U.S. Society

Ethics Dunces: the Shenandoah County School Board

/ Jack Marshall / 8 Comments

Why the recent decision of the Shenandoah County School Board to restore the names of two local public schools previously stripped of their references to three Confederate generals is unethical is crystal clear to me, but apparently to nobody else, or at least nobody else whose opinion I can find in print.

The Board voted 5-1 to change the two schools’ names back to Stonewall Jackson High School and Ashby Lee Elementary School, four years after the same board with different members changed the names to Mountain View High School and Honey Run Elementary School. The previous act of historical air-brushing had occurred because it seemed obvious to those members that a lifetime petty crook overdosing on fentanyl and dying under bad cop’s knee while resisting a valid arrest in Minnesota meant that the names of those schools in Virginia had to be purged. Such was the logic of the George Floyd Freakout.

The George Floyd-inspired re-naming was wrong for the same reason all of the Confederate statue-toppling was and is wrong, as Ethics Alarms has attempted to explain from the moment this destructive movement started. The Washington Post and others call it “a racial reckoning.” It really is a cultural self-lobotomy. Communities and societies honor significant individuals in their histories for many reasons, and the fact that they have been honored in a particular time period is as much a part of history as the individuals themselves. Communities and societies of a subsequent period removing such honors and memorials in periodic outbreaks of presentism actively prevents future populations from examining and comprehending the nuances and conflicts of their own nation and its developing values. It also erases complex individuals and their life stories from our collective memories, a loss no matter how one justifies it.

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Friday Open Forum!

/ Jack Marshall / 9 Comments

Is everything going to Hell, as my sister concludes at the conclusion of every conversation we have that wanders into world events and national politics?

Stay on topic, now; it’s ethics, not politics. I just had to reject a proffered comment that was just a screed against Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who, I agree, appears to be the dumbest member of the Senate but who could probably clobber in Scrabble a dozen or more House members. Read the EA comment policies, Newcomers!

Now enlighten us…

Dead Wife Condolences Ethics

/ Jack Marshall / 8 Comments

Consider this a further reflection on the matters explored in this post, written just two days after my wife Grace died suddenly of causes undetermined.

The past two months have been a series of revelations. People’s responses to a personal tragedy befalling someone else illustrate a lot about them, society, and human nature generally.

Such moments are when true friends show their character. I wrote earlier about my friend Tom Fuller jumping into his car and driving the ten hours from Connecticut to Alexandria even as I told him not to. Tom checked into a hotel and gave me desperately needed emotional support and expert assistance—he’s a lawyer, tax specialist and obsessively organized individual in sharp contrast to me—for five days. My sister, with whom I have often had an adversarial relationship, also came through, handling many tasks related to Grace’s death that I was ill-equipped to deal with emotionally and in some cases financially. Both of them have subsequently checked in with me by phone almost every day.

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MIT Geniuses Finally Figure Out That Forcing Faculty To Pledge Fealty To Woke World Isn’t Academic Freedom

/ Jack Marshall / 6 Comments

From one perspective, this development seems encouraging. Maybe the lesson of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is finally starting to take down the destructive DEI delusion.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced that it will end the use of diversity statements in the faculty hiring process. These statements, typically a page-long, were required of all faculty candidates so they could persuade the institution that they could be relied upon to support and enhance the university’s commitment to “diversity.” The statements are now routine in faculty hiring at many public and private universities, as well in corporations and other organizations. I confess that I had not focused on this development sufficiently; it is scary, and the mainstream media and its pundits apparently felt it was not something “the public has a right to know.” [The only previous Ethics Alarms essay on diversity statements is here. I helped sound the alarm, and then did nothing for two years.]

As she announced the reform, MIT’s president Sally Kornbluth, the lone survivor of the fateful Congressional hearing that led to the dismissal of two other female presidents of elite universities, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard, condemned the statements as compelled speech. “My goals are to tap into the full scope of human talent, to bring the very best to M.I.T. and to make sure they thrive once here,” Dr. Kornbluth said . “We can build an inclusive environment in many ways, but compelled statements impinge on freedom of expression, and they don’t work.”

Interesting phrasing. If they “worked,” whatever sinister meaning that has, would she be eliminating them? The diversity statements are not just compelled speech, they represent compelled ideological conformity. That’s fascist stuff. Explain to me again: who are the “threats to democracy”? It also points to the other perspective besides the one I alluded to at the beginning. The fact that diversity statements has infested academia at all is ominous.

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More Re-Branding Ethics: “What is This ‘Boy Scouts’ of Which You Speak?”

/ Jack Marshall / 44 Comments

No sooner had I posted about the DEI scam trying to hide its spots sufficiently to keep on inflicting discrimination and bias —but good discrimination and bias, of course!—on the American workplace and society in general than news of a sadder and more futile re-branding exercise was announced.

After 114 years of teaching boys ethical values, self-reliance, and life skills, the Boy Scouts of America is abandoning its storied name to escape its sordid recent past, its mismanagement, and its betrayal of its mission and legacy. That’s not the spin, though. The newly named “Scouting America” is being promoted as signaling a more “welcoming” organization. “Though our name will be new, our mission remains unchanged: we are committed to teaching young people to be Prepared. For Life,” Roger A. Krone, president and chief executive of Scouting America, said in a statement today. “This will be a simple but very important evolution as we seek to ensure that everyone feels welcome in Scouting.”

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Fat-Shaming Ethics

/ Jack Marshall / 41 Comments

An issue that arose on this post, about the Governor and First Lady of Illinois releasing what has been described as a “cringey” “Star Wars” Day photo of the two dressed as Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia. I knew someone would accuse me of “fat-shaming” when I wrote that they looked like Luke and Leia has been attacked by the Empire’s “fat ray.” I know what fat-shaming is, and that’s not it. Since there seems to be some confusion on the issue, however, I will take this opportunity to clarify.

Fat-shaming, properly used, refers to the criticism of an individual’s weight and appearance to no other end for no other reason than to attack the individual. Ethics Alarms has consistently condemned this practice regardless of who the targets have been: Al Gore, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy and Rush Limbaugh are some I remember without checking. There may be others. I have a lot of posts here and have my weak moments: I might have made fun of someone based on their weight, but I don’t think so.

The first time I remember being aware of criticism being leveled at a public figure for his or her weight was when the film “Cleopatra” was released in the midst of all the stories about the on-set romance between Richard Burton and Eddie Fisher’s then wife Elizabeth Taylor. Movie critics hated the film as well as Taylor’s performance, and she was especially singled out as being overweight for the role of Cleopatra. (Today she would be criticized for being too white.)

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From Webster, NY., a “Do You Know Who I Am?” and a “Laws Are For the Little People” Classic!

/ Jack Marshall / 12 Comments

Sandra Doorley, the Monroe County district attorney, was going 20 miles over the speed limit in her SUV when a Webster, N.Y. cop put on his lights and siren to signal her to pull over. She didn’t, however. Ignoring the police car, she drove about a half mile before pulling into her home’s garage. “Sorry, I’m the D.A.,” Doorly snapped at the officer as they both got out of their vehicles. “I was going 55 coming home from work.” But the speed limit on the road she was just driving on is 35 m.p.h, the officer replied. “I don’t really care,” was the D.A’s response. She proceeded to insult the officer and refuse to cooperate with the legal traffic stop, while obviously lying that she didn’t see his lights or hear the siren.

The encounter was recorded on the cop’s body camera, and now everybody knows that the Monroe County district attorney is an asshole. That conduct was signature significance, wasn’t it? “I’m an important person and I don’t care if I broke the law”? I think so. I can’t imagine anyone behaving like Doorley does in that jaw-dropping video above even once who isn’t an asshole.

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Comment of the Day: “Ethics Dunce: Emerson College President Jay Bernhardt”

/ Jack Marshall / 4 Comments

You know how I love it when a reader saves me the trouble of writing a post by beating me to it. That’s what Steve-O-in NJ did with this Comment of the Day.

The letter sent to the Columbia University community by Minouche Shafik the school’s embattled, feckless, over-her-head president, has so much wrong with it that I would have been forced to do a fisking, and I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep, putting it mildly. Here’s Steve-O’s excellent performance of that task, in his Comment of the Day to the post, “Ethics Dunce: Emerson College President Jay Bernhardt”…

***

This is the president of Columbia’s letter to her school after the NYPD finally took action:

Dear members of the Columbia community,

Early Tuesday morning, tensions on our campus rose to new heights when a small group of protestors broke into Hamilton Hall, barricaded themselves inside, and occupied it throughout the day. This drastic escalation of many months of protest activity pushed the University to the brink, creating a disruptive environment for everyone and raising safety risks to an intolerable level.

I know I speak for many members of our community in saying that this turn of events has filled me with deep sadness. I am sorry we reached this point. Over the last few months, we have been patient in tolerating unauthorized demonstrations, including the encampment. Our academic leaders spent eight days engaging over long hours in serious dialogue in good faith with protest representatives. I thank them for their tireless effort. The University offered to consider new proposals on divestment and shareholder activism, to review access to our dual degree programs and global centers, to reaffirm our commitment to free speech, and to launch educational and health programs in Gaza and the West Bank. Some other universities have achieved agreement on similar proposals. Our efforts to find a solution went into Tuesday evening, but regrettably, we were unable to come to resolution.

Because my first responsibility is safety, with the support of the University’s Trustees, I made the decision to ask the New York City Police Department to intervene to end the occupation of Hamilton Hall and dismantle the main encampment along with a new, smaller encampment. These actions were completed Tuesday night, and I thank the NYPD for their incredible professionalism and support.  

I also want to thank all of the many people, including faculty, staff, and especially our public safety officers and facilities workers, for their tireless efforts on behalf of Columbia and to support our students through this difficult period.

Columbia has a long and proud tradition of protest and activism on many important issues such as the Vietnam War, civil rights, and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. Today’s protesters are also fighting for an important cause, for the rights of Palestinians and against the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza. They have many supporters in our community and have a right to express their views and engage in peaceful protest.

But students and outside activists breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our Public Safety officers and maintenance staff, and damaging property are acts of destruction, not political speech. Many students have also felt uncomfortable and unwelcome because of the disruption and antisemitic comments made by some individuals, especially in the protests that have persistently mobilized outside our gates.

It is going to take time to heal, but I know we can do that together. I hope that we can use the weeks ahead to restore calm, allow students to complete their academic work, and honor their achievements at Commencement. We also must continue with urgency our ongoing dialogue on the important issues that have been raised in recent months, especially the balance between free speech and discrimination and the role of a university in contributing to better outcomes in the Middle East. Both are topics where I hope Columbia can lead the way in new thinking that will make us the epicenter, not just of protests, but of solutions to the world’s problems.

Sincerely,

Minouche Shafik

President, Columbia University in the City of New York

Soooooo…what’s missing? 

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Ethics Half-Hero: Houston Astros Slugger Jose Abreu

/ Jack Marshall / 8 Comments

Astros first baseman José Abreu, 37, signed a three-year deal with a $58.5 million dollar guarantee last year that goes through the 2025 season. It was a risky free-agent signing: baseball position players peak at ages 27-29, and by 30, virtually all of them are declining unless they take the Barry Bonds route and cheat. Most are no longer MLB-worthy by age 34, though the better a player was, the more he can decline and still be valuable. (Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski had almost exactly the same season in his last year as he did as a rookie 22 years before: a perfect bell curve.) In the first year of his Astros deal, Abreu showed unmistakable signs that the jig was up. He had career lows in batting average, on-base pct., slugging pct., OPS (obviously: it’s slugging plus on-base average) and home runs. He was a below-average batter after a career of being All-Star caliber.

This season Abreu has been even worse. As the perennial World Series contender Astros have looked old, hurt and busted, he has been the worst of the bunch. He currently is batting .099 in 71 official at bats, with no homers; in fact, he ranks as the worst hitter in baseball right now.

Today came the stunning news that Abreu has agreed to go to the minors. As a veteran with over five years of major league service time, Abreu could not be optioned to “the bushes” without his consent, and veterans almost never give their consent. For an established star player to go to the minor leagues is like moving from the Ritz Carlton into a Motel 6. Abreu is a particularly unlikely exception, for he never played in the minors, coming directly to the major leagues as a refugee Cuban player.

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Early Evening Ethics Cool-Off, 4/30/2024: Marxist Indoctrination Petard Hoist Edition

/ Jack Marshall / 3 Comments

Hitler committed suicide on this date in 1945. Good. Maybe he would have stuck it out if he knew American college students, primed by a youth dominated by reckless indoctrination, would be trying to carry on his work in 2024 on American campuses. Meanwhile…

1. Déjà vu! The moment I lost all sympathy or respect for the students at my college demanding various things while taking over buildings and disrupting my education was when they added amnesty to their “demands.” The terrorist assholes at Columbia are doing the same thing now. Nobody should give serious consideration to the positions of such cowards. Writes David French, “When universities can actually recognize and enforce the distinctions among free speech, civil disobedience and lawlessness, they can protect both the right of students to protest and the rights of students to study and learn in peace.” And when I can fly to the moon by flapping my arms, I’ll save a fortune on gasoline. The vast majority of today’s college administrators—Haven’t female college presidents just covered themselves in glory lately? Another DEI triumph!—are the direct ideological descendants of those arrogant, unaccountable revolutionaries of yore.

These ignorant, terrorism-enabling jerks have good reason to assume there will be no consequences, since (I don’t know how or why) their cause is apparently justified lawlessness sanctified by the political Left, you know, like the George Floyd riots and Occupy Wall Street. When you break laws to demonstrate your frustration after a dodgy election, however, you end up like the J6 defendants, prosecuted and locked up. MSNBC’s Joy Reid—why is she on television?—compared the “Get rid of the Jews” protesters to the Civil Rights movement. Over at ABC’s “The View,” Sunny Hostin, the lawyer who thinks an eclipse is evidence of climate change, argued that critics who use “anti-Semitism” to describe the protests are “far-right” with “authoritarian leanings” who oppose free speech. “They don’t want students on these campuses to voice their opinions,” she said. Sunny, as anyone who has listened to her rantings know, would be calling for the executions of students chanting anti-black or anti-gay slogans, but “Kill the Jews” is good, old fashioned anti-war sentiment in her book. (Why is she on television?)

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