Read my letter to the Dean of my law school regarding an incident that happened today with the woke mob. I really cannot stand them:
Dear Dean Lee,
Greetings! My name is Charlie Cheon and I am a 3L (about to graduate this fall). I don't know if you might recall me, but I was in your Employment Law class last year. I am also CC'ing Dean Lin, whom I have gotten to know over the years.
I write to you to express my sincerest displeasure with regards to the way some students are handling the invitation of a guest by Professor Wax. I was quite incensed to see flyers posted all across the school smearing Professor Wax's character. In my opinion, this—along with the fact that some of her students in the Conservative Legal Thoughts class were harassed (boo-ed and hissed at)—shows an effort to intimidate, indicating a lack of respect for civil discourse.
To be clear, I understand that there are principles of free speech at play here. Students have a right to protest events which are not to their liking. I am not suggesting that the administration suppress their ability to share their viewpoints. I think, however, that there is something to be said here about how the administration has fostered an environment in which conservative students do not feel a likewise freedom to express their viewpoints. I suspect that if students were to post flyers across the school denouncing this belief system—that this new age conception of "White supremacy" is a religion, and that these disparate outcomes between different racial groups can be better explained by real intergroup differences with regards to attitude, behavior, and culture than systemic inequities—it would be met with a cold reception by the administration. I speculate that the law school would send a school-wide email stating that such viewpoints are incompatible with its values, denounce the viewpoints as "impermissible stereotyping", and remind students engaged in this behavior that while they are free to express their opinions, they cannot go around posting things across the building in a manner inconsistent with the posting rules (which are in plain display on billboards at the school). Similarly, if Black students were booed and hissed at by fellow students for attending an event sharing progressive (and I use this term loosely) viewpoints, the administration would have no qualms meting out punishment for the wrongdoers by holding that they were harassing students. This is, of course, just a conjecture, but my conclusion is based on my observations of the events that have unfolded here in these past few years, as well as my personal experience with the self-righteous mob at this school, an incident which Dean Lin has been made familiar. I felt the need to take a semester leave of absence because of them. Perhaps the law school administration does not have full control over the cultural milieu among its students, but it can surely set the tone for how those going in the profession of law should conduct themselves in the face of disagreements. In my opinion, it was a dereliction of duty for the previous Dean to denounce Professor Wax's opinions, viewpoints, and factual statements (I happen to think that Professor Wax's statements re: Black students not grading into the top quartile is most likely accurate in light of the lowered academic standards under which they were admitted, as offensive as this notion might be to some). He should have reaffirmed Penn's commitment to free speech and left it at that. I hope that the current administration reassesses his position. If the law school aims to be content-neutral with regards to how they deal with such incidences, it should have to grapple with this de facto double-standard.
Now, I understand that perspectives may vary and that I cannot obligate the administration to do something, the pressing necessity of which the administration may feel differently than I do. I nevertheless wish to express that I think it incumbent upon the leadership to clearly communicate to these students that, though they are free to protest, their views are their own, that there are other students and academics within the building that disagree with them, and that these dissenters are not thereby "causing harm" or engaging acts of "verbal violence" by doing so. They are not aware of this. In my opinion, this self-righteous mob considers itself the ultimate arbiters of truth, and that those who oppose them do so because they have evil intentions. I have serious doubts as to whether those immersed in this way of thinking could engage in critical thinking.
Since my letter has some potent words, I would be remiss were I not to conclude by stating that I respect your authority as the Dean of the Law School. I likewise respect Dean Lin's authority. I also happen to think that she has navigated these sorts of difficult situations with grace and integrity. I only write to you with the hopes that you might consider this perspective in rendering your decision—it is not an uncommon one within these halls.
Thank you for your time, and I hope that you are staying warm!
Charlie Cheon
Read my letter to the Dean of my law school regarding an incident that happened today with the woke mob. I really cannot stand them:
Dear Dean Lee,
Greetings! My name is Charlie Cheon and I am a 3L (about to graduate this fall). I don't know if you might recall me, but I was in your Employment Law class last year. I am also CC'ing Dean Lin, whom I have gotten to know over the years.
I write to you to express my sincerest displeasure with regards to the way some students are handling the invitation of a guest by Professor Wax. I was quite incensed to see flyers posted all across the school smearing Professor Wax's character. In my opinion, this—along with the fact that some of her students in the Conservative Legal Thoughts class were harassed (boo-ed and hissed at)—shows an effort to intimidate, indicating a lack of respect for civil discourse.
To be clear, I understand that there are principles of free speech at play here. Students have a right to protest events which are not to their liking. I am not suggesting that the administration suppress their ability to share their viewpoints. I think, however, that there is something to be said here about how the administration has fostered an environment in which conservative students do not feel a likewise freedom to express their viewpoints. I suspect that if students were to post flyers across the school denouncing this belief system—that this new age conception of "White supremacy" is a religion, and that these disparate outcomes between different racial groups can be better explained by real intergroup differences with regards to attitude, behavior, and culture than systemic inequities—it would be met with a cold reception by the administration. I speculate that the law school would send a school-wide email stating that such viewpoints are incompatible with its values, denounce the viewpoints as "impermissible stereotyping", and remind students engaged in this behavior that while they are free to express their opinions, they cannot go around posting things across the building in a manner inconsistent with the posting rules (which are in plain display on billboards at the school). Similarly, if Black students were booed and hissed at by fellow students for attending an event sharing progressive (and I use this term loosely) viewpoints, the administration would have no qualms meting out punishment for the wrongdoers by holding that they were harassing students. This is, of course, just a conjecture, but my conclusion is based on my observations of the events that have unfolded here in these past few years, as well as my personal experience with the self-righteous mob at this school, an incident which Dean Lin has been made familiar. I felt the need to take a semester leave of absence because of them. Perhaps the law school administration does not have full control over the cultural milieu among its students, but it can surely set the tone for how those going in the profession of law should conduct themselves in the face of disagreements. In my opinion, it was a dereliction of duty for the previous Dean to denounce Professor Wax's opinions, viewpoints, and factual statements (I happen to think that Professor Wax's statements re: Black students not grading into the top quartile is most likely accurate in light of the lowered academic standards under which they were admitted, as offensive as this notion might be to some). He should have reaffirmed Penn's commitment to free speech and left it at that. I hope that the current administration reassesses his position. If the law school aims to be content-neutral with regards to how they deal with such incidences, it should have to grapple with this de facto double-standard.
Now, I understand that perspectives may vary and that I cannot obligate the administration to do something, the pressing necessity of which the administration may feel differently than I do. I nevertheless wish to express that I think it incumbent upon the leadership to clearly communicate to these students that, though they are free to protest, their views are their own, that there are other students and academics within the building that disagree with them, and that these dissenters are not thereby "causing harm" or engaging acts of "verbal violence" by doing so. They are not aware of this. In my opinion, this self-righteous mob considers itself the ultimate arbiters of truth, and that those who oppose them do so because they have evil intentions. I have serious doubts as to whether those immersed in this way of thinking could engage in critical thinking.
Since my letter has some potent words, I would be remiss were I not to conclude by stating that I respect your authority as the Dean of the Law School. I likewise respect Dean Lin's authority. I also happen to think that she has navigated these sorts of difficult situations with grace and integrity. I only write to you with the hopes that you might consider this perspective in rendering your decision—it is not an uncommon one within these halls.
Thank you for your time, and I hope that you are staying warm!
Sincerely,
Charlie Cheon
1 year ago | [YT] | 971