Comments by "L.W. Paradis" (@l.w.paradis2108) on "DePaul University adjunct professor fired after optional assignment on Gaza, public health" video.

Anyone with serious money is . . .
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Then exactly WHAT is the college classroom for? Glorified job training? Carefully curated donor-pleasing discourse? Wait. Don't answer that.
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Not Jews as such. Wealthy donors. Norman Finkelstein was also fired from DePaul, and they settled his lawsuit.
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If a professor gave this assignment as mandatory, then downgraded papers which took issue with the terminology and the basic premise of the assignment while addressing, in general, the impact of war on a densely populated area (which in the present case could also include Israel proper), THAT would be a reason not to renew her contract. But this?? Seriously??
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The ICJ broached the topic and used the term. Others who are scholars in the field agree. What would have been worthwhile would have been to frame the use of the term as a question, rather than a statement of consensus, given that no consensus at present exists. Pretending that "genocide" cannot possibly apply to the war on Gaza because it is nowhere near the worst example of genocide in recent history is not persuasive at all.
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@noahghost4476 Well then, what do you think of Mearshimer's argument that intent can indeed be inferred in this instance? Or the ICJ's findings, for that matter, which considered evidence of intent? If you are trying to say genocide has not been proved, that's fine. That's true. If you think there is no evidence that it could be taking place, you're wrong.
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@noahghost4476 Also, if she had downgraded any paper that questioned the basic premise of there being a genocide, then she would have deserved to be fired. Critical thinking means scrutinizing every word, not letting it go because Teacher Said, or something.
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@noahghost4476 Both my parents had Jewish ancestry on their paternal side. My mother lost one grandmother in the Holocaust. Both families of course lost everything they had. Five days after the October 7 attack, I came down with COVID for the first time. I know it was from the emotional jolt; passing through crowded international airports on no sleep ten times during the previous year had no effect on me. I didn't get so much as a cold. I recommend listening to Amy Goodman. She has made a point of condemning terrorism AND giving voice to Israelis for peace and justice. Sometimes it's unbearable to watch, it's SO sad. Some have devoted decades to the issue. Some, like Neve Gordon, were once war heroes (he was injured defending a kibbutz). (Tell me, do you even know who that is??)
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@nicbentulan Listen to Amy. Listen to Bernie. You ought to.
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Oh! I thought these were adults! They're just kids, little snowflakes! Teacher said a Bad Word.
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"All the speech that money can buy . . . "
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How so? By asking students to use reason in evaluating claims about the impact of the war on Gaza, in an optional assignment? That used to be considered Socratic, and an antidote to mindless passion.
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 @LabSessionz Care to point out what you mean?
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@dallasneudorf You stated her word choice made them feel excluded. How can you conclude from their "feeling" excluded that they were being excluded? That doesn't follow. The assignment wasn't mandatory. Was there any prohibition against writing a paper that begins by questioning the premise? When I was in college, the Marxists understood that in class, they would be required to master the syllabus, which was usually set by conservative Republicans, and only then to read Marxist sources in self-organized study groups. Most of these students also had jobs. Rarely did the profs mark down the Marxists (and everyone knew who those profs were, who would do such a thing), and the Marxists didn't think to complain about their workload.
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@LabSessionz And as of this moment, I'm not allowed to answer that. It all dovetails beautifully.
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@dallasneudorf This gives students a veto over teachers --- which means you no longer have a university. Which is, in turn, perhaps the most honest admission of where we stand. Universities have been businesses for a long time. The "learning environment" is analogous to the modern office, where free speech has no place. Students have the remarkable dual role of customer and worker, but the real clientele are the donors and the business community that will eventually pay them money. My views don't matter. Theirs must be served. But, tell me, what happens when the students don't all agree about the impact a professor has on the "learning environment?" For example, there were serious demonstrations against firing Norman Finkelstein. Of course, let's be real. Students' views can't override those donors. I mean, after all, students come and go. The donors possess the true hecklers' veto, and if things get heated, law enforcement will be summoned. It's obvious, too, that the smart students will make sure their views match those of the biggest money-bags, I mean, philanthropists. What a pretty picture. I know the neolibs brought us to this.
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@LabSessionz Looks like the algorithm is slow to decide, lol.
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@dallasneudorf I'm sorry to hear that, but not surprised. :/ It's sinister, because all the tech platforms know intermittent reinforcement creates behavioral addictions. On a more cheery note, something wonderful just happened: NRA v. Vullo, a victory for the First Amendment. Sotomayor for a unanimous Court. She recently wrote a concurrence in the denial of a cert petition that also had a First Amendment claim, ostensibly on the ground that the resolution of the free speech issue was obvious and didn't need the Court's elucidation. I hope people realize this case has nothing to do with the NRA as such; it's a great victory for free speech, and could foretell positive outcomes on a whole bunch of cases. Hope so, anyway.
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 @jh5174 Wrong. "Varify" is an entirely different word. "Verify" has the same Latin root as "vérité" and "verdad," and it pertains to truth. Varify pertains to variety.
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 @michaeld7945 OP insists it's correct. Smh.
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@jh5174 Not at all. I just have a thing for Latin-based languages. Honest. (I also support cursive, as Spanish and French speakers use it, among other reasons.)
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