Taking Racism Seriously—And Literally

Let’s talk about Princeton.

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Dear Reader (Including this panda eating a carrot),

Some of you may have seen the episode of Seinfeld in which Jerry tries to return a jacket. He says he wants to return it for “spite” because he didn’t care for the salesman who sold it to him. 

He’s told he can’t return a jacket simply for spite. The manager is called in.

Manager: “That’s true. You can’t return an item based purely on spite.”

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  1. Avatar photo
    Deborah Lundin

    I truly appreciated this G-File. I haven't left the university world since I entered it as an undergraduate student. I've worked in research administration for nearly 20 years and been at a few small and mid-size institutions. My husband also just recently moved away from academia as a faculty member and I am grateful. Despite his love for teaching, he would have gotten eaten up by the atmosphere we see on many campuses now. He himself was a victim of a Title IX witch hunt. Today I happened upon an article that tells of a letter sent to the Department of Education by other institutions and and IHE associations pleading for the end to the investigation of Princeton's self-professed institutional racism (and the Department's response to the letter), so I thought I would share the link to it: https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/10/01/college-associations-urge-devos-drop-princeton-probe. Enjoy!

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    Giselda Beaudin

    I agree that we aren’t talking enough about anti-racist progress but I think Ibram Kendi makes a critical point in his book “How to be an Anti-Racist”: incorrect conceptions of racial history as a singular march of racial progress (as opposed to a duel of anti racist and racist progress)....produce[s] solutions bound to fail.”

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  3. Jim ODonnell

    Let’s face it. DeVos owned Eisgruber.

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    Show Jay Janney the 🚪!

    I didn't watch the video of the Panda eating a carrot--does he then shoots and leaves?
    Say yes to Oxford Commas!

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  5. Merlin


    Christopher Eisgruber can trump the investigation by playing the Watch what Donald Trump does, not what he says. card.

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    Mark Badger

    I guess Princeton's General Counsel was canceled before the President drew up the statement? I can't keep up

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    Show Jay Janney the 🚪!

    To paraphrase Dorothy Parker, if you laid all the racist administrators end to end at Princeton, I wouldn't be at all surprised, and I sure wouldn't want to clean up afterwards.

    Two weeks ago, some prog teacher in CO sicced the authorities on a 12yo student of color for brandishing a gun during class....Except it was a toy gun, vivid green plastic with the words "zombie hunter" on the side of it. And brandishing involved his moving it from one side of the couch to the other. He was suspended for five days over that. I've seen a picture of it....it's a toy. To anyone who has played airsoft (or had kids who played airsoft), it's very recognizable as a toy. Did I mention a toy? It was a toy.

    Their fear of guns overruled both their common sense and led them to stereotype a black male, and he know has a record in school. All because some progressive teacher engaged in systemic racism. Until this nonsense gets cleaned up, it won't get better.

    I live in a small town, mostly white, that coastal elites would call racist because, it's not full of coastal elites I guess, and it's hard to order sabra hummus for lunch. But at our school, I doubt the teacher would have thought twice about it: if she had, she'd simply asked him to put it away. during school.

    But even if you can lay all the Princeton administrators end to end, don't do it, filing all the affirmative consent forms and getting them notarized is just not worth the hassle.

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  8. Avatar photo
    Kevin Johnson

    Thanks much, Jonah. This seems so funny to folks because it is a rare example of clear debunking of the left’s attempt to change the language to advance the cultural revolution. For decades we have let such BS slide in the academy and the press because no one (Except you) wants to be the one to say “excuse me, but your supposed efforts to fight racism are...racist.” I had 3 different “diversity” trainings while in the State Department and all were cartoonish and full of stereotypes. This was before the “anti-racist” BS which asks us all to see everyone, all the time, as essentially defined by their race. Princeton is now challenged to define what is means by racism, exposing the absurd and tortuous twisting of the word by identity politics folks. Thanks for seeking some clarity.

    I also agree with criticism of AG Barr...with a huge caveat. I see him exaggerating for effect in a situation where the press ignores facts, including violence his dept must prosecute, and where he is uniquely situated to call attention to lying and exaggerations in the press. Since Trump is not a credible counter to such lies and exaggerations, Barr seems to push hard because every day he sees lies multiply (mostly peaceful, police are racist murderers etc.) So I welcome JG corrective, but add my view of context. Without Barr, most Americans will never hear from the press the truth about police misconduct, leftist violence,etc. When police arrive to defend black and Hispanic women threatened by armed people with records of sexual assault and attacks with knives (Kenosha and Penn. cases) press and activists ignore context to condemn Police before investigating. Only Barr has the megaphone and credibility to push back, sadly since Trump is unfit and makes everything worse.

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  9. DJ

    Interesting take from the author of Liberal Fascism

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  10. DJ

    What laws did they break?

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