Currently, my school district requires all teachers to take online courses in sexual harassment, child abuse, blood borne infections, active shooters, etc. But based on what's happening right now at Columbia University, schools could soon start requiring staff to take "antisemitism" training classes that teach that antizionism = antisemitism and that criticism of Netanyahu and Israel are somehow antisemitic acts.
@MikeDunnAuthor I want to file a grievance with the union if they make me do this kind of thing. That said before Oct 7 we were already required to take orientation classes that wasted a lot of time and tried to indoctrinate us into believing that the HR and admins are there to support us, which is clearly not the case.
I agree 100%. If they do start imposing these bogus "antisemitism" trainings we should refuse and resist. They will be the same as loyalty oaths: Declare that you won't support Palestinians, won't criticize Israel, or go find another job.
You are clearly misunderstanding the point of my post and the article to which it refers.
First, no street corners are relevant here. We're talking about
how Columbia University is considering imposing on all teachers a mandatory course on "antisemitism" in which criticism of Israel, Netanyahu, and zionism are defined as forms of antisemitism. That does not affect street corners. It affects whether a teacher will be allowed to keep their job based on what the say in the classroom and what readings they assign to their students
Second, it's about criticizing genocide, not advocating for it. And in many cases, it's not even necessarily advocating, but simply talking about it, providing readings about it.
I oppose genocide period, all genocide, including against Jews, of which I am one.
this policy at columbia was not created in 1 response to a single truly antisemitic outlier, but as a form of censorship against legitimate Free Speech rights to criticize Israel and genocide against Palestinians being exercised by dozens of faculty and thousands of students.
Lastly, you can't stop genocide by censorship. You stop it through education and organizing, things that can only happen when free speech and academic freedom are allowed to flourish.
I expect that you'd be hard pressed to find someone saying other than that they're opposed to genocide.
It's contentious.
This is a simple question: should students and faculty enjoy free speech rights on campus as described by Prof Fried?
If you were to say not, then I'd be most surprised. When the Federal government gives $$$ it comes with strings. You can tell me how crummy that is, but it's the reality of the dynamic.
As far as I can tell, Fried, who was a federalist, and who died earlier this year, did not, himself call for genocide. Rather, he said that whether or not a university should discipline a student for it depended on the context, as, he argued, does the constitution.
I think you are wrong, however, about being hard pressed to find.... Plenty of fascists out there who not only support genocide, but are actively calling for it, including members of the Israel government calling for elimination of Palestinians, and including many transphobes against trans and nonbinary people.
@MikeDunnAuthor I believe antisemitism training that isn't lying to its recipients is actually a positive thing. But indoctrinating students with the propaganda of the Israeli state? That's harmful in multiple ways.
@MikeDunnAuthor My colleagues and I were remarking that we had just been forced to do online training about not endangering students within a few weeks of when the administration had called LAPD on protesting our students, thus endangering them.
Adding insult to injury, the third party vendor that administers the training also sells its wares to military, law enforcement, etc. Talk about needing to divest.
Those online tests are bullshit, and a big money making scam. But yes, tragically ironic that we, as teachers, are expected to do no harm, while our administrators do so much harm.