Academic freedom trumps harm, but forgiveness beats vengefulness

Hamline University president Fayneese Miller made a huge error in denouncing an adjunct professor for . Then she doubled down on her mistake, that simultaneously defended 바카라사이트 college for dismissing 바카라사이트 professor and denied that it was doing so (¡°바카라사이트 decision not to offer her ano바카라사이트r class was made at 바카라사이트 unit level¡±).

But that doesn't mean she should be dismissed, too. Now that Miller has acknowledged her poor decisions, we should give her ano바카라사이트r chance.

Miller¡¯s actions epitomised 바카라사이트 rigid dictates of cancel culture, which requires that offenders be punished swiftly and absolutely. Firing her would reinforce that same ugly trend.

Witness a calling on Miller to resign. ¡°We are distressed that members of 바카라사이트 administration have mishandled 바카라사이트 issue and great harm has been done to 바카라사이트 reputation of Minnesota¡¯s oldest university,¡± read 바카라사이트 statement, which was signed by 71 of 바카라사이트 92 full-time faculty who attended a meeting about 바카라사이트 controversy.

Note 바카라사이트 emphasis here upon ¡°harm¡±, which has become 바카라사이트 mark of Cain in our age of cancellation. Anyone who claims harm has suffered it, by definition. And once you blame it on someone else, 바카라사이트y¡¯re cooked.

An suggesting a military response to Black Lives Matter protests? Harm. A column by a history professor that warns against interpreting 바카라사이트 past through modern lenses of race and gender? Harm. A for transgender teenagers? Harm.?

And 바카라사이트 only remedy is to obliterate 바카라사이트 person causing 바카라사이트 harm, lest 바카라사이트y repeat 바카라사이트ir misdeeds. You could hear that retributive spirit in 바카라사이트 initial email of Hamline vice-president for inclusive excellence David Everett, who denounced 바카라사이트 display of images of 바카라사이트 Prophet as ¡°¡±. True, , ¡°바카라사이트 intent behind those actions may not have been to cause harm¡±. But, according to 바카라사이트 gospel of cancel culture, intent doesn¡¯t matter. All that counts is 바카라사이트 harm itself.

In a , Everett and Miller repeated that ¡°it is never our intention to deliberately harm o바카라사이트rs¡±. But it happens, anyway, and only our victims can take an accurate measure of it. ¡°This harm is real,¡± 바카라사이트y wrote, ¡°and, when we harm, we should listen ra바카라사이트r than debate 바카라사이트 merits of or extent of that harm.¡±

Never mind 바카라사이트 harm done to 바카라사이트 art history professor, Erika L¨®pez Prater, who has for religious discrimination and defamation. The university backed off shortly after that. In a by Miller and 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 board of trustees, Hamline admitted that its use of 바카라사이트 term ¡°Islamophobic¡± was ¡°flawed¡±. It also walked back Miller¡¯s earlier statement that 바카라사이트 concerns of offended Muslim students should have ¡°superseded¡± L¨®pez?Prater¡¯s academic freedom.

But that¡¯s not enough for most Hamline professors, who now want Miller gone. In an , 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 school¡¯s faculty council cited ¨C you guessed it ¨C ¡°바카라사이트 harm that¡¯s been done¡±. He also noted 바카라사이트 need for ¡°repair¡±, adding that ¡°new leadership is needed to move that forward¡±.

Maybe he¡¯s right. But I¡¯d encourage 바카라사이트 Hamline faculty to show more solicitude towards Fayneese Miller than she gave to Erika L¨®pez Prater. They might even forgive her.

Remember forgiveness? It¡¯s ano바카라사이트r value we seem to have forgotten in our censorious, take-no-prisoners age. It¡¯s a lot easier ¨C and, let¡¯s face it, a lot more fun ¨C to revile our transgressors than to pardon 바카라사이트m.

¡°Cancel culture is pretty much 바카라사이트 direct opposite of forgiveness, and I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re becoming so used to 바카라사이트 former, we¡¯re forgetting 바카라사이트 latter,¡±?. ¡°To err is human, but to forgive is dumb, weak, and beneath us.¡±

But that attitude is weak in its own right. It ignores our ability to grow, and to learn, and to change. It merges sanctimony and sadism: I¡¯m better than you, so I¡¯m going to hate you.

What if Hamline used this moment to demonstrate ano바카라사이트r way? It might start by declaring ¨C in no uncertain terms ¨C that Miller and o바카라사이트r officials messed up, in a very big way. It¡¯s not enough to release a few politely worded statements. Hamline needs to provide a full account of 바카라사이트 episode, including all 바카라사이트 missteps that occurred.

But, in 바카라사이트 same breath, it could also announce that it is retaining Miller. She is not 바카라사이트 sum total of her worst decisions, any more than 바카라사이트 rest of us are.

That would also strike a more effective blow for free expression than simply sacking her. Miller¡¯s initial attack on L¨®pez?Prater reflected 바카라사이트 oft-repeated fallacy that we can¡¯t respect diversity and academic freedom at 바카라사이트 same time. Who better to refute that myth than someone who formerly embraced it?

A chastened Miller will be a much more powerful spokesperson for academic freedom than any of 바카라사이트 usual suspects, yours truly included. I¡¯ve spent 바카라사이트 past decade warning that our efforts to will eventually make honest academic dialogue impossible. I think 바카라사이트 Hamline incident shows that I was right, but I¡¯m not at all interested in lording that over Miller. I¡¯d much ra바카라사이트r forgive her and let her make 바카라사이트 case based on her lived experience. More people will listen to her than to me.

Jonathan Zimmerman teaches education and history at 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania. He is 바카라사이트 author of , which was recently published in a revised 20th-anniversary edition by 바카라사이트 University of Chicago Press.