Remember Peterson? The tenured professor at the University of Toronto who insists on disrespecting his students? Shiv is collecting all the news about this bozo, so if you want to learn more, you know where to go.
One of the things that surprised me, sort of, was this account of a teach-in to discuss the issues.
The event was interrupted by Lauren Southern from The Rebel, a right-wing online media outlet. Southern, pretending to be transgender, took to the microphone to defend Peterson and was quickly shut down, having not identified herself as a media correspondent.
That left me very curious. How does someone who doesn’t believe in the reality of transgender people pretend to be transgender? That could be revealing in itself.
I guess I’m going to have to come down on the side of free speech, though. If that ass Peterson can refuse to address his students respectfully, I think it’s only fair that his students get to address him as “Peterson, you ass…”.
Is this that psychology professor that refuses to accept that the human mind is more complex than a 10th grade biology lesson on X and Y chromosomes? And that human languages are immutable things beyond the control of the people who speak them? As though English dictionaries grow in the forest? Kind of says a lot about the sort of education you’ll get at U of Toronto, I guess.
Extra points for use of the word “bozo,” which needs to make a comeback.
“I was a newt.
(pause)
I got better.”
Yes.
Yes.
U of T’s faculty as well as its administration are trying to tell him he’s being an asshole. As for substantial consequences, U of T probably has its own private standards it could enforce, but might be reluctant to given Dr. Peterson’s popularity with the whinging alt right. As I discuss in the post (wink wink hint hint) he’s bordering on “public incitement of hatred” now that he has a goon squad of 4channers and Redditors doxxing & threatening & assaulting his critics. That might be an arguable criminal act in Canada if it could be demonstrated he is aware of those activities.
Academic freedom means you can’t ditch a prof for being an ass in public, short of their committing a crime or some very clearly laid out transgressions (like not teaching).
If the administration does anything, the union will be forced to defend this poor persecuted prof. Think of the union representatives!
“Southern, pretending to be transgender, took to the microphone to defend Peterson and was quickly shut down”
This could be a lie. Southern is extremely disliked by the far left to the point were she has been assaulted several times.
“Is this that psychology professor that refuses to accept that the human mind is more complex than a 10th grade biology lesson on X and Y chromosomes?”
Yes, that one professor that refuses to accept that the complexity of the mind does not implicate the acceptance of identity delusion. Also, that one professor who believes that heckling an individual during a rational discussion over their supposed identity is a bit stupid (just a bit).
“Identity delusion”
Yikes.
“If the administration does anything, the union will be forced to defend this poor persecuted prof. Think of the union representatives!”
I’ve been a rep for a faculty union. This is the truth. Their grievance officer is probably quietly sobbing right now, glad that at least this time it’s not a holocaust denier.