David Bernstein: Save the Great White Males
Man, those "white" "male" "Christians" can't catch a break in today's world. David Bernstein, sexism and racism apologist, continues his never ending quest to prove that academia is crushing the poor, conservative, white man. Check out this great quote:
Many professors create an intentionally challenging (some would say hostile) environment for students with traditionalist religious beliefs, and I predict that some conservative Christian groups will take the DOE's ruling as an invitation to use hostile environment law against such professors.
Wow, talk about taking isolated cases and extrapolating them to a whole group of people. Yes discrimination is wrong, and yes, the professor in question should be disciplined. I for one, am not willing to take the Washington Times at face value - it is owned by a multi-billionaire figure who claims to be the next Messiah. But I digress.
To those who are not familiar, many on the right continually charge that academia discriminates against white, male students, especially conservatives. Their logic goes: because the majority of professors self-identify as liberals, that debate is being shut down, education is being slanted to the left, and that poor conservatives can't get jobs. The favorite tactic is to take a few disparate examples and go on and on and on about how they aren't being heard, and are being beat down. But if this was true, all of America would be liberal, because the percentage of the nation that has a college education continues to rise.
What is funny about this, is that the two loudest voices, one being Mr. Bernstein and the other being Glenn Reynolds, both are tenured professors and authors of both books and successful blogs. Funny how they just can't get their views out because the liberals are hamstringing them.
What really rankles Bernstein and his cohorts, is the very thing which rankled President Bush at the last debate. It is the same, "How DARE you question me or my motives." Look, white men have had it pretty well for the last oh, couple of thousand years. Is it too much to review history from the lens of the disfranchised, poor, the colonized and gosh, from a woman's perspective? Wow, let's walk the world in another's shoes. What Bernstein is really upset about, are feminists. Radical, censorious feminists:
...censorious campus feminists have been the leading force behind campus speech restrictions masquerading as 'hostile environment' rules.
Consider how the concept of "hostile educational environment" could be applied to Women's Studies classes taught by radical feminists. Students from traditional, white middle-American Christian backgrounds are often told that they are inherently racists, that the traditional religious values that they grew up on are reactionary principles that serve to support an oppressive patriarchy, and, that if they are men, that much of the sex that have or will engage in amounts to rape.
Look, I have never heard or read any Feminist or Post-Colonial Theory or Post-Structuralist or even Gender Studies papers espouse that, "much of the sex that have or will engage in amounts to rape." I'm sure there is a fringe that espouses this, but if we want to play that game, I can call all Southerners racist pigs who just want to go and lynch some "fag" or "darkie." But why let logic stand in the way of feeling like you are being targeted, and are discriminated by a minority group. I am pretty sure that it is a safe bet that men throughout history have raped and pillage, but labeling current men rapists is not what Feminism is about - unless you listen to Rush Limbaugh (and then you can blame all your problems on them (does anyone read history, this has happened before!)).
The fact is, that the world and culture is made from those in power. Women, blacks, the poor, etc are not part of this group. For an example, the Spanish today speak with a lisp because Ferdinand and Isabella had larger lower jaws (some say from intermarriage among royalty) which caused them to lisp, and at court subjects wanted to emulate the King and Queen. Not to get all theological, but many religions are racist, sexist, and instituted dogma which attempted to cast a wedge between the "saved" and the "damned." Religion is a human construct, which is underpinned by faith from a great creator who endows each of us with the power of that faith. Man's religion comes in and messes everything up. Faith is good, man's constructed religion on top of God's grace, not so good. This is what Feminism, Post-Structuralism, Post-Colonial Theory, et al can telly us.
But he might have a point: what is Feminism? Feminism, Post-Colonial Theory, and Gender Studies acknowledges our collective history, how it affected culture, and how it affects our decisions today as cultural beings. All of this is based on viewpoints, that until 30 years ago, wasn't even acknowledged. It also tries to figure out a way to navigate the existing power structure, either by working through it or outside the system. This is actually a significant ongoing (or it was) argument inside the field - whether or not you can actually work inside a system that passively and actively places roadblocks in your path. Regardless if you are an Algerian trying to live in France, or if you are gay living in San Francisco or Columbus, Ohio. Or if you are a modern woman. Just look at some of the archetypes that the popular press like to point out: you are either the super-woman (Martha Stewart, Soccer Mom's running from event to event), or you have to work the system by becoming a tough as nails man-woman. Can't you see how generations of skewed views force women into an either-or? And it isn't like we act consciously - it is so ingrained that it is a subconscious act.
What Bernstein doesn't get about Feminism, Post-Colonial Theory, and Gender Studies, is that they all explain the same system which affects men in a similar, and equally detrimental way. Men have to be strong, resolute, can't cry. There are as many cultural artifacts which affect men as there are women, then you add race and sexual orientation on top of that, and you get a grab bag of cultural cues and baggage. The popular press has done a bad job at explaining Feminism and Post-Structuralism, not to mention that the most outlandish theories and people get press time, when simple culture studies professors keep chugging along. That is the big problem: not that some white boy goes to college, attends a gender studies class, and is shocked (shocked!) that others think his views are racist, sexist, or discriminatory; but that the basic underpinning of Feminism and Post-Structuralism is so misunderstood. But let's also call a duck a duck: Bernstein's arguments fall in the same category as those who agitate for State's Rights. State's Rights is only a cover for being able to be racist and discriminatory. It is a meaningless rhetorical tool.
UPDATE 20041006
Via Volokh Conspiracy, Dept of Education letter to UNC (pdf) including the email which the instructor sent to the student:
because we did not have time to respond to and discuss fully [or barely at all] the last comments in class yesterday, and because we will be unable to do so on tuesday due to the length of the film, i find myself in the unfortunate position of having to resort to email, not the best medium of expression, in order to respond to thursday's class. let me add ,here, up front, that i invite all or any of you who feel the need or desire to discuss any of these - or other- issues further, to please email me and set up an appt. also, i find myself needing to address you all and not anyone individual because what happened did so tcil all of us.
1. let me start offby saying that i apologize to all of you for not having made clear the I firSt day of classes what i will make clear here and now: that i will not tolerate any racist, sexist, and/or heterosexist comments in my class. what we heard Thursday at the end of class constitutes "hate speech" and is completely unacceptable. it has created a hostile enviITonment. i am deeply sorry and apologize to those ofus who are now feeling that the classroom we share is an unsafe environment, for those of us who feel vulnerable or I threatened. i'ill do my best to counter those feelings and protect that space from further VIOlence.
2. what we e]cperienced, as unfortunate as it is, is, however, a perfect example of privilege. that a white. heterosexual, christian [sic] male, one who vehemently denied his privlege last week insisting that he earned all he has. can feel entitled to make violent, heterosexist c'omments and not feel marked Or threatened or vulnerable is what privilege makes possible.
3. for those of you who want to respond to and discuss further thursday's class and the corriments that [the Student's first name] made, or anything else about this class, about yournelves, about the world, i will open the discussion forum made available to us on blacboard. the ground rules are: no anonymous posts are allowed; folks will be unable to delete or edit 1their messages after they have been posted; NO HATE SPEECH will be tolerated.
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This is the permanent home of David Bernstein: Save the Great White Males. I wrote this post at 11:07 on October 5, 2004. This post is part of grubbykid.com, a weblog. If you liked this entry, why don't you read some other posts such as The sky is blue too: Terror Warnings boost President or George Bush, the George Costanza of politics? Or you could go to the site archives or return home. All are good choices.
