""What has this to do with toy soldiers?"" Topic

Interesting. Veeerry interesting.

It's unsettling to find a college level professor set up an article like this with him as the victim of a plot based on….what, exactly?

"Well trained informant"? A student? And he knows this how? What kind of training and by who? No answers, and that is exactly what we need to know. What school provides no policy guidelines or interpretive instructions on these things? Then reacts punitively? Does he go to faculty meetings? No one in a supervisory role will speak to him except to victimize him and his other intimidated colleagues?

I will take him at his word, but I would prefer him to back this stuff up. Maybe his court case will do this. But my own opinion is that this article does not seem to "prove" much.

In my own direct experience, many young women are trained to see sexism and racism everywhere, and they almost never go to the "offender" about it, but rather to authority. You never get to confront an accuser, and often do not even know exactly what you are accused of doing. When details are given, they are often wrong.

One learns simply not to speak about important matters except when all of those present are trusted friends.

It's unsettling to find a college level professor set up an article like this with him as the victim of a plot based on….what, exactly?

I think Professor Nadon's lesson is that you're never truly free unless you can shout the "N" word out in class.

It's important to freedom; all the freest countries use the "N" word liberally all day long (rolls eyes)

I dont this is fair doc. Far too many women have experienced harassment in my opinion, and will not confront their " offenders" because the power dynamics of the circumstances produces a risk factor for them. That said, it is not easy for the accused either, and there is always the possibility of unfair or malicious complaints being filed. I don't know how often this happens, but my guess is that women are more often victims than men.

"unless you can shout the "N" word out in class."

I don't think there is any indication that Professor Nadon idenified the problematic text in anything but a suitable volume for the classroom.

Agreed, 42flanker, you are right.
But there is also no indication that he prepared the class and gave context to his selection of this particular passage and the utterance of the N-word. The n-word has not just suddenly come into disrepute. It has carried a particularly offensive stigma for a very long time.

He had an opportunity to discuss its story and the implications in literature, film, dialect, etc. we do not know if he took the opportunity to explore this history, or was just trying to root out well trained informants, or something in between. We do know that he has a lawsuit going and believes some people are being called out and denied their rights. But we do not have the full story, IMO.

"In my own direct experience, many young women are trained to see sexism and racism everywhere,"
*NJH: No training is needed, because it's inherently obvious to even the most casual observer. That's my direct experience.

"and they almost never go to the "offender" about it, but rather to authority."
*NJH: The offender is almost always an authority figure. The only way to negate that authority is to go to a higher authority. "…that's the Chicago way."

"You never get to confront an accuser, and often do not even know exactly what you are accused of doing. When details are given, they are often wrong."
*NJH: The dolt who offended a lady in my family now carries a new title – "Registered Sexual Offender." The women in my family are raised to "take no from anyone."

"One learns simply not to speak about important matters except when all of those present are trusted friends."
*NJH: I'll speak about important matters with anyone willing to engage with clinical detachment and academic neutrality. However, most folks just want to blather on about their own personal grievances, and how the "……." is abusing them. :^)

"unless you can shout the "N" word out in class."

I don't think there is any indication that Professor Nadon idenified the problematic text in anything but a suitable volume for the classroom.

What exactly lead you to make this assertion? There are issues with his credibility.

Some of Nadon's students describe his teaching style as "Socratic," meaning that he engages students in back-and-forth dialogues. Nadon is also known for his use of provocative and sometimes controversial examples. He often points out that "hot babes and hunky dudes" outsell lengthy philosophic texts. Earlier this year, he employed the example of teen girls cutting themselves when discussing akrasia, which is the state of mind in which one acts against their own interest.

link

He's a shock jock.

More than a month after Nadon first asked for a detailed description of the complaints, Antecol sent him the student's complaints regarding his teaching in writing. Nadon refused to share the specific complaints. "If you ask me, what are the specific complaints made by a student in my classroom, I'm not willing to discuss those because a classroom is not a public space," he said.

ROFL, this Prof. Nadon is pure gold.

Nadon said that his ban at Claremont McKenna indicates that the administration "agree[s] with the view that somehow my teaching these classes constitutes some kind of harm to some students… It's a stigma that's put on me."

It's a stigma, a stigma I say! Like branding him with the "N" word. I demand justice.

link

Nadon said he quoted "Mark Twain's precise language, which meant speaking the N-word," and successfully convinced a student that censorship existed in the U.S.

From Claremont's President:

We received expressions of concern from students in three separate, recent classes," Chodosh said. "The first cited Nadon's express use of the N-word independent from the reading of Huck Finn or any other text and Nadon's argument with a student that was reported to 'box her in' and 'force her' to support Nadon's point of view."

Sounds like he wants to channel his own tastes to use certain words and then have no one react to them.

Let's face it, he thinks ranting the N word is "Freedom".

"Nadon was never under investigation, never barred, never censured," the college president added.

"One of his upper-level courses, an elective scheduled for this fall, resulted in no students signing up to take it," Chodosh said. "As a result, the department recommended, and the Dean agreed, that Nadon would teach the major-required Gov 80 this fall. The number of students currently enrolled for this semester in his section of Gov 80 is one."

One student enrolled in Nadon's class? I wonder if he might be a member of the oath Keepers?

Maybe they should force students to take his course to prove that he isnt being censured.