Posted on 09/29/2011 4:10:10 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Fans of the cult TV show "Firefly," which features characters who battled an authoritarian government, are targeting the University of Wisconsin-Stout after administrators pulled down a professor's poster quoting a rebellious character from the show.
UW-Stout received hundreds of emails from "Firefly" fans after the show's star and a nonprofit self-described individual rights group took up theater professor James Miller's cause.
"Firefly" - a program that was part space odyssey, part throwback Western - was canceled after part of one season in 2002, but developed a fan base that prompted a movie and strong sales of DVDs of the show. Miller said Tuesday that he saw the show over the summer after hearing from friends who liked it.
Miller did, too, and decided to put a poster on a bulletin board on the door to his office. It featured the response of the lead character, Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, when another character asks how Mal could be trusted to not kill him in his sleep.
"You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once," the poster reads. "If I ever kill you, you'll be awake. You'll be facing me. And you'll be armed."
The poster went on Miller's door Sept. 12. Four days later, UW-Stout Police Chief Lisa Walter emailed Miller, writing that the poster had been removed and that "it is unacceptable to have postings such as this that refer to killing."
University officials say they believe in free speech but can't allow posters in public that imply threats of violence. "He thinks we acted improperly, and we didn't," UW-Stout spokesman Doug Mell said of the professor. "The posters are down and they're going to stay down."
Miller, some of the show's fans and the Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which is backing the professor, argue no one would take the message from the John Wayne-inspired character as an actual threat.
"It's absurd to say that a reference to violence is some kind of threat," Miller said, arguing that news clippings posted on his door could contain a reference to violence. "It was a real overreach."
According to an email exchange supplied by Miller, he shot back with an email arguing that the university was squelching his free speech. Miller said he also sent a clip of a scene from the show to administrators that which contained context that was not in the poster.
Miller said he then decided to tweak administrators with another poster. "Warning: Fascism," it reads. It also contains a pictogram of a police officer hitting a person with a baton.
"Fascism can cause blunt head trauma and/or violent death," the poster reads. "Keep fascism away from children and pets."
That posting also was removed.
Walter emailed Miller again, writing that the poster "depicts violence and mentions violence and death" and that the campus' threat assessment team agreed the poster could be "constituted as a threat."
Miller was ordered to attend a meeting with the interim dean of his department and with the police chief. That meeting was later postponed and then canceled.
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, wrote a letter to UW-Stout Chancellor Charles Sorenson and crafted a news release that prompted the actor who played Mal, Nathan Fillion, to send a message to his more than 900,000 fans on the social media website Twitter. The organization said more than 400 people had emailed the university by Tuesday morning.
FIRE also asked the university for an apology. Miller said he would like an apology, but he's "enough of a realist to realize that's probably not going to happen."
Mell, the university spokesman, said other posters would have to be interpreted based on context - the specific message, where it's displayed and other factors. But the messages from Miller's posters were clearly over the line.
"We have a responsibility as a university to provide an atmosphere for our students, faculty and staff that is safe," Mell said, arguing such incidents need to be examined in the light of mass shootings that have happened at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois universities in recent years. "Something like that had better change your perception."
A poster advocating that a citizen be armed WILL NOT STAND!
bump
No doubt they will put posters up announcing their intentions.
Did you know that you may not get a good education at institutions with a high percentage of the students (legal or illegal) receiving in-state tuition rates.
Has this assclown taken a look at what sort of world he inhabits? Does this buffoon have even the slightest acquaintance with modern history and human nature? His response is prima facie evidence that that he absolutely no business teaching ANYTHING to our kids.
I don’t interpret either of those posters as advocating that a citizen be armed.
Fascism and authoritarianism is getting ore and more blunt in this country and it is sad. I wonder what my son will have to put up with when he gets into his 20’s and 30’s ! In know when I was in my 20’s we didn’t have the zero tolerance bull$h!t like today.
The poster said: “If I ever kill you, you’ll be awake. You’ll be facing me. And you’ll be armed.”
Yes, it said that....and your point is......?
"The tree of Liberty needs to be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
You might say that it says that if I kill you it will be because you are attacking me. So I can see it as advocating the use of deadly force in self defense.
If I remember the series correctly the Fire Fly crew was outlaws so you may not even see them as citizens.
Does anyone go to this university? Is it possible to get pictures of any violent posters/ads/signs that other profs have on their doors that haven’t been removed? Possibly anti-tea party, anti Walker (govenor), etc.? Just to show what this is really all about.
I grew up in that town. The saying then was “When in doubt, go to Stout”, and I’m positive that did not imply you would get a good education.
UW-Stout is in my hometown of Menomonie, WI. My dad taught math & physics for 38 yrs at Stout, and retired 30+ some years ago, when it was still somewhat possible to be conservative at a public university. My dad was hired when Stout was known as Stout Institute, then became Stout State College, then Stout State University and now UW-Stout. Obviously in the last 30-35 yrs, UW-Stout (as have all public universities & most private ones) hav turned in a liberal, socialist shit-hole.
Our illustrious local Menomonie school board & school administration just changed the name of our logo from INDIANS (oh horrid) to dah-dah the MUSTANGS. I think all of 1% of the people (if that) were offended or claimed to be offended by the logo name INDIANS. But hey, the name of the town is Menomonie, which is the name of the local Indian tribe from this region. Heck, 3/4 of Wisconsin has Indian names, including Milwaukee, Waukesha, Oconomowoc, Ashwaubedon, etc. If the liberals have their panties in such a wad over the logo of INDIANS, then every Indian name in Wisconsin should be changed. I only go to Memonomie on weekends (from MN) to help care for my elderly 94 yr old father, but I hope to run into the liberal dimwit school administrator, Cheryl Stratton, and challenge her verbally as to how many people actually were opposed to the logo name INDIANS. RAT bastard liberals.... I hate em! Sorry, I got off track.
Back to the beginning, Yes, UW-Stout is a liberal shit-hole and there was and still is, much venomous stupidity & hatred against the Republicans, including Gov Walker and our state senator Sheila Harsdorf-R. I am so thankful that our conservative state senator Sheila Harsdorf, kicked the living sh-t out of her recall challenger Shelly Moore. The dimturds & unions really, REALLY thought they had this one in the bag, and they got their asses kicked hard in the recall. The only county going for the dimturd RAT Shelly Moore, was of course, Dunn County, with Menomonie as the county seat and the UW-Stout as the perverse public university. Thank God most of the brain dead students were on summer vacation during the July recall elections.
Rant is over!!! LOL
Well, if he’s on their side, why are the picking on him? *Scratches Head*
Firefly is one of the best Sci-Fi shows ever IMO. I love the quote from Mal mentioned in the article.
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