York professor hit with bogus anti-Semitism charge. It’s getting out of hand, folks. Bring on McCarthy.
This is one sick story. A prof made the following statement: “‘All Jews should be sterilized’ would be an example of an unacceptable and dangerous opinion”. One student jumped on the line from professor Cameron Johnston, who is Jewish, telegraphing the quote but not the qualifier to a Jewish organization. Needless to say, all hell has broken loose.
Johnston was giving his introductory lecture to Social Sciences 1140: “Self, Culture and Society,” when he explained to the nearly 500 students that the course was going to focus on texts, not opinions, and despite what they may have heard elsewhere, everyone is not entitled to their opinion.
“All Jews should be sterilized” would be an example of an unacceptable and dangerous opinion, Johnston told the students.
He didn’t notice Sarah Grunfeld storm out. Grunfeld, a 22-year-old in her final year at York, understood Johnston’s example to be his personal opinion.
She contacted Oriyah Barzilay, the president of Hasbara at York — an Israel advocacy group on campus — who then sent a press release to media and other Jewish community groups calling for Johnston to be fired.
Blogs and Facebook groups picked it up, and in a few hours the allegations spread within the city’s Jewish community, albeit mostly online.
via letfreedomrain.blogspot.com
What I’ve been saying about context and critical thinking?
This is what happens when they’re abandoned. Shit hits the fan, guy gets crucified for something he didn’t say and didn’t mean because someone who either doesn’t have the intellectual brainpower or can’t be bothered to put words in context decides to have a tantrum and run whining to big brother.
This is how civil discourse is debased and society’s collective intelligence is lowered.