Comments on: Journeying back to the land of censorship http://www.studlife.com/forum/2009/10/21/journeying-back-to-the-land-of-censorship/ The independent newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:22:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jerome Bauer http://www.studlife.com/forum/2009/10/21/journeying-back-to-the-land-of-censorship/#comment-2763 Jerome Bauer Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:38:25 +0000 http://www.studlife.com/?p=5964#comment-2763 PS to my comment above: I have always wanted to send a thank you note to Professor Wendy Doniger, without sounding sycophantic or opportunistic. Now that I have nothing to gain and nothing to lose, I can say "thank you" for setting me on my current path. PS to my comment above: I have always wanted to send a thank you note to Professor Wendy Doniger, without sounding sycophantic or opportunistic. Now that I have nothing to gain and nothing to lose, I can say “thank you” for setting me on my current path.

Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]> By: Jerome Howard Bauer http://www.studlife.com/forum/2009/10/21/journeying-back-to-the-land-of-censorship/#comment-1902 Jerome Howard Bauer Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:32:26 +0000 http://www.studlife.com/?p=5964#comment-1902 Chancellor Wrighton in his 2004 Commencement Address thanked the Student Worker Alliance for reminding us to treat our workers better than we do. He could have said "Workers of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your chains" if he had so pleased. He has the privilege to speak freely, within limits set for him by those holding the purse strings. Perhaps a quote from Karl Marx would serve to redwash an anti-union labor policy. Professor Katz of the Physics Department posted to his website some views on gay rights that many found objectionable. The University Administration endorsed his right to speak freely as a "public intellectual" on matters unrelated to his duties as physics professor, and even went so far as to encourage others to speak out, as long as nothing libelous is said. Was the University really endorsing his free speech rights, or his privilege as a tenured professor in a Department unlikely to be cut? His website was kept online, but the University's own website flagged it as offensive to the community, though tolerated. Professor Katz became a poster boy for free speech, really privilege of rank. (By the way, I made a point not to read his comments, lest it affect my ability to defend his right to speak freely, which I did repeatedly, on my own website and later on Facebook). When Professor of South Asian History Satadru Sen made some controversial remarks after the 9/11 attacks, and alumni threatened to boycott the school, he was called before a public panel to defend himself. The University defended his right to make off the cuff remarks, on letterhead if he wished, but even so, he was put on the hot seat, and later denied tenure. One of our mutual students, who defended him, objected to a link on my website to an article by Rajiv Malhotra, "The Wendy's Child Syndrome," critiquing the dominance of South Asian Religious Studies by the students of Wendy Doniger, and their alleged lack of respect for Hindu cultural values. She informed me that I should at least have flagged the article as "fundamentalist" instead of posting it without comment. I saw no reason to do so. I was inspired to choose s career teaching South Asian Religion by an undergraduate course taught by Professor Doniger, and I had the library buy all her books (when I came here in 1999, they had only one). I have been her biggest booster on this campus. Why can't I post a link to one of her fiercest critics, without a politically correct disclaimer? If I were Wrighton or Katz, i would have the privilege of free speech. I could even say "scab." Lecturer Dr. Jerome Bauer (NOT "Former Lecturer," thank you very much, Student Life) "Freedom is merely privilege extended, unless enjoyed by one and all." --The Internationale, Billy Bragg version Chancellor Wrighton in his 2004 Commencement Address thanked the Student Worker Alliance for reminding us to treat our workers better than we do. He could have said “Workers of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your chains” if he had so pleased. He has the privilege to speak freely, within limits set for him by those holding the purse strings. Perhaps a quote from Karl Marx would serve to redwash an anti-union labor policy.

Professor Katz of the Physics Department posted to his website some views on gay rights that many found objectionable. The University Administration endorsed his right to speak freely as a “public intellectual” on matters unrelated to his duties as physics professor, and even went so far as to encourage others to speak out, as long as nothing libelous is said. Was the University really endorsing his free speech rights, or his privilege as a tenured professor in a Department unlikely to be cut? His website was kept online, but the University’s own website flagged it as offensive to the community, though tolerated. Professor Katz became a poster boy for free speech, really privilege of rank. (By the way, I made a point not to read his comments, lest it affect my ability to defend his right to speak freely, which I did repeatedly, on my own website and later on Facebook).

When Professor of South Asian History Satadru Sen made some controversial remarks after the 9/11 attacks, and alumni threatened to boycott the school, he was called before a public panel to defend himself. The University defended his right to make off the cuff remarks, on letterhead if he wished, but even so, he was put on the hot seat, and later denied tenure. One of our mutual students, who defended him, objected to a link on my website to an article by Rajiv Malhotra, “The Wendy’s Child Syndrome,” critiquing the dominance of South Asian Religious Studies by the students of Wendy Doniger, and their alleged lack of respect for Hindu cultural values. She informed me that I should at least have flagged the article as “fundamentalist” instead of posting it without comment. I saw no reason to do so. I was inspired to choose s career teaching South Asian Religion by an undergraduate course taught by Professor Doniger, and I had the library buy all her books (when I came here in 1999, they had only one). I have been her biggest booster on this campus. Why can’t I post a link to one of her fiercest critics, without a politically correct disclaimer?

If I were Wrighton or Katz, i would have the privilege of free speech. I could even say “scab.”

Lecturer Dr. Jerome Bauer
(NOT “Former Lecturer,” thank you very much, Student Life)

“Freedom is merely privilege extended, unless enjoyed by one and all.”
–The Internationale, Billy Bragg version

Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]> By: Jerome Bauer http://www.studlife.com/forum/2009/10/21/journeying-back-to-the-land-of-censorship/#comment-1833 Jerome Bauer Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:27:48 +0000 http://www.studlife.com/?p=5964#comment-1833 "By my father's standards, this is a scab university," I wrote in a Telesis discussion blog for my Freshman Focus Seminar, Spring 2005. Within minutes, all my Telesis sites were blocked with a pink screen and an ominous reference to the Judicial Inquiry Office. The sites were back online in a few hours, and the next day, when I consulted a member of the IT staff about an unrelated issue, she volunteered, "Well, if it's for a class..." Did somebody rat on me, or is there a robotic filter to prevent us from saying "scab"? We have censorship here in the WashU Bubble, just as you do in your high school. Most is more subtle than the incident I describe. Too often, we censor ourselves. ' At least your high school principal is open about what he is doing. This may make it easier to confront.' Lecturer Dr. Jerome Bauer per veritatem vis “By my father’s standards, this is a scab university,” I wrote in a Telesis discussion blog for my Freshman Focus Seminar, Spring 2005. Within minutes, all my Telesis sites were blocked with a pink screen and an ominous reference to the Judicial Inquiry Office. The sites were back online in a few hours, and the next day, when I consulted a member of the IT staff about an unrelated issue, she volunteered, “Well, if it’s for a class…” Did somebody rat on me, or is there a robotic filter to prevent us from saying “scab”?

We have censorship here in the WashU Bubble, just as you do in your high school. Most is more subtle than the incident I describe. Too often, we censor ourselves.
‘
At least your high school principal is open about what he is doing. This may make it easier to confront.’

Lecturer Dr. Jerome Bauer
per veritatem vis

Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]>