An instructor-student conversation at a Catholic University in good standing

Apparently this conversation is in alignment with "Catholic, Jesuit education," otherwise I'm sure the Marquette administration would be as quick to address a situation where a student's rights have been abducted.  $35,000 a year seems like a hefty price to pay to be treated like a ghetto Catholic.  There's plenty of lower cost options.
Abbate: Ok, well, actually you don’t have a right in this class, as –especially as an ethics professor to make homophobic comments, racist comments, sexist comments …

Student: Homophobic comments? They’re not. I’m not saying that gays, that one guy can’t like another girl or something like that. Or, one guy can’t like another guy.

Abbate: This is about restricting rights and liberties of individuals. Um and just as I would take offense if women can’t serve in XYZ positions because that is a sexist comment.

Student: I don’t have any problem with women saying that. I don’t have any problem with women joining anything like that.

Abbate: No, I’m saying that if you are going to make a comment like that, it would be similar to making a ….

Student: Absolutely.

Abbate: How I would experience would be similar to how someone who is in this room and who is homosexual who would experience someone criticizing this.

Student: Ok, so because they are homosexual I can’t have my opinions? And it’s not being offensive towards them because I am just having my opinions on a very broad subject.

Abbate: You can have whatever opinions you want but I can tell you right now, in this class homophobic comments, racist comments, and sexist comments will not be tolerated. If you don’t like that you are more than free to drop this class.

Student: So, are you saying that not agreeing with gay marriage is homophobic?

Abbate: To argue about that individuals should not have rights is going to be offensive to someone in this class.

Student: I’m not saying rights, I’m saying one single right. Ok? So is that what you’re saying? Are you saying that if I don’t agree with gays not being allowed to get married, that I am homophobic?

Abbate: I’m saying that it would come off as a homophobic comment in this class.
Read the whole post at The American Conservative

I find it fascinating that liberals have almost universally written in support of McAdams (I can barely keep up with all the articles); that is in support of tenure and academic freedom.

No comments: