, 11 tweets, 6 min read Read on Twitter
Interesting development: Oberlin admin Merideth Raimondo, who was previously censorious (apnews.com/beec64e2e50949…) now claims mantle of free speech as a defense (cnn.com/2019/06/09/us/…). This is one reason consistency in the application of liberal principles is so important. 1/
More subtlety is required in these matters. It's not just that free speech is a principle & not just a 1A issue, nor that free speech doesn't mean free from consequences. But also that free speech does not subsume harassment or defamation (of non-public figures), etc. 2/
For more on the Oberlin case and the complexities and longstanding distinctions about speech that it involves, see this fine, short essay by @DavidAFrench nationalreview.com/2019/06/the-ob…
Non-faculty administrators sometimes see utility in stoking student anger, alas. This practice is not educational.

"Fuck him,” Raimondo wrote in a message. She added, “I’d say unleash the students if I wasn’t convinced this needs to be put behind us.” washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/06… 4/
For a thoughtful and detailed analysis of one aspect of this phenomenon via Lyell Asher in @chronicle, see. “How Ed Schools Became a Menace —
They trained an army of bureaucrats who are pushing the academy toward ideological fundamentalism” chronicle.com/article/How-Ed… 5/
Exactly right: "activism must be tempered by other concepts—such as fairness, inquiry and due process—that are just as integral to the pursuit of social justice and a liberal-arts education." Facts matters and are not simply subjective. post-gazette.com/opinion/editor… @PittsburghPG 6/
For more analysis that sees student protests based on falsehoods (& faculty/administrator complicity in this) in a different light (along w analysis of 'defamation'): The Dangerous Defamation Judgment Against Oberlin College academeblog.org/2019/06/13/the… | @johnkwilson @AcademeBlog 7/
The cross-cutting matters of law and fact in this Oberlin case are quite complex indeed. More, now, from @DavidAFrench on how this case may restrain faculty and administrators who self-servingly fan flames of animus on campuses nationalreview.com/corner/oberlin… 8/
“The jury heard a story in which adults at Oberlin chose to fuel the mob’s excesses while pandering to its false narrative.” Fantastic analysis by @conor64: theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/… College personnel who should be educating students re reason and objectivity abandon their duty. 9/
For detailed reporting with many facts about this case at Oberlin (involving students, administrators, and faculty behaving thoughtlessly) that emerged at the trial, see this astonishing thread from @LegInsurrection 10/
Comprehensive, detailed post-mortem of this case of mob action and defamation at Oberlin, abetted by university employees who should know better, with descriptions of many pertinent facts seen by the jury, via Daniel McGraw @Quillette quillette.com/2019/06/20/ide… 11/
Missing some Tweet in this thread?
You can try to force a refresh.

Like this thread? Get email updates or save it to PDF!

Subscribe to Nicholas A. Christakis
Profile picture

Get real-time email alerts when new unrolls are available from this author!

This content may be removed anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just three indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!