Posted on 09/24/2004 8:26:01 AM PDT by Michael Goldsberry
Discrimination against white male found
By George Archibald THE WASHINGTON TIMES
An English professor at the University of North Carolina illegally subjected a student to "intentional discrimination and harassment" because he was "a white, heterosexual Christian male" who expressed disapproval of homosexuality, the U.S. Education Department's Office of Civil Rights has ruled. Professor Elyse Crystall violated student Timothy R. Mertes' civil rights, the agency said, by improperly accusing him of "hate speech" in an e-mail sent to students after a class discussion in which Mr. Mertes said he was a Christian and felt "disgusted, not threatened" by homosexual behavior.
"The e-mail message not only subjected the student to intentional discrimination and harassment, but also discouraged the robust exchange of ideas that is intrinsic to higher education and is at the very heart of the Constitution's protection of free speech," Alice B. Wender, the Education Department's southern regional director of civil rights concluded in a letter to UNC Chancellor James Moeser on Wednesday. The ruling was hailed by Rep. Walter B. Jones, North Carolina Republican, who requested a civil rights probe five months ago after learning about the student's plight from a Raleigh talk-radio show. "This vindicates this young man's First Amendment rights to speak out, as he has acknowledged, as a Christian," Mr. Jones said. "So I'm going to look at this as a victory for students in this country who feel that they have a right to express themselves. If you don't have that right in a collegiate classroom, what rights do you have?"
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
It's about time! I felt discriminated for being a female white Christian at Arizona State University many a time with my professors, and that was 15 years ago! Good for this judge, having the logic and reason to be able to call a spade a spade!
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040924-120619-1344r.htm"
I had a white one returned for bad address, and none of the green ones, so....
"The USPS is guilty of Discrimination Against White Mail".
At least you felt you could speak out at all. My daughters both felt entirely shut up at CA universities. To speak was to invite actual pogrom, they felt. Maybe they were over-reacting, but in CA, better safe than sorry. Of course, our solution was to leave. If CA wants to be insane, they can be insane on each others' time, not ours.
BTW, that case is now local to me. I'll be listening to WPTF (the likely radio station for the issue to have arisen on), to see if Captain Craig Marx has anything to say about it (he's a local police officer on his last day in the radio chair).
Cheers!
Sorry about that Sarge. I just can't help myself! ;)
dear all --because we did not have time to respond to and discuss fully [or barely at all] the last comments in class yesterday, and because we will be unable to do so on tuesday due to the length of the film, i find myself in the unfortunate position of having to resort to email, not the best medium of expression, in order to respond to thursday's class. let me add here, up front, that i invite all or any of you who feel the need or desire to discuss any of these -- or other -- issues further, to please email me and set up an appt. also, i find myself needing to address you all and not any one individual because what happened did so to all of us.
1. let me start off my saying that i apologize to all of you for not having made clear the first day of classes what i will make clear here and now: that i will not tolerate any racist, sexist, and/or heterosexist comments in my class. what we heard thursday at the end of class constitutes "hate speech" and is completely unacceptable. it has created a hostile environment. i am deeply sorry and apologize to those of us who are now feeling that the classroom we share is an unsafe environment, for those of us who feel vulnerable or threatened. i will do my best to counter those feelings and protect that space from further violence.
2. what we experienced, as unforuntate as it is, is, however, a perfect example of privilege. that a white, heterosexual, christian male, one who vehemently denied his privilege last week insisting that he earned all he has, can feel entitled to make violent, heterosexist comments and not feel marked or threatened or vulnerable is what privilege makes possible.
3. for those of you who want to respond to and discuss further thursday's class and the comments that tim made, or anything else about this class, about yourselves, about the world, i will open the discussion board/forum made available to us on blackboard. the ground rules are: no anonymous posts are allowed; folks will be unable to delete or edit their messages after they have been posted; NO HATE SPEECH will be tolerated.
thank you,
elyse
About dang time.
HAWHAW!! No problem - it's an improvement!
--sarcasm
Those that discriminate against Christians usually make the mistake of assuming that we're incapable of anger and violence. Not so in my case. You can only push someone so far.
Elyse Crystal, Lecturer
English Department
Greenlaw Hall, Rm. 438 CB 3520, UNC-CH
962-3484 (O), 962-3520 (fax)
ecryst@mindspring.com
How convenient that there was no punishment in this case of blatant reverse discrimination. Had the tables been turned, someone would be doing jail time.
"Unless, of course, it's directed against one of those evil, privileged, heterosexual white Christian males who are so bigoted and homophobic. They deserve it."
???? : looks like a new word in lib-speak
Interesting aside:
Carolina interview Mark Richt for their head football coaching job several years ago, but did not extend him a job offer because of his strong faith in Christianity.
Richt has gone on to be a very successful coach at UGA while UNC has consitently finished poorly.
In 1993 I had several interviews for a computer technical position with the city of Louisville in Kentucky. During the second interview the lady I was speaking with said I was almost assured the job. During the third interview which lasted only a few minutes I was told that even though I was more qualified and had a better academic background the technical department was told they had to give the position to a minority because they did not have any in the department at the time. I asked the man if he thought that was a little discriminatory and what he said I will never forget “There is no such thing as discrimination against a male Caucasian.”
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