What should universities do about professors who make provocative statements, and to what extent should social media users get drawn in to the controversies?
Cross posted from Pruning Shears.
In the last week there have been two controversies involving social media and academics. Since they involved different ends of the political spectrum, though, they seemed to get considered independently of each other. First, Duke professor Jerry Hough used his Facebook account to share some thoughts on a New York Times editorial titled How Racism Doomed Baltimore (sample: "Virtually every black has a strange new name that symbolizes their lack of desire for integration.")
Meanwhile, Boston University professor Saida Grundy sent out some Tweets with her own unique take on things ("why is white america so reluctant to identify white college males as a problem population?" etc). Both were condemned for their statements, which was followed by support and defiance, then to reflections on how universities deal (poorly) with social media use by professors, along with more general pieces on free speech in the age of Twitter and Facebook.
While it's good to take a step back and consider the broader implications of virtual firestorms like those caused by Hough and Grundy, it seems like in many cases people's position depends on whether they agree with the statements in the first place. If they do, then it's "provocatively fierce freedom of expression;" if not, then not so much. And that usually leads to trying to explain why the one you like is acceptable, if explosive, while the other is hate speech - a tough needle to thread.
The push to make such incidents fireable offenses or cause for institutional censure strikes me as a bad idea considering colleges are among the few remaining workplaces where freedom of expression hasn't already gone down the drain. Having lots of people criticize a Tweet or Facebook comment is one thing. Barring threats of violence or other attacks, having lots of people say "you're an idiot" can pretty much be filed under More Free Speech. Calling it monstering or a mob or or the like is silly. I'm sure it's uncomfortable to get that kind of blowback, but it you're dishing it out you have to be prepared to take it - perhaps in unexpectedly large quantities. There are all kinds of potential consequences for broadcasting your opinions for the world to hear, one of which is having a certain portion of the world respond negatively. (I write this knowing full well that I too am broadcasting my opinions for the world to hear.)
It's possible to make very sharp points, and write with a polemical style, without generating the kind of massive, spontaneous backlash that those two did. Even if you fancy yourself a bold teller of uncomfortable truths, or a besieged lonely voice in a wilderness of political correctness, or whatever other kind of self-mythologizing works for you, there's no affirmative requirement to piss people off. And should that happen, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to go into a defensive crouch either. You like tossing grenades? Great, good for you - but don't act surprised if shrapnel starts flying your way.
As for wading into these issues, more often than not I think it's a waste of time. Some people seem to relish getting a rise out of others and with inflammatory rhetoric. Hough and Grundy have both showed a willingness to do that elsewhere. Even if you agree with their points, how much do you want to bother with someone whose primary goal seems to be ginning up controversy? Is no one else addressing those issues in a way that doesn't generate so much heat? If not, maybe that should tell you something. If so, why not weigh in over there instead?
For those who thrive on reaction, the worst thing you can do is help them become the outrage du jour. It only encourages them. In Hough's case, for instance, it's worthwhile (if dreary) to take on his "blacks won't assimilate" argument: so what exactly are the approved names (besides Jerry) for real Americans? How does the lack of such a name indicate an unwillingness to integrate? And if patriotism can be measured by one's name, why not take the next logical step and insist citizens only have names popular at the founding of the nation - such as Eleazar, Thaddeus or Zachariah? Why does Hough insist on using his strange new name instead of adopting an authentically integrated one?
If one has the patience, rebutting tired and discredited talking points seems much more useful. Ignoring someone who is just trying to be outrageous is also a nice option, and well-done mockery never goes out of style. But pushing for some kind of sanction only creates a First Amendment martyr. Better to just give 'em enough rope, I say.