John McWhorter
@JohnHMcWhorter
Columbia linguist, weekly at NYT, biweekly Glenn Show. Books of late: 9 NASTY WORDS, WOKE RACISM and PRONOUN TROUBLE. Some cabaret piano on the side.
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This is utterly perfect and should stand forever as a go-to representation of a major problem with education in our era. It also happens to give a look-in at what I describe in my piece today about Arday.
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My take on the Arday debacle. Elevator pitch version: 1) Arday is typical of a thriving alternate-universe academia elevating performance art over curiosity; 2) the "anti-racist" people who supported him are either bigots or caught up in recreational tribalism.
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Good God. Rouse genuinely thinks Fighting the Power is the essence of serious thinking, has never been questioned about it even this far into her career, and is incapable of even understanding what Lee's questions are getting at. She's not deflecting. She really has no idea how ridiculous she sounds.
I became an academic out of being curious about things. Gradually realizing since the 1990s that this kind of person is ordinary in the humanities and social sciences, is routinely given awards and high administrative positions, and is beyond the reach of rational discussion has been one of the most disappointing experiences of my life.
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