George Floyd’s death in May 2020 ignited long-festering frustrations that ended some two dozen lives nationwide and cost more than a billion dollars in damage.
I am speechless. When you can be tried on the grounds of baseless accusations by a group with endless time and money, what is your recourse? The fact that they won’t let the light of day disinfect their secret dealings speaks volumes... this is so much worse than I could have imagined. Thank you for the thorough recounting of the many abuses, and the education you are giving us on race-essentialism warfare waged by higher education.
Taxpayer-funded quashing of dissent, character assassination, outright lies, and administrative disinformation. How demoralizing. Recourse against a state institution is next to impossible in such self-serving bureaucracy and ideological orthodoxy. Recourse must be campus-specific and whole of society. A counter long March through the institutions. Citizens running for college school boards.
Reprehensible from beginning to end. Seems par for California, but a horrible cautionary tale for everyone else, and, sadly, similar things are occurring other places.
The real question is "What do we all do about it"? I have yet to have heard an answer that involves much beyond letters/calls that are ignored and many speeches to the choir. I hope some of the smart people that read these things have some better ideas.
Working from the ground up. Micro-local elective offices are the feeders for everything above them. The school boards, the library boards, every zoning and taxing entity.
Make independents--true independents--the most powerful force in politics. Get back to foundational values. Republicans--of whom I am not one--have so taken their eyes off the ball by a hysterical devotion to restricting women's liberty that every other encroachment on our rights swept in right under their noses. Crazies on both sides make both political parties entirely unacceptable. Until a majority of people know that to be true, we may expect this idiocy to be unstoppable.
Wait a minute-this is Republicans fault because the majority of women having sex and not using protection get pregnant and use abortion as their birth control. Give me a break! Are you aware a baby can be aborted in some states up to the day it is born? Check out Colorado and NY laws. I really get the tragic consequences of rape and incest and should be addressed but what are "other rights" you fail to mention swept under our nose? Our country is in a mess because of the Democrats illiberal policies.
Jun 7, 2023·edited Jun 7, 2023Liked by Matthew Garrett
The sheer hypocrisy of these people is absolutely breathtaking. From the InsideHigherEd piece linked in the article:
Quote:
"After Black students, faculty and community members raised concerns about the institute and the recent EODAC meeting, Trustee John Corkins responded that institute members represent a small percentage of faculty who are “abusive” and “disrespectful.”
"They’re in that 5 percent that we have to continue to cull,” he said at the meeting. “Got them in my livestock operation, and that’s why we put a rope on some of them and take them to the slaughterhouse. That’s a fact of life with human nature and so forth. I don’t know how to say it any clearer.”
He later issued an apology.
“My remarks were intended to show support for the students who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting and their struggles with feeling accepted and welcome in our district,” he said in an email statement to Inside Higher Ed. “In the course of doing that, I used a reference that could be interpreted as threatening. I did not say faculty should be taken to the slaughterhouse, but I apologize to anyone who felt threatened or was offended."
End quote.
Did everyone catch the lie there?
"I did not say faculty should be taken to the slaughterhouse."
But that's EXACTLY the comparison he made!
Now just take two seconds and imagine if Garrett or another conservative member of the faculty had said the same thing about their LEFT WING opponents!
Imagine that Garrett had said: "They’re in that 5 percent that we have to continue to cull. Got them in my livestock operation, and that’s why we put a rope on some of them and take them to the slaughterhouse. That’s a fact of life with human nature and so forth. I don’t know how to say it any clearer.”
What do you think the reaction would have been THEN?
Like I said, the hypocrisy on display here, the sheer double-standard at play, is just breathtaking.
Well, you've got my sympathy here but there's an original sin that opened the door for all the rest to walk in, and I'm surprised you indulged in it.
"Ethnic studies?" What does that mean? Everyone--*everyone*--has an ethnicity. Comes from a rich cultural heritage. Many of us have at least two cultural heritages that have informed every aspect of our lives.
It used to annoy me, in the drug stores, seeing that aisle of "ethnic" hair care products and the seizure of that word for narrow and exclusionary definitional purposes.
I'm only a HS graduate but I knew this was a problem, a long time ago, for foundational reasons. Why wuz you smart people sleeping?
The Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum was adopted in the State of California in 2021 and soon, to graduate students will be required to complete an ethnic studies class. Learn more at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp
People outside the state might be thinking “California -- typical!” But Bakersfield is not representative of the state. If this can happen in Bakersfield, it can happen anywhere.
The dishonesty and disingenuousness on display by the college, and the attempts to rob someone of his livelihood for disagreeing about the (really misguided and guaranteed to fail) ways to accomplish noble goals, are all very alarming.
What continues to amaze me is how this movement exploded into view throughout our country and institutions on or about the exact same time, as if fully formed, undisputable and ready to impose struggle sessions on all those who resist.
In Washington state in July 2020, with no warning, survey, or public study, the unanimous Supreme Court issued a letter to all lawyers announcing our justice system was systemically racist and we each were responsible to do something to correct this flaw. It was reported that shortly after Mr. Floyd died and the riots got underway one justice said to another, we have to do something.
The same thing happened in our public schools when in early 2020 the Assistant Superintendent informed the staff and teachers he was challenged by his whiteness.
Everywhere all at once the same song book was played.
Sorry to hear this, but not surprised. The reference by the board member to taking someone to the slaughterhouse certainly counts as "words are violence" according to the contemporary ideology, and should prompt legal action.
This is exactly how the German university system operated under the National Socialists. You start by squeezing out the targeted ethic group, eliminating their presence on committees and governance boards, and then use the legal system to complete the destruction. And then turn around and blame the targeted minority for anything and everything under the sun while promising "justice" or some other flashy carrot to any desired allies who happen to fit particular ethnic or racial profiles. It's disgusting, and it's even more morally despicable considering the number of people practicing these tactics who don't even seem to realize where they originated.
What do you do about it? Cut off funding. Bury them with lawsuits and other actions...things like civil rights violations. Schools that take Federal money have to adhere to certain standards and practices. Call them out and file each time they fail to correct the situation. They're perfectly willing to use the system when it suits them...so turn the system on them and see how they like it.
This article makes clear that the parental battle taking place at grade schools and school boards throughout America must continue unabated. The Newsom v DeSantis / Youngkin battle is an important one because this is the litmus test that will determine where this country will eventually land.
Unfortunately this story is the tip of the iceberg about to bring down higher ed. My college (I'm retired) implied for years that I was unable to teach students of color a STEM vocational class because I am white. The success stats defy that claim but who needs stats!
Strikes me there is a complete lack of diversity in the opinions below. Ironic huh?
Kidding. I too sympathize immensely with Mr Garrett and live in fear of the same treatment. Hence my nom de plume.
That said, how oh how I would love to actually hear from somebody running the college/school systems, the Woke, the Admins, the race hucksters, heaven forbid they would engage in debate with civility and calm.
(said tongue firmly in cheek) You couldn't understand where they were coming from because your privilege doesn't allow you to comprehend their lived experience. Even if you were the first person in your West Virginia mining family to ever attend college and they were fourth-generation Yale...their experience trumps yours. And based on your origins you're clearly a right-wing militia member...
Yes, that's sarcasm, but I have encountered some people who really think that way. It's a fantastic way for them to avoid actual discussion and discourse. They will immediately discount and diminish you based on your skin color or place of origin. Rather like their historical relatives did with other groups of people not so long ago... Race essentialism tends to be a one-way street with nothing worth seeing at the end.
I donated. This problem is so big and so discouraging, and I'm frustrated that I can't do more. But I'm determined to donate when I can and as much as I can.
I am speechless. When you can be tried on the grounds of baseless accusations by a group with endless time and money, what is your recourse? The fact that they won’t let the light of day disinfect their secret dealings speaks volumes... this is so much worse than I could have imagined. Thank you for the thorough recounting of the many abuses, and the education you are giving us on race-essentialism warfare waged by higher education.
Taxpayer-funded quashing of dissent, character assassination, outright lies, and administrative disinformation. How demoralizing. Recourse against a state institution is next to impossible in such self-serving bureaucracy and ideological orthodoxy. Recourse must be campus-specific and whole of society. A counter long March through the institutions. Citizens running for college school boards.
Reprehensible from beginning to end. Seems par for California, but a horrible cautionary tale for everyone else, and, sadly, similar things are occurring other places.
The real question is "What do we all do about it"? I have yet to have heard an answer that involves much beyond letters/calls that are ignored and many speeches to the choir. I hope some of the smart people that read these things have some better ideas.
Working from the ground up. Micro-local elective offices are the feeders for everything above them. The school boards, the library boards, every zoning and taxing entity.
Make independents--true independents--the most powerful force in politics. Get back to foundational values. Republicans--of whom I am not one--have so taken their eyes off the ball by a hysterical devotion to restricting women's liberty that every other encroachment on our rights swept in right under their noses. Crazies on both sides make both political parties entirely unacceptable. Until a majority of people know that to be true, we may expect this idiocy to be unstoppable.
Wait a minute-this is Republicans fault because the majority of women having sex and not using protection get pregnant and use abortion as their birth control. Give me a break! Are you aware a baby can be aborted in some states up to the day it is born? Check out Colorado and NY laws. I really get the tragic consequences of rape and incest and should be addressed but what are "other rights" you fail to mention swept under our nose? Our country is in a mess because of the Democrats illiberal policies.
The sheer hypocrisy of these people is absolutely breathtaking. From the InsideHigherEd piece linked in the article:
Quote:
"After Black students, faculty and community members raised concerns about the institute and the recent EODAC meeting, Trustee John Corkins responded that institute members represent a small percentage of faculty who are “abusive” and “disrespectful.”
"They’re in that 5 percent that we have to continue to cull,” he said at the meeting. “Got them in my livestock operation, and that’s why we put a rope on some of them and take them to the slaughterhouse. That’s a fact of life with human nature and so forth. I don’t know how to say it any clearer.”
He later issued an apology.
“My remarks were intended to show support for the students who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting and their struggles with feeling accepted and welcome in our district,” he said in an email statement to Inside Higher Ed. “In the course of doing that, I used a reference that could be interpreted as threatening. I did not say faculty should be taken to the slaughterhouse, but I apologize to anyone who felt threatened or was offended."
End quote.
Did everyone catch the lie there?
"I did not say faculty should be taken to the slaughterhouse."
But that's EXACTLY the comparison he made!
Now just take two seconds and imagine if Garrett or another conservative member of the faculty had said the same thing about their LEFT WING opponents!
Imagine that Garrett had said: "They’re in that 5 percent that we have to continue to cull. Got them in my livestock operation, and that’s why we put a rope on some of them and take them to the slaughterhouse. That’s a fact of life with human nature and so forth. I don’t know how to say it any clearer.”
What do you think the reaction would have been THEN?
Like I said, the hypocrisy on display here, the sheer double-standard at play, is just breathtaking.
Well, you've got my sympathy here but there's an original sin that opened the door for all the rest to walk in, and I'm surprised you indulged in it.
"Ethnic studies?" What does that mean? Everyone--*everyone*--has an ethnicity. Comes from a rich cultural heritage. Many of us have at least two cultural heritages that have informed every aspect of our lives.
It used to annoy me, in the drug stores, seeing that aisle of "ethnic" hair care products and the seizure of that word for narrow and exclusionary definitional purposes.
I'm only a HS graduate but I knew this was a problem, a long time ago, for foundational reasons. Why wuz you smart people sleeping?
The Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum was adopted in the State of California in 2021 and soon, to graduate students will be required to complete an ethnic studies class. Learn more at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp
People outside the state might be thinking “California -- typical!” But Bakersfield is not representative of the state. If this can happen in Bakersfield, it can happen anywhere.
The dishonesty and disingenuousness on display by the college, and the attempts to rob someone of his livelihood for disagreeing about the (really misguided and guaranteed to fail) ways to accomplish noble goals, are all very alarming.
Shame on Bakersfield College! Matthew Garrett deserves a complete apology--not to mention a thank you for speaking the truth.
What continues to amaze me is how this movement exploded into view throughout our country and institutions on or about the exact same time, as if fully formed, undisputable and ready to impose struggle sessions on all those who resist.
In Washington state in July 2020, with no warning, survey, or public study, the unanimous Supreme Court issued a letter to all lawyers announcing our justice system was systemically racist and we each were responsible to do something to correct this flaw. It was reported that shortly after Mr. Floyd died and the riots got underway one justice said to another, we have to do something.
The same thing happened in our public schools when in early 2020 the Assistant Superintendent informed the staff and teachers he was challenged by his whiteness.
Everywhere all at once the same song book was played.
Sorry to hear this, but not surprised. The reference by the board member to taking someone to the slaughterhouse certainly counts as "words are violence" according to the contemporary ideology, and should prompt legal action.
This is exactly how the German university system operated under the National Socialists. You start by squeezing out the targeted ethic group, eliminating their presence on committees and governance boards, and then use the legal system to complete the destruction. And then turn around and blame the targeted minority for anything and everything under the sun while promising "justice" or some other flashy carrot to any desired allies who happen to fit particular ethnic or racial profiles. It's disgusting, and it's even more morally despicable considering the number of people practicing these tactics who don't even seem to realize where they originated.
What do you do about it? Cut off funding. Bury them with lawsuits and other actions...things like civil rights violations. Schools that take Federal money have to adhere to certain standards and practices. Call them out and file each time they fail to correct the situation. They're perfectly willing to use the system when it suits them...so turn the system on them and see how they like it.
Keep up the good fight! I am so glad I retired from the Arizona community college system when I did! No more WOKE for me!
This article makes clear that the parental battle taking place at grade schools and school boards throughout America must continue unabated. The Newsom v DeSantis / Youngkin battle is an important one because this is the litmus test that will determine where this country will eventually land.
Unfortunately this story is the tip of the iceberg about to bring down higher ed. My college (I'm retired) implied for years that I was unable to teach students of color a STEM vocational class because I am white. The success stats defy that claim but who needs stats!
Strikes me there is a complete lack of diversity in the opinions below. Ironic huh?
Kidding. I too sympathize immensely with Mr Garrett and live in fear of the same treatment. Hence my nom de plume.
That said, how oh how I would love to actually hear from somebody running the college/school systems, the Woke, the Admins, the race hucksters, heaven forbid they would engage in debate with civility and calm.
(said tongue firmly in cheek) You couldn't understand where they were coming from because your privilege doesn't allow you to comprehend their lived experience. Even if you were the first person in your West Virginia mining family to ever attend college and they were fourth-generation Yale...their experience trumps yours. And based on your origins you're clearly a right-wing militia member...
Yes, that's sarcasm, but I have encountered some people who really think that way. It's a fantastic way for them to avoid actual discussion and discourse. They will immediately discount and diminish you based on your skin color or place of origin. Rather like their historical relatives did with other groups of people not so long ago... Race essentialism tends to be a one-way street with nothing worth seeing at the end.
I donated. This problem is so big and so discouraging, and I'm frustrated that I can't do more. But I'm determined to donate when I can and as much as I can.
I am glad you are fighting back. Just donated.
Matthew Garrett is one brave man. Cheers!