Thursday, May 3, 2012

Chronicle of Higher Education Blogger Attacks African-American Studies

So, White Lady reads a couple of dissertation titles in a university's African-American Studies Department and concludes that these dissertations constitute the "Most Persuasive Case for Eliminating Black Studies." Lady admits she is ignorant as to the topics of those dissertations, simultaneously mocks these topics, and peppers her piece with contentious, provocative phrases like "left wing victimization" and the always hyper-defensive accusation that these dissertations do nothing but "blame the white man."

When folks rightly, intelligently, clearly, and sincerely take issue with her incredibly-simplistic piece, she "defends" herself by saying, basically, what you expect her to actually read those dissertations before using them as proof as to why an entire field of study should just STFU and go away? Gawd, her critics are, like, SO unfair!


That?

Is assholery, for sure.

And it's an assholery born of pure, unadulterated white privilege and racism.

The kind that entitles a person in a privileged class to engage in abusive, uninformed, petty, Dunning-Krueger-esque attacks on minority interests and then to back up with her hands in the air as though it's other people who are So Out Of Line when they render assertive and apt critiques upon her "work."

We'll see if The Chronicle of Higher Education, the forum (incredibly) where the blogpost was published holds the author, Naomi Schaefer Riley, accountable in any way.

Related:

Grad Students Respond to Riley Post on African-American Studies

Faculty Response to  Riley Post on African-American Studies

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