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posted by on Tuesday December 20 2016, @01:36PM   Printer-friendly
from the foolproof-like-all-other-watchlists dept.

The latest manifestation of the conservative targetting of academia is the Professor Watchlist, created by the "activist organization" Turning Point USA, founded by rising star Charlie Kirk. It's stated purpose is to "watch" professors "who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom"

Of course, this is not new. David Horowitz has written a book called The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America . HeterodoxAcademy.org has rational articles discussing the liberal slant to modern college campuses. Nicholas Kristoff writes an interesting piece on the same topic. However, with the election of President Trump, the stakes may have been raised. A professor in California has gone incognitio after criticizing Trump in the classroom and receiving death threats.

But more important is how the attempt to blacklist liberal academics has actually backfired. George Yancy [not the George Yancey from the Kristoff piece above] published a response, "I Am a Dangerous Professor" in the New York Times, and since then it seems to have become de rigueur for all academics to get their name on the Professor Watchlist in order to cement their tenure. An entire hashtag on Twitter has taken form: #trollprofwatchlist! People have taken to mocking the list by suggesting candidates such as Thomas Jefferson, Gandhi, and Jesus, not to mention Socrates, who obviously belongs.

Charlie Kirk may not be dangerous, but he did start this list. I am watching him now.


[Editor note - This story was substantially rewritten for balance. As always, the original submission is available at the link below.]

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @02:20PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @02:20PM (#443782)

    I enjoyed the original submission more, but that's probably because I don't actually care about being polite to people I don't like.

    Evidently conservatives would be offended by the original submission. They had to create a "Safe Space" where they wouldn't be triggered. So we get the sanitized, politically correct version.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +1  
       Touché=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Touché' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   1  
  • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday December 20 2016, @02:22PM

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Tuesday December 20 2016, @02:22PM (#443784) Homepage Journal

    Would you prefer folks like me get their ranty goodness up on the front page as well? That's your only alternative.

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
    • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @02:25PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @02:25PM (#443788)

      Actually, you sometimes do get your "ranty goodness" up on the front page. And it doesn't get edited much, if at all. Imagine that!

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday December 20 2016, @02:34PM

        by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Tuesday December 20 2016, @02:34PM (#443797) Homepage Journal

        Actually, you sometimes do get your "ranty goodness" up on the front page. And it doesn't get edited much, if at all. Imagine that!

        I dunno what site you've been reading but I almost never get more than one or two sentences dedicated to my own views. If the story gets accepted at all.

        Fact check that if you like, I'll wait...

        Now apologize to the community for lying to them.

        --
        My rights don't end where your fear begins.
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @04:49PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @04:49PM (#443873)

          A sentence or two. I bet I can find some TMB articles that are paragraphs of rantiness. We could even compare the original submissions to the posted one and count the differences. Smart money says there aren't many.

          I am at work, if you want me to and if you promise to apologize yourself if I can prove that your articles fairly sail through approval compared to this one then I will look when I get home. I of course will post the results either way, and apologize if I am wrong.

          • (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday December 20 2016, @06:13PM

            by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 20 2016, @06:13PM (#443943) Journal

            I of course will post the results either way, and apologize if I am wrong.

            The obvious rebuttal is that this isn't much of a wager for an anonymous coward. You're attempting to stake your reputation on your claim. But being an AC (or at least the usual kind without any sort of identifying characteristic), you don't have a reputation to win or lose.

            • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Tuesday December 20 2016, @07:04PM

              by aristarchus (2645) on Tuesday December 20 2016, @07:04PM (#443974) Journal

              The obvious rebuttal is that this isn't much of a wager for an anonymous coward.

              Khallow!!! Do you expect us to start drinking this early in the morning?

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @07:25PM

                by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @07:25PM (#443991)

                The obvious rebuttal is "YES... YES!" Drink up like everyone else.

              • (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday December 20 2016, @07:41PM

                by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 20 2016, @07:41PM (#443998) Journal

                Do you expect us to start drinking this early in the morning?

                If you're going to ride the khallow booze train, you'll need to get your alcoholism on. I would have thought that was obvious by now.

                • (Score: 3, Funny) by aristarchus on Tuesday December 20 2016, @08:37PM

                  by aristarchus (2645) on Tuesday December 20 2016, @08:37PM (#444027) Journal

                  Do you expect us to start drinking this early in the morning?

                  If you're going to ride the khallow booze train, you'll need to get your alcoholism on. I would have thought that was an obvious rebuttal by now.

                  FTFY

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @10:55PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @10:55PM (#444098)

              Ahh yes, attack me because I am at work and don't log into social media at work. You stay classy khallow.

              • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday December 21 2016, @09:07AM

                by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 21 2016, @09:07AM (#444265) Journal

                Ahh yes, attack me because I am at work and don't log into social media at work.

                Then just tell us that you'll give a name when you're not at work. Assuming generously, that you planned anything of the sort.

          • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday December 20 2016, @08:32PM

            by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Tuesday December 20 2016, @08:32PM (#444021) Homepage Journal

            A sentence or two. I bet I can find some TMB articles that are paragraphs of rantiness.

            I don't gamble but that's not a gamble. I know for certain that you'll find no such thing.

            As for minor to no differences, that's precisely what you'll find on my accepted stories. I don't like my posts being heavily edited, so I stick to a formula that the eds mostly just pass through. It goes like this:

            Someone from somewhere brings us this adjective noun:
            Some paragraphs of quoted article.
            One (almost always) to three (rarely if ever) sentences of my personal views and/or snark.

            The only exceptions are the site update posts and those have nothing argumentative in them.

            --
            My rights don't end where your fear begins.
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @10:57PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @10:57PM (#444102)

              The problem though is your articles tend to be nothing but rantiness. I don't care if someone else said it first, if you submit BS you own it, even if its in quote brackets.

            • (Score: 1) by charon on Tuesday December 20 2016, @11:09PM

              by charon (5660) on Tuesday December 20 2016, @11:09PM (#444108) Journal
              This is true. It's an easy format to follow, and easy for us editors to source check. TMB is well behaved when submitting. In IRC, on the other hand...
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @05:51PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @05:51PM (#443921)

      GP here. I'm not sure how serious I was about liking the original submission more, and I'm too tired to think about it too hard.
      But... I did want to point out (and someone who replied to me said it explicitly) that there are sensitive snowflakes among the people who say there's no need for safe spaces and other nonsense.

      the point of keeping conversations polite is so that the conversations do take place.
      otherwise we'll just gather in small groups to badmouth the others, and prepare for battle the following day.
      when you laugh at the lgbt for requiring certain language and behavior, you're cutting off the conversation.
      if you do it, you should know and be sure that you want to do that.
      for instance, I won't make any concessions on language/behavior to religious fundamentalists, and I am fully aware that means that I have to be prepared to defend myself against physical asault, and I am fully aware that I cannot visit a whole bunch of the world because I would be in serious trouble.

      • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday December 20 2016, @08:19PM

        by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Tuesday December 20 2016, @08:19PM (#444014) Homepage Journal

        when you laugh at the lgbt for requiring certain language and behavior, you're cutting off the conversation.

        That is the absolute opposite of the truth. The entire reason for requiring certain language and behavior, and changing it every so often, is to be able to stop a rational conversation that you're going to lose. No other reason.

        It needs to be mocked so that others will be ashamed to buy into it.

        --
        My rights don't end where your fear begins.
  • (Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @02:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 20 2016, @02:31PM (#443791)

    1
    safe space
    A place where college students can go if they have been subjected to ideas that differ from the progressive narrative. These safe spaces have pillows, soothing music and an understanding, sympathetic staff. Presumably, this allows them to recover from the trauma; free from any lasting damage resulting from exposure to ideas that conflict with their leftist professors.
    I attended a talk by Hirsan Ali, who was critical of Islam's subjugation of women. Fortunately, the school provided a safe space for me to recover.
    #political correctness #pc #leftism #leftist #progressive
    by PBSPinchback April 25, 2015

    2
      safe space
    A place where cowards with cultural authoritarian and pro-censorship leanings go to in order to evade criticism and calling out of whatever absurd ideas they may express, as well as ideas that are even slightly opposed to the safe space dweller's ideas. These are labelled as whatever kind of bigotry would make the safe space dweller look like a victim the most.
    Colleges are supposed to be safe spaces! Why is someone like Christina Hoff Sommers allowed to talk in them?

    3
    safe space
    An imaginary place where overly-sensitive twats retreat to, when they are "assaulted" with ideas that contradict the narrative that was ingrained into their feeble minds.
    Chelsea had to retreat to a safe space, when a free-thinker bombarded "her" with the fact that transgender people are suffering from a mental illness called gender dysphoria.

    4
    safe space
    A place where liberals who think their victims of marginalization by systematic oppression go to seek shelter from non-liberals. Somewhere that provides authoritarian censorship of non-liberal ideas and speech that are enforced by the PC Police. The PC Police use imaginary phrases and terms about race, sexual orientation, religion and opposing political beliefs to bully, shame and guilt trip other people into complete submission to keep their space safe.
    I can't live in a world where people have different beliefs from me that are outside my imaginary bubble so I go to the safe space to calm down from my daily micro-aggressions.

    5
    Safe space
    A pussy in which pussies to hide from reality
    College boy 1: milo is coming to UCLA today to speak
    CB2: QUICK! run to the safe space!

    6
    Safe Space
    A special area located with a College/University where groups of easily offended melts meet up to have their asses talcum powered by staff hired to babysit them.
    'That professor told me third wave Feminism is a joke, that shitlord triggered me so hard I'm going to the safe space'

    7
    safe space
    A mythical place just south of Never-Never Land and nestled securely between Oz on the east and Utopia on the west. Self-absorbed, overbearing, weak-minded college students seek "Safe Space" when they encounter an idea, concept, or most especially, an incontrovertible FACT that cannot be shoe-horned into their minuscule progressive minds.
    You can't come in here with a recording device! This is a Safe Space! I need some muscle over here!

    8
    Safe Space
    A room or area where left wing people can go to cry about politics. Commonly used by socialist collage students after elections they did not win. Inside a modern safe spaces are typically service dogs, free hot chocolate, therapy, counseling and pillows and couches. Some safe spaces are so pampered that they allow occupants to say for days at a time. Although unnecessary, safe spaces cost schools thousands of dollars, and sometimes are even fully governmentally funded.
    Rick: What the hell is up with all the wailing over there?

    Tommy: Some pussy collage kids are crying over at the safe space.

    Rick: Why?

    Tommy: There professor raticalized them in the way of socialism. They are crying because Mr. Trump won the election.

    Rick: That's Bullshit.

    9
    safe space
    A Safe Space is a place where anyone can relax and be able to fully express, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, religious affiliation, age, or physical or mental ability.
    Wow, I can actually go to a safe space to talk about my controversial views about something without being told that I'm a faggot! Incredible!