to something that has operational measures of competence, so IT’s a bad fit now. She cannot do sales, she’s just too gross.
“President Marty Martin correctly condemned Younger’s comments as “unacceptable.””
Martin’s email is lengthy & bland. Martin does not even mention Younger by name.
Whatever else may be said of Younger, at least we know who she opposes, why she opposes them, and how vehemently she opposes them.
The modern left will not curtail its excesses until it is punished. Blunt, direct criticism might still accomplish this, at least at times. And Martin seems to think harsh words would do the trick. Except the words aren’t harsh, and the admonitions seem as much or more directed to everyone (“We all”) as they are to Younger.
His e-mail is a reflection of the attitude of the median faculty member, who consider this somewhat outré but are not actually bothered by it. They hired her and they tenured her. They likely knew perfectly well she’s damaged goods. At most places, Damaged Goods R Us.
There is a free speech debate at Drake University over hateful and vulgar tweets from Associate English Professor Beth Younger, who called for Republicans “to suffer.”
You have a penchant for bringing to light incredibly worthless instructors at equally obscure universities. To wit, Drake U, a private institution in Des Moines, according to Wikipedia, has an enrollment of 3,000 undergrads and 2,000 grad. They offer meaningless graduate degrees in a market that is already super saturated with degrees such as Pharm D, Occupational Therapy, Law and Journalism Degrees. Looking at Beth’s webpage on Drake website, it is understandable why she is holding her pet dog in her arms. Not even if i were drunk would she look good. Why am I not surprised she studied feminist theory? These mutants are not a credit to women in the slightest. At this rate, the fertility rate will come to zero.
I wish it were true that those “incredibly worthless instructors [were only] at equally obscure universities.”
Through their mob activism, and cowardice by opponents, they dominate *prominent* universities — such as Duke. Here is just a small sample:
On Republicans —
‘Since you’ve been hired at Duke, I’m sure that none of you is so foolish as to be conservative.” (said to a recent faculty hire)
“[S]tupid people are generally conservative.” This explains “the relative scarcity of Republicans in academia.” (the then chair of the philosophy dept.)
“I would teach a good argument for limited government, but I do not know of one.” (said the director of an ethics center)
“[U]niversities want people of some depth, subtlety and intelligence. People like that usually vote for the Democrats.” (emeritus)
“I find that I don’t really need to spend much time with the liberal students, because they already have it right. I spend most of my time arguing with the conservative students.” (a dept. chair)
On men as evil —
See Duke’s “Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies” (I don’t have the stomach to pull quotes.)
The Duke lacrosse rape hoax was fueled by its race/gender/class faculty propagandists. They heard the only dog whistle they needed: Rich, white boys were accused. (Some of those vile propagandists were promoted, and new ones hired.)
Law is saturated. Pharmacy and occupational therapy no.
Thanks for exposing these extremist haters cocooned in our colleges.
I just read a brilliant article written by Jason Whitlock…a black former football player…he says all Pro athletes should just play the game and stay out of politics…he also says parents are letting BLM/Antifa supporting pros raise their kids…it’s parents jobs to raise their kids…does every aspect of our lives need to be politized?…Curt Schilling a religious republican Trump supporter was NOT elected into the HOF…Reggie Jackson said he will never be elected because he is a white supremist…ok… then remove ALL white pro HOF athletes form all sports starting with Babe Ruth…from the Hall of Fame…Bart Starr out…Vince Lombardi out…Larry Bird out…Roger Federer out…Chris Evert out…Jack Nicklaus out…you see now why we are so divided and will never heal.
typical double standard and hypocrisy from the far left…the republicans get fired and the far left get applauded and raises in wages…I’m just glad I’m retired and watching the !@#$ show from the sidelines…Youtude keeps censoring The Epoch Times…that newspaper was started by 2 Chinese folks who fled communist China…so Biden says saying its a Chinese virus is a crime now but allows removal of a conservative honest reporting magazine owned by the Chinese…see how stupid Biden looks around the world…wait until all the good paying jobs leave the US again except in Texas led by conservatives. And also the conservative lawyer Lin Wood, I am told, is being told he has to go through a mental health exam by the far left just for being a republican…that tells me all republicans say 75 million plus their families will be forced to undergo a psychiatric exam very soon…and then what…lock all of us up in a psych ward…force all us to take anti-psychotic meds plus electric shock therapy or a frontal lobotomy…One Flew Over The Coocoo’s Nest…try that on Ted Cruz.
Liberalism is a F*****G mental disorder!!!!
Echoes of the same level of ego and narcissism as seen in Stalin, Lenin and Mao.
1. She hates men because they’ve rejected her. For good reason.
2. Look at her ‘interests’. Basically pulp fiction and feminist blather. Hiring her was a gesture of contempt by the faculty responsible.
What the Drake English faculty have told their constituents is that they’re department is not a serious enterprise. The board should take this to heart and shut the department down. The imperative of providing honest services dictates that.
“f**k of you piece of shit.”
Ms. Younger has not mastered her spelling, but she is an expert in vitriol.
Why do we worry about these idiots with TSD?
We see enough of them on this site; they are ugly people and there is no reaching them.
They have allowed their TDS to rule their lives and like lepers of old, the only solution is to let them lie out their days alone in like minded communities.