November 4, 2016

"Today, we stand as a collective, stand as a single voice... calling on the university to create a policy where there is zero tolerance..."

"... for racism, or racial gestures, slurs, proxies, or anything perpetuating against communities of color, whether it by staff, whether it be by teacher, whether it be by student."

Said Minister Caliph Muab’El, of Breaking Barriers Mentoring Inc., quoted in Isthmus, about the person at a University of Wisconsin football game last Saturday (the night of the Madison Halloween festival, Freakfest), who was wearing a prison suit, a noose, and a Hillary mask on the front of his head and an Obama mask on the back of his head. University officials asked the man to remove the noose and he did, and the University also put out an immediate statement calling the costume "repugnant" and reminding us that the man has a right to freedom of speech. That could have been the end of it, but it wasn't. It's an incident that something can be made of, and so we're getting statements like the one quoted above.

The idea of "zero tolerance" is horrifying in a context where street theater and symbolic speech is aggressively interpreted as racist, with the university officials taking the most extreme, hurtful position on what the costumed man meant. A university should be dedicated to intellectual exploration, and, indeed, our university has a famous plaque:
"Whatever may be the limitations which trammel inquiry elsewhere, we believe that the great State University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth may be found." 

56 comments:

mccullough said...

They need to set up a costume detector outside Camp Randall.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Did they ever come up with an answer to the question whether God can make a rock so heavy He can't lift it?

Democracy's a bitch.

Sebastian said...

"that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth may be found" Progs have found the truth. No need for any further sifting and winnowing. The only thing left to do is to round up the deviant unbelievers.

Curious George said...

Dear UW: "What is racism?"

UW: "We know it when we see it."

Ignorance is Bliss said...

...we believe that the great State University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth may be found.

The left fully supports this as long as they are the ones doing the winnowing. Censoring the speech of others is the ultimate form of winnowing.

traditionalguy said...

The asshole's goal is clear. Require all white males to wear a KKK Yellow Star so they can be more easily spotted, beaten and spit upon for laughing or smiling at my stupid nonsense pretending to be Pure Thoughts Enforcement.


Never mind, white males are already easy to isolate and attack Alynski style for their offensive skin color.

n.n said...

They need only look inward. Class diversitists judge people by the "color of their skin", not the content of their character. Their [class] diversity schemes are overt exhibitions of institutional racism, sexism, etc.

Chuck said...

Vintage Althouse. And vintage comments. This is the blog I remember so well, although sometimes it seems like this presidential campaign has been going on for about ten years.

Hagar said...

"Zero tolerance" for whatever is a clear warning that some bureaucrat is about to do something really stupid.

Otto said...

"fearless ". What a farce- the biggest group of cowards is the university faculty. Harvard has just cancelled the season for the men's soccer team because some members made some "colored" remarks about the women on the female soccer team.

Clayton Hennesey said...

Because "...zero tolerance for racism, or racial gestures, slurs, proxies, or [my emphasis] anything perpetuating against communities of color can be anything in the universe, unilaterally defined by the aggrieved on an as-needed basis, this sounds like a pretty good deal for them.

Ambrose said...

"We demand zero tolerance because we value a tolerant society."

eric said...

They have no idea how this is going to backfire on them.

Unknown said...

everyone must be shamed until we all agree with the our leaders' signs, symbols and ideas.

everyone must be called a racist or rapist. it is the only way forward.

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Clayton Hennesey said...

And, per Rachel Dolezal, even what constitutes "communities of color" - WTF does that even mean? - can be unilaterally negotiated on an as-needed basis.

Back when universities provided educations, even freshmen would recognize the nihilism implicit in this sort of thinking.

Rick said...

anything perpetuating against communities of color

At least they're open about their own racism.

Rae said...

Shut down the university. It's clearly not teaching anything worthwhile. Have these live a real life for a few years.

Fernandinande said...

He grew up in Chicago and Milwaukee using his birth name, Anthony Stevens.

Caliph Muab’El sounds like a muslim from Arrakis.

Patrick Henry was right! said...

It's a collective, alright, the Borg collective. Assimilate or die. Resistance is futile.

However, resist we must, as we choose to be free men and women, not hive members.

Michael said...

Why don't we start telling "community leaders" with made up names to fuck off and lead their own communities?

MaxedOutMama said...

Yes, well, Islam is all about zero tolerance of some speech. There is a culture conflict here.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Universities aggressively disagree with this principle now. They have thrown away due process. They declared open season on Israelis decades ago, and in the last ten, even pointing that out will get you expelled. Universities openly wage war against the concept of equal protection under the law. Trying to defend that principle will get you expelled.

There's little so anti-American as the modern American university. There's a reason the people despise the professoriat class so. They are terribly ignorant and destructive.

You are trying to defend something that's dead and gone.

Patrick Henry was right! said...

Why does the Wisconsin government, which is overwhelmingly Republican, tolerate and fund this crap?

Oh, wait, GOPe.

MadisonMan said...

You aren't really free if you're relying on The Man to censor the speech of others so you can be told by others that you're safe.

It seems incredibly Patronizing to me. The University infantilizes its students because some students apparently can't see imagery or hear speech that might upset them.

Fernandinande said...

Eric the Fruit Bat said...
Did they ever come up with an answer to the question whether God can make a rock so heavy He can't lift it?


If Penn Jillette can do it, god can do it.

exhelodrvr1 said...

Only against communities of color? So it's OK to be racist against whites?

Real American said...

If you don't intend racism then there's no racism. The PC Nazis should STFU when they have no idea about the intent of the accused.

MadisonMan said...

How would hitting the Minister help?

Oso, you're being an Ass.

rhhardin said...

Tradition means nothing to administrators. They make the rules.

Tradition is an imposition and a choice. They're not making the choice.

rhhardin said...

I suggest truth signs for street activism. Facts only.

The math department could start to show what the rules are.

rhhardin said...

Infants still have the tantrum. They're not without speech, in spite of the etymology.

Rick said...

MadisonMan said...It seems incredibly Patronizing to me. The University infantilizes its students because some students apparently can't see imagery or hear speech that might upset them.

None of the students feel infantilized because none actually feel threatened. In fact they feel powerful for developing a weapon to attack those they hate which aggrandizes rather than limits their own stature.

Etienne said...

Anyone going to college today should be ashamed of themselves.

mockturtle said...

'Zero-tolerance' really means 'zero-common sense' and 'stand as a common voice' [bad metaphor notwithstanding] is totalitarian.

Unknown said...

I actually wonder here: Ann, you are retiring, right? Why not rip this administration and it's fascist, speech controlling ways a brand new hole on your way out the door. Or even right now.... what can they do, fire you? You have tenure, right? And you're already leaving.

That NYU, I think it was, professor that got suspended? For not being politically correct? When he had tenure? And Instapundit. If that trend doesn't change soon, there won't be anything left of your university.

--Vance

damikesc said...

As always, to Progs, "the feelz" trumps free speech. Good luck staying up to date on what inane utterance can become evidence that you really want to lynch folks.

Because "...zero tolerance for racism, or racial gestures, slurs, proxies, or [my emphasis] anything perpetuating against communities of color can be anything in the universe, unilaterally defined by the aggrieved on an as-needed basis, this sounds like a pretty good deal for them.

Also means they can continue to be vile and disgusting to whites...but if a white person responds in kind --- kick the cracker out!

rcocean said...

UW seems to have a zero tolerance policy toward un-approved thought.

Stalin would've approved.

William said...

Historically, there's a very high correlation between self righteousness and bigotry. Last year's political correctness is next year's bigotry. Cromwell's New Model Army and Mao's Red Guards had zero zoleratance for deviant thinking.

rhhardin said...

Cows stand as a collective with a single voice, just finding an application.

It's the bulls with zero tolerance, though.

Michael said...

Zero tolerance is the refuge of cowards and fools. The highest faculty of human beings is judgment, and zero tolerance policies abjure it totally. They are a formal surrender to the loudest voices of the mob and an indicator of little is left of the liberal order. As William just said, that way lies the New Model Army and the Red Guards.

David said...

"Strong the repressive urge among them is. Weak their commitment to diversity of expression has become."

-Yoda

Lewis Wetzel said...

the modern idea of 'tolerance' is itself intolerant. One of the things that a tolerant person tolerates is intolerance.
I can't be the only person who has noticed that the idea that forms the foundation of modernism -- 'everything is relative' -- begins with a word that signifies an absolute.

buwaya said...

" As William just said, that way lies the New Model Army and the Red Guards."

Both of these were more respectable. They were willing to personally risk wounds and death and commit violence, dirtying their own hands. The New Model Army faced walls of pikes, volleys of musketry, exhaustion and hardship that killed most of them. The Cheka/NKVD leadership rose through the ranks having done the physically dirty deeds themselves, and risked the purges and changes of fortune that regularly killed off so many of the killers. There were far, far safer lines of work even in their times. Whatever demons these were, they were more honorable demons than those of the modern university.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Muzzies want you to shut up and take it. Wow, news flash.

robother said...

Zero tolerance towards "anything perpetuating against communities of color whether it by staff, whether it be by teacher, whether it be by student."

Would quoting accurately the words of the Caliph itself be a violation of the policy? Could the Administration be required to bar appearances by speakers of color who are themselves so racist and inarticulate that they inspire contempt in every fair-minded person?

ccscientist said...

To take as a simple example, anyone criticizing Obama can be interpreted to be racist. Anyone taking issue with BLM is obviously racist. Anyone objecting to having the speaker they invited being canceled is racist. This is zero tolerance.

ccscientist said...

Zero tolerance in schools is what leads to the kid being expelled who chewed his pop tart into a gun or the boy who pointed his finger and said "bang". Zero tolerance is when the Coast Guard finds a single joint on your boat and confiscates the boat even though there are 20 people on it and they can't prove who had the joint. And in the case of "racist" slurs or proxies, it is soooo easy to imagine a slur. I heard a story from a lady from Ethiopia who came to US. Standing in line at the water fountain behind white people, she saw that they got water and when she got there, nothing. She assumed the water fountain was racist, but actually she just didn't know you had to put your hand under it to activate it. Or consider the prof who got in trouble for saying "niggardly". Easy easy easy to take offense.

mockturtle said...

The New Model Army faced walls of pikes, volleys of musketry, exhaustion and hardship that killed most of them.

And Cromwell had to recruit men from the very dregs of society and train them from scratch. He did a damned good job with his Army, IMHO.

mockturtle said...

Well, maybe 'recruit' doesn't accurately describe the process. ;-)

chickelit said...

How about a nice boycott of anything UW-Madison from alumni until they cut this PC crap? I'll go first.

'83

George Leroy Tirebiter said...

Heh, in other news Kansas State officailly stated there is NO right NOT to be offended. That the entire campus is a free speech zone. Love it or leave it, yeah.

MacMacConnell said...

Christ, WU-Madison is as fascist as Harvard. But, then students at KSU aren't children and are attending school in Free State Kansas.

holdfast said...

On the first, overly-fast pass I read the guy's name as "Mu'a'Dib", and was all like "oh hell, what if his name is a killing word?"

Oso Negro said...

Blogger MadisonMan said...
How would hitting the Minister help?

Oso, you're being an Ass.

11/4/16, 10:55 AM


Madison Man, a smack in the nose now is better than a round of .308 in the brain pan later. Traditional American values are not having a good 21st century so far, but there are still a good number of people willing to kill and die for them. That is what I fear is coming.

Rusty said...

Zero tolerance from the people that promote tolerance.
You will learn tolerance or you'll be beaten until you do.

mikee said...

What should be horrifying is the idea of the collective, rather than the individual. The individual and individual rights, and their supremacy over authority's mere power, have been the basis of Western success since at least the Magna Carta.

Collectives destroy individuals, sometimes in tens of millions per episode. And will always, always, always do so.