I listened to a podcast with you a while ago and have followed since then. You are a voice of sanity in an increasingly insane world. What Claudine Gay said was reprehensible. And it was especially reprehensible, as you indicate, when coming from an "expert" in race and society. It is especially disappointing to me that she is black and that her views are so pervasive amongst her academic cohort. I was lucky enough to march over the Edmund Pettis bridge with Martin Luther King and to have lived in and worked for an interracial South Africa during the time of apartheid. Both King and Mandela would be appalled by Ms. Gay's behaviour and her views. (As an aside, King once said “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking anti-Semitism,” ). Finally, I personally have targeted my energy investments into non-major oils, coal, and uranium because I cannot see how renewables will ever enable poorer countries to increase their living standards enough to satisfy the justifiable aspirations of their growing populations.
100% my friend. Agree. Enough! The 🐿️'s social and political views would be regarded as "@#$%^ing commie" in certain parts but this BS needs calling out. PDQ!
My respect shrub for all the great thoughts you put out here for all of us, for free, but more importantly, for writing a longer than usual post, building up the tension gradually, in order to eventually introduce your new term. Love it :D
I have very very very unusual takes on things based of what I see in social media though.
Some of my positions:
-Think Hamas is a horrible corrupt terrorist organisation and Oct 7th was among one of the worst terrorist attacks I have seen. If insist calling it a legit government and army then they rolled in like the Nazis did.
-I have the utmost sympathy for the entire civilian population in Gaza esp. the children which is half the population almost born after any election that was a reactionary vote against Fatah corruption mainly.
-Just because I hate Hamas and thought Oct 7th was horrific doesn't mean I have to support the war in Gaza or have an opinion. I can just be sad about it and hope it ends ASAP and for sure try to limit civilian deaths.
-Been against a lot of the most extreme Israeli government policy for most of my life since Rabin got assassinated. Even though I like Jews everywhere and Israel. Just like I didn't swear off US and UK forever despite hating Iraq war and going against personal freedoms etc. Don't let hate in my heart because politics towards whole peoples. Even Russians now as a big UKR supporter don't have hate for them.
-Think antisemitism is among the worst of humanity and it is sooo dangerous and on the rise. Done extensive reading on it historically because I don't want history to repeat itself. I got many books, articles and documentaries to recommend on the subject. It is WILD.
-Think Putin invading UKR is among the crimes of the biggest crimes post WW2. Still doesn't mean I have any strong opinions on how they choose to defend themselves and what the right course of action is like I know all the answers.The price is so high and sadly the monsters get a vote too in this world. But I am shocked by any Putin apologisers and any UKR bashing from the modern day populists. It just hurts so so bad to see.
-Western countries and these colleges have let down their Jewish populations. There is a big problem here that needs fixing. I am NOT a Trump fan, and his xenophobic rhetoric I find very problematic as it feeds hate. But he was right when he said there is a certain hate, a tremendous hate, that needs sorting out before risk exacerbating the problem.
-Everybody ignores all the suffering and violence in Africa. It doesn't sell as many clicks as the Israel Palestine conflict. I find this racist in a way, like their lives matter less when should be just as important. And it would be sooo much easier to do something.
I think as a citizen of a Western country should focus more on Africa and on sorting out anti antisemitism and Islamophobia in our own countries. Building bridges and an example internally. Because can actually do something! Sadly the ROI on attention and money towards solving the problem from abroad ever since 1948 doesn't really help unless world is united. Sadly I think it is WORSE because of outside interference over this period. At home more Jewish people are threatened now than anybody else, and that should be the focus. After 9/11 Islamophobia was rampant, now it is antisemitism. In terms of innocent lives being in physical danger. I remember Sikhs of all people got really targeted after 9/11. Just have to go against all this disgusting hate wherever it emerges.
It is clear to me these university leaders all encourage and enable it with their signalling.
And all the donors and board-members that sleepwalked or virtue signalled their way into these leaders have some responsibility as well.
Really impressed by Ackman here I have to say.
I don't think any of my views are necessarily mainstream these days on most of this, at least not on social media. But needed get it off my chest. I don't mind if anyone disagrees with me that's totally OK. I just get fired up by the hate I see around me, I get so sad.
Just delete my comment if not wanted I don't mind just needed get it off my chest.
I think you nailed a lot here actually, as has @leshrub of course. Societies throughout history always crumble from the irony of doing exactly the opposite of how they started; from being brothers-in-arm and embracing one another on behalf of some humanity-based common cause to sliding down the path of destruction by finger pointing, stoking fear, and dividing - all the subtle first steps that progress to eventual violence, hatred, and slaughter that creeps slowly from within to dull memories, distance hearts, shield soul-seeing eyes, and invite inexcusable behaviour as normal.
The trenches of WW I were supposed to end all that, but technology has fogged the ability and proximity to once again stare at our own madness and wasted hatred up close so as to have a chance to put our swords down. The time in between those two extremes is when kindness prevails and gives hope to avoid such an end. That is the time to feed our little shrublettes the fertilizer of peace - kindness. So if you have/see children, display and counsel kindness and ask the question "Why not?" to ensure not doing something has a logical reason behind it as opposed to simply an excuse for one's own convenience. It will likely go a long way to avoid the start of finger-pointing.
Such a great commentary. I did watch her testimony, in amazement, and couldn't help but wonder if the word "Jew" was replaced with "Black" would she consider her comments differently.
Either way, her views, and quite possibly those of her colleagues, are wrong.
The issue here is free speech. Should there be unrestricted free speech at Universities? Is it upto the administration to regulate what is said or not? I personally believe in free speech, and calling out & defeating reprehensible ideas like genocide in public, instead of allowing them to fester out of sight. This witch hunt of university admins by lawmakers is a cop out. If they are genuine about their position, they should pass a law barring such rhetoric. And yes, I think it's below you to single out the "black" person in that hearing and all the insinuations you made about her.
Thx John. I really was afraid that I come across as sexist and racist for singling her out. But then I realized that’s the problem: I want to single her out because she was WRONG not because of her sex or race. Honestly, I thought If I didn’t do it, I would be guilty of hypocrisy as well. The others on the panel were equally bad
Shrub- I appreciate your writings, both here and elsewhere on the interwebs. President Gay is the product of an echo chamber in which performative wokeness is the main skill being practiced. The performance is even divorced from any actual liberal thought and action. If these avatars of wokeness had been present on October 7, they would have been slaughtered. What Hamas did was reprehensible, criminal and barbaric. I also don't care for Netanyahu one bit. It's sad that liberal Israelis were so victimized by Hamas barbarity and also being squeezed by right wing in their own country. The Palestinian people have gotten screwed by their leaders and by their co-religionists in the mideast. My heart is with refugees, particularly children, whether Jewish or Palestinian or Honduran or Venezuelan. Idealogues are tiresome, whether they are religious, political, climate-change, or economic. What's worse, is when idealogues run things, and their conference room or classroom or bunker nonsense hurts real people who just want to live.
Amazing that our history in the US in the last 70-80 years was so important to the survival of the world, we became the breadbasket of immigration, but rotten apples, misguided directions has taken over, like Sorosian ideas, the cancerous ideas of societal destruction became apparent.
While underscoring most of your points relating to wokism, duplicitous motives for actions, & losing sight of traditional priorities, I see a distinction that the 3 summonees were implicitly trying to make. There is distinction between free speech & conduct. Free speech has often been under fire because many may consider it offensive to their beliefs. We bear that auditory offensiveness as a price for assumed rational discourse & a chance to enhance awareness, even if squandered. The current subject gets extra emotion because many do not make the distinction between Hamas terrorist actions & massive Gaza civilian slaughter. Crossing the free speech line into actual conduct impairs another's physical well being or property, so schools & society have procedural recourses against perpetrators. In the end aggressive free speech is usually curtailed in practical terms by the influencers & powers of the dominant side that makes policy & directives, such as with the firing of Penn's president.
Dear Richard, thank you for your powerful words. You can’t imagine how much this means to me, coming from a man of your experience.
All the best!
🌳
🙏🙏🙏 Tons of respect for you, young man! All the best in all your endeavours...
I listened to a podcast with you a while ago and have followed since then. You are a voice of sanity in an increasingly insane world. What Claudine Gay said was reprehensible. And it was especially reprehensible, as you indicate, when coming from an "expert" in race and society. It is especially disappointing to me that she is black and that her views are so pervasive amongst her academic cohort. I was lucky enough to march over the Edmund Pettis bridge with Martin Luther King and to have lived in and worked for an interracial South Africa during the time of apartheid. Both King and Mandela would be appalled by Ms. Gay's behaviour and her views. (As an aside, King once said “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking anti-Semitism,” ). Finally, I personally have targeted my energy investments into non-major oils, coal, and uranium because I cannot see how renewables will ever enable poorer countries to increase their living standards enough to satisfy the justifiable aspirations of their growing populations.
Wow that is amazing Richard.
I was actually thinking myself 3 days ago how I wish MLK was here to give Gay a piece of his mind.
I am a MLK liberal through and through and I feel directly opposed to these "leaders".
The derivative pp point is that we live in this well called "golden age of fraud "
Article brillant Monsieur Shrub
100% my friend. Agree. Enough! The 🐿️'s social and political views would be regarded as "@#$%^ing commie" in certain parts but this BS needs calling out. PDQ!
My respect shrub for all the great thoughts you put out here for all of us, for free, but more importantly, for writing a longer than usual post, building up the tension gradually, in order to eventually introduce your new term. Love it :D
I am VERY political.
I have very very very unusual takes on things based of what I see in social media though.
Some of my positions:
-Think Hamas is a horrible corrupt terrorist organisation and Oct 7th was among one of the worst terrorist attacks I have seen. If insist calling it a legit government and army then they rolled in like the Nazis did.
-I have the utmost sympathy for the entire civilian population in Gaza esp. the children which is half the population almost born after any election that was a reactionary vote against Fatah corruption mainly.
-Just because I hate Hamas and thought Oct 7th was horrific doesn't mean I have to support the war in Gaza or have an opinion. I can just be sad about it and hope it ends ASAP and for sure try to limit civilian deaths.
-Been against a lot of the most extreme Israeli government policy for most of my life since Rabin got assassinated. Even though I like Jews everywhere and Israel. Just like I didn't swear off US and UK forever despite hating Iraq war and going against personal freedoms etc. Don't let hate in my heart because politics towards whole peoples. Even Russians now as a big UKR supporter don't have hate for them.
-Think antisemitism is among the worst of humanity and it is sooo dangerous and on the rise. Done extensive reading on it historically because I don't want history to repeat itself. I got many books, articles and documentaries to recommend on the subject. It is WILD.
-Think Putin invading UKR is among the crimes of the biggest crimes post WW2. Still doesn't mean I have any strong opinions on how they choose to defend themselves and what the right course of action is like I know all the answers.The price is so high and sadly the monsters get a vote too in this world. But I am shocked by any Putin apologisers and any UKR bashing from the modern day populists. It just hurts so so bad to see.
-Western countries and these colleges have let down their Jewish populations. There is a big problem here that needs fixing. I am NOT a Trump fan, and his xenophobic rhetoric I find very problematic as it feeds hate. But he was right when he said there is a certain hate, a tremendous hate, that needs sorting out before risk exacerbating the problem.
-Everybody ignores all the suffering and violence in Africa. It doesn't sell as many clicks as the Israel Palestine conflict. I find this racist in a way, like their lives matter less when should be just as important. And it would be sooo much easier to do something.
I think as a citizen of a Western country should focus more on Africa and on sorting out anti antisemitism and Islamophobia in our own countries. Building bridges and an example internally. Because can actually do something! Sadly the ROI on attention and money towards solving the problem from abroad ever since 1948 doesn't really help unless world is united. Sadly I think it is WORSE because of outside interference over this period. At home more Jewish people are threatened now than anybody else, and that should be the focus. After 9/11 Islamophobia was rampant, now it is antisemitism. In terms of innocent lives being in physical danger. I remember Sikhs of all people got really targeted after 9/11. Just have to go against all this disgusting hate wherever it emerges.
It is clear to me these university leaders all encourage and enable it with their signalling.
And all the donors and board-members that sleepwalked or virtue signalled their way into these leaders have some responsibility as well.
Really impressed by Ackman here I have to say.
I don't think any of my views are necessarily mainstream these days on most of this, at least not on social media. But needed get it off my chest. I don't mind if anyone disagrees with me that's totally OK. I just get fired up by the hate I see around me, I get so sad.
Just delete my comment if not wanted I don't mind just needed get it off my chest.
I think you nailed a lot here actually, as has @leshrub of course. Societies throughout history always crumble from the irony of doing exactly the opposite of how they started; from being brothers-in-arm and embracing one another on behalf of some humanity-based common cause to sliding down the path of destruction by finger pointing, stoking fear, and dividing - all the subtle first steps that progress to eventual violence, hatred, and slaughter that creeps slowly from within to dull memories, distance hearts, shield soul-seeing eyes, and invite inexcusable behaviour as normal.
The trenches of WW I were supposed to end all that, but technology has fogged the ability and proximity to once again stare at our own madness and wasted hatred up close so as to have a chance to put our swords down. The time in between those two extremes is when kindness prevails and gives hope to avoid such an end. That is the time to feed our little shrublettes the fertilizer of peace - kindness. So if you have/see children, display and counsel kindness and ask the question "Why not?" to ensure not doing something has a logical reason behind it as opposed to simply an excuse for one's own convenience. It will likely go a long way to avoid the start of finger-pointing.
Such a great commentary. I did watch her testimony, in amazement, and couldn't help but wonder if the word "Jew" was replaced with "Black" would she consider her comments differently.
Either way, her views, and quite possibly those of her colleagues, are wrong.
thank you shrub!
The issue here is free speech. Should there be unrestricted free speech at Universities? Is it upto the administration to regulate what is said or not? I personally believe in free speech, and calling out & defeating reprehensible ideas like genocide in public, instead of allowing them to fester out of sight. This witch hunt of university admins by lawmakers is a cop out. If they are genuine about their position, they should pass a law barring such rhetoric. And yes, I think it's below you to single out the "black" person in that hearing and all the insinuations you made about her.
Thx John. I really was afraid that I come across as sexist and racist for singling her out. But then I realized that’s the problem: I want to single her out because she was WRONG not because of her sex or race. Honestly, I thought If I didn’t do it, I would be guilty of hypocrisy as well. The others on the panel were equally bad
Shrub- I appreciate your writings, both here and elsewhere on the interwebs. President Gay is the product of an echo chamber in which performative wokeness is the main skill being practiced. The performance is even divorced from any actual liberal thought and action. If these avatars of wokeness had been present on October 7, they would have been slaughtered. What Hamas did was reprehensible, criminal and barbaric. I also don't care for Netanyahu one bit. It's sad that liberal Israelis were so victimized by Hamas barbarity and also being squeezed by right wing in their own country. The Palestinian people have gotten screwed by their leaders and by their co-religionists in the mideast. My heart is with refugees, particularly children, whether Jewish or Palestinian or Honduran or Venezuelan. Idealogues are tiresome, whether they are religious, political, climate-change, or economic. What's worse, is when idealogues run things, and their conference room or classroom or bunker nonsense hurts real people who just want to live.
Well PENNed, Shrub! Well penned!
Thanks Shrub. From those of us that fear stating the obvious because it might offend someone
Amazing that our history in the US in the last 70-80 years was so important to the survival of the world, we became the breadbasket of immigration, but rotten apples, misguided directions has taken over, like Sorosian ideas, the cancerous ideas of societal destruction became apparent.
Well written all round
As Ackman linked to this is well worth a read as well for those who have not already seen it - quite eye opening
https://www.karlstack.com/p/the-curious-case-of-claudine-gay
The Penn was worse than Le Pen
While underscoring most of your points relating to wokism, duplicitous motives for actions, & losing sight of traditional priorities, I see a distinction that the 3 summonees were implicitly trying to make. There is distinction between free speech & conduct. Free speech has often been under fire because many may consider it offensive to their beliefs. We bear that auditory offensiveness as a price for assumed rational discourse & a chance to enhance awareness, even if squandered. The current subject gets extra emotion because many do not make the distinction between Hamas terrorist actions & massive Gaza civilian slaughter. Crossing the free speech line into actual conduct impairs another's physical well being or property, so schools & society have procedural recourses against perpetrators. In the end aggressive free speech is usually curtailed in practical terms by the influencers & powers of the dominant side that makes policy & directives, such as with the firing of Penn's president.