Comments by "Peter Jacobsen" (@pjacobsen1000) on "UPenn students on professor's racist language: 'We really need to fire Amy Wax'" video.

Why would her views make her 'unfit to teach'? No matter what views she has, she might still be an excellent teacher. 'Unfit to teach', in my opinion, would be if she comes unprepared, cannot explain concepts clearly, is unengaged or indifferent about students' progress, grades papers in an irrational way, or is overly emotional during class (flying into a rage, blames people for her own problems, etc.).
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@xyztgn7292 Look, I personally feel it would probably be good for America to have more immigrants from Asia, rather than fewer. Asian Americans, on average, thrive in American society and, subjectively, improve upon society. But that is just the opposite view from that of Amy Wax. Would my view be more acceptable, and if so, why is it ok to have one view, but not the opposite view? Perhaps a debate on the UPenn campus between Wax and another professor on this very issue would be enlightening for all students and faculty. (Edit: I have a background as a teacher, in Asia, no less)
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@petitedrop Well, I don't know if those comments are racist or not. We could probably find arguments for or against. But my opinion is that it is better to engage with Amy Wax, find out what her real concerns are (is she just afraid of losing political power; does she not like Asians and why not; does she think Asians will make America worse and why) and then discuss that. I think that could be a very interesting discussion that we could all learn something from.
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@Dilshad Yes, if such cases of discrimination are found, they should be dealt with by university leadership and the professor should be sanctioned, but I don't believe we should sanction people based solely on the belief that they may commit infractions in the future. As for academic research, there will always be some personal bias, which is why we have peer review and critique.
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@frogger832 'Rails against white people'. I don't think I'd have a problem being taught law by a professor who felt we should limit the number of white people immigrating to the US. I don't really agree with any of these viewpoints (limiting Asians or whites), but I'd be fine receiving classes from such a person. Additionally, I'd probably try to engage that professor in a conversation about why he or she held such views. I'd be interested to know their reasons.
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@frogger832 My position is that the consequence for her views should be some intellectual push back, not a firing from her job. I'm not sure I agree that she holds negative views against Asian Americans (though I don't know that), but that she wishes to limit the number of future immigrants from Asia. Those are two different things. You might like ice cream, while at the same time limit the amount of ice cream you eat. You might feel a little ice cream is great, but too much is bad.
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@Dilshad I agree with you. And as I've written above, I do not agree with her viewpoint. My position is that she should be challenged intellectually, not fired. In part because simply firing, or otherwise punishing people whose views we disagree with doesn't make them change their views, and doesn't do anything to advance society. It's just revenge. If we want to advance society, we must confront these challenges head on with rational argument, not an emotional reaction.
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@Dilshad "Penn tries to prevent discrimination before it happens". And that is a good thing, but it is not the same as getting rid of people simply because you have a suspicion that they might discriminate in the future. We cannot sanction people for something they have not yet done. Now, perhaps you feel that her comments already spoken (or written) are enough to warrant sanction, and that's where our real disagreement lies. Her comments challenge our viewpoint on how American society should/could be, and the correct reaction to that is to meet that challenge with solid counter-arguments. Indeed, that is exactly how ideological differences are resolved in a university. I'd love for UPenn's Asian Student Union (if one exists) to challenge Amy Wax to a vigorous open debate about this issue on campus. Through solid reason and argument she can be beaten down intellectually, and you and I, and the Asian Student Union will all emerge victoriously!
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@Dilshad I agree that she is stereotyping Asians and treating them as a monolith, but to then suggest that she will become like the Rwandans and Germans who committed genocide is a leap that is not intellectually defensible. As for grading Asians negatively, she has not given indication that she has any dislike for Asians per se, just that she wishes to limit immigration from Asia due to cultural differences. However, if there is suspicion that she discriminates when grading, it should be investigated rigorously. You and I may never agree on this case, but I appreciate you challenging me, because it keeps the mind sharp. I also want to thank you for keeping our discussion civil without personal attacks or accusations. All discussions should be like this.
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@Dilshad "reducing entire diverse groups of people to singular behaviors" This is the primary point that needs to be challenged, because it is not really intellectually sound, and there is little evidentiary basis for such a claim.
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@Dilshad That's a interesting point, but one I resist agreeing to. You seem to know the school much better than me. As an older, 'celebrity' faculty member, how many classes does she actually teach? Professors at her level often seem to spend most of their time writing books.
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@Dilshad "reducing all Asian-Americans to a certain voter type" BTW, I think you hit the nail on the head here, and that has also been my impression. She is clearly a conservative, and she is worried that certain population groups will make it impossible for conservatives to get their policies through. This kind of political gamesmanship is difficult for me to respect, because it does not engage with policy positions, but purely with demographics, as if people can never change their mind when faced with good arguments. Re-districting is also up that alley.
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@Dilshad I do se it. I thought I had made that clear. The problem is that she doesn't see it.
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@frogger832 Yes, I agree that is a good point (about power differentials), but it seems to me that it is those with power (in a university setting) who can use that power to put forward controversial opinions. Someone with less power might be censured immediately. The concern expressed here is that Amy Wax will use her power to punish students who disagree with her. But I don't think that argument holds water, because even if she had not expressed her view, she might still have held that view, and she might still have discriminated against some students, and nobody would have known why. So then we're back at square one. I think we need controversial opinions, we need intellectual push-back, we need our world view to be challenged, that's how we advance society. And we need to challenge the views of others. Otherwise, we'd be back to when the Church decided what we were allowed to think, believe and say. If it is indeed true what Dilshad says that Amy Wax has been asked to debate this issue, but refused, then that is a problem. But it is a problem that can be solved by publicly declaring her a coward who is too weak to defend her views.
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@frogger832 "A large portion of her salary is paid by the students’ tuition. This is a problem of her betraying the trust of those she has accountability to." Yes, but here I differ with you on what a university is about. It is not like a massage parlour or a hair dresser where you pay to feel good about yourself. A university should be seen more like Mt. Everest: If you want to get to the top, you're in for a lot of pain, and without that pain, you'll never make it. (and as a sidebar, people pay about as much for a permit to climb Mt. Everest as a year in an Ivy League school) "Do you see why this is a problem for Asian students? " Yes, if that is indeed what happens, but do you have any evidence of this happening, or do you simply rely on a suspicion? If your suspicion is enough to convince you, you are a victim of the exact same cognitive fallacy as those people who believe the 2020 election was 'stolen': "Suspicion is all we need to convince ourselves". You have to hold yourself back until you have more than just suspicion.
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@frogger832 Yes, I would certainly support an investigation, but the problem is in proving racial/ethnic bias. But it's a law school, there should be plenty of experts available in that regard. "I dont exactly know why you are giving her such a wide berth". It's because that's what I do with everybody. Now, I should mention I'm a little older, in my 50s, and I wasn't always so willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. But nowadays I'm happy to listen to all sorts of wacky, even extreme beliefs (at least once), whether they are politically left or right, religious, social, conspiratorial, etc. However, I never believe anything at face value and always try to preserve a good amount of skepticism. The wilder the ideas, the more skeptical I become. In addition, an idea such as that held by Amy Wax was new to me, so I had to think it over for a while to develop a good counter-argument. Of course I could have dismissed it out of hand as plain racism, but that's not an argument against her position. That's just a label.
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@frogger832 "its harder to view things with aloofness when you are targeted by her words." Yes, I can understand that as someone who has lived in East Asia for more than two decades. Most people here are very friendly, but there has been the occasional hostile outburst over the years. It bothered me very much at first, but as I got older I realized it's not about me, it's about the inner turmoil of the person uttering the negativity. However, I am not a citizen here, so if you are a citizen of USA you deserve, and can demand, to be treated as an equal, as someone who belongs in America as much as the next person.
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