So what should we do?
Jason Arday, celebrated as the youngest Black professor in Cambridge University's history
- Thread starter volsrocks
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cawacko
Well-known member
For context, in case you're not familiar with McWhorter, he's a black intellectual who has spent decades in academia. That doesn't make him above reproach but he's not speaking as some outsider.
While he came down hard on Arday personally, his basic position is that some black scholars are rewarded for their advocacy and identity and not held to the same intellectual standards as others. He has spoken about his own experiences where (white) colleagues have treated him differently for being black.
Even after all the plagiarism and lies of Arday were exposed there were still people in academia supporting him, they could not get past the identity part.
cawacko
Well-known member
And to stick with the unwritten rule of the board that everything has to be about Trump, here’s a McWhorter tweet on the subject where he also rips on Trump.
View: https://x.com/johnhmcwhorter/status/2085142619936510298?s=46&t=kOX31MjxS-IJnH5C6XWDGA
Taichiliberal
Shaken, not stirred!
OMG! A fraudster gaining public adulation and prominence that's been exposed. Hmm, seems our resident sheet wearer only gets his jollies off if it's a black person. I guess he must have been under his rock during ALL the unqualified appointees by his Cheeto Jeezus committing illegal and fraudulent acts regarding crucial federal positions. Here's just a sample:
www.trumpallstars.com/commerce
www.trumpallstars.com/commerce
Nah, just responding to the idiotic topic post
Responding means not caring, Anchovies?
I do not know who McWhorter is, but from looking at his Wikipedia page I can see why he would author a critical piece on Arday
“McWhorter argued that the attitudes and general behavior of black people, rather than white racism, were what held African Americans back in the United States. According to McWhorter, "victimology, separatism, and anti-intellectualism underlie the general black community's response to all race-related issues"
Sounds a lot like Justice Thomas, although again from reading the bio those two would be worlds apart, I suppose the reality lies somewhere inbetween both views
I can’t see it as a burning issue in academia, and to a degree, generalizes skepticism toward Black academics
Is this another example of you not caring, Anchovies?
cawacko
Well-known member
You're comparing him to Clarence Thomas? On his regular podcast as a guest with Glenn Loury he actually said he wished Trump had been assassinated. Does that sound like Thomas? In the follow up post I shared his tweet where he said "Read this man's resignation letter and witness a delusion, megalomania, and dimness paralleled in public figures today only by America's President." Think Thomas would talk about Trump that way?
McWhorter is a linguist who has written multiple books on the topic, as well as writing books about race. On top of teaching at Brown he writes a weekly column for the NY Times. He's a Democrat who has never voted for a Republican, but because he takes heterodox views on racial issues he gets compared to Clarence Thomas. That's the world we live in.
It's easy to call out the bigotry and racism of people like the OP because it's so open and obvious. What McWhorter is talking about in academia (though it doesn't apply only there) is a much more subtler form of bigotry and racism, and that's from people who say all the right things on the surface but deep down believe specifically that black people aren't at the same intellectual level. He's spoken about it from his own experience in academia and how people react to folks like Arday and Claudine Gay.
McWhorter is not above reproach. But he does speak from experience and he can't be written off as some right-winger.
QP!
Verified User
or like blaming the system or prosecutors or jury or judges when a felon commits crimes and get prosecuted and convicted.Umm,....maybe because HE told all the LIES? So you are blaming the people who believed the lies and not the one who told the lies? That's kind of ass backwards isn't it? Kinda like blaming the guy who got robbed at gunpoint for answering a knock on his front door. WTF
We should all blame the guy who committed all the crimes. The felon!
Right?
Oh, oh, you are going in the direction you finding fault with above, bringing Trump into everything
I commented that it “sounds a lot like Justice Thomas, although again from reading the bio those two would be worlds apart,” implying that both have commented similarly on unqualified Blacks moving ahead based on race. Thomas has stressed numerous times almost as if he wants everyone to know he never achieved via Affirmative Action. He even has included the thinking in his decisions on Civil Rights cases
I never questioned or criticized McWhorter, just commented why I think he would eagerly criticize the other guy, tney are approaching racism from different directions
cawacko
Well-known member
McWhorter and Loury have actually talked about that on more than a few occasions, the argument that when they say certain things (about black people or the black community) they give fuel to those who have ulterior motives in quoting them.
Their response has generally been that alone isn't worth their silence on the subjects they discuss. But I see your point now about the different directions.
I've heard them use the phrase soft bigotry of low expectations on multiple occasions, whether it's in response to the idea that black students aren't able to excel on tests compared to other ethnic groups or races or how some in elite academia will view black professors or administrators.
He is but one voice, but I believe comes with a certain level of gravitas.
As I commented, the truth probably lies somewhere inbetween the two views, we’ve all seen Blacks, women, as well as white nepo babies and legatees (had to look that one up) in positions they weren’t qualified to hold, it is not just unique to just Blacks