If you’ve been following the case or controversy involving wicked Laura Kipnis, a seriously old school feminist who hangs out at Northwestern University, well, you may have thought that Laura’s recent articles on the absurdities of Title IX political correctness had more or less crushed that particular brand of political nonsense.1 Well, if that’s what you thought, dude, welcome to Room 101.
The good folks at Popehat have up for your consideration “Leaked Northwestern University Email States Rules For Title IX Investigations”, a document so frightening that I can only hope it’s a hoax. Purporting to be from Joan Slavin, Director, University Sexual Harassment Prevention Office; Title IX Coordinator; Special Assistant to the Provost, and setting forth Northwestern’s policy on “anti-retaliation” regarding Title IX complaints, this document is a serious chamber of horrors.
Ms. Slavin has this to say about her statement of the anti-retaliation rules: “I hope that this will both remind you of your obligations and demonstrate without cavil that our policies are completely consistent with freedom of speech, properly understood.” So if you thought about caviling, well, maybe you just better shut the fuck up instead.
It gets worse, of course—much, much worse. “When a student accuses a faculty member or another student of sexual misconduct, the only University response consistent with Title IX is contrition, acceptance, and support. That’s an obligation of all University employees. Whether or not the complaint has yielded public litigation or press coverage, it is inappropriate for University employees to engage in victim-blaming and victim-challenging behaviors that might deter complaints. Prohibited behaviors include weighing, evaluating, questioning, critiquing, deconstructing, or otherwise assaulting the victim’s complaint.” With the usual new wave feminist sleight of hand, Ms. Slavin instantly converts complainants into (of course) “victims.” As for “weighing, evaluating, questioning”? This is a university, dude! No weighing, evaluating, or questioning allowed!
Oh, and if you thought you were going to get cute and emphasize in your classes “problem authors whose texts undermine free reporting of sexual misconduct, such as Arthur Miller, Franz Kafka,2 or Harper Lee,” we are way ahead of you. See, everything is going to be judged by Justin Weinberg, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina. “As a respected Professor of Philosophy, he is eminently qualified to explain what areas of inquiry and discussion are inappropriate in a University environment.” And we know he will make the right decisions because he isn’t neutral. That’s why we chose him. Because at Northwestern University, girlfriend, neutrality is out, out, out. “The pretense of ‘neutrality’ or ‘even-handedness’ or ‘telling both sides’ has its roots in privilege. Neutrality is not neutral in any academically meaningful sense.”
Any further questions? I thought not. Carry on.
