Posted by Eugene Volokh:
Professor urges people to consciously spread falsehood:
[1]InstaPundit links to [2]this post on the DailyKos site:
[T]he biggest silver lining of this election is how the GOP's
victory is thus far being claimed, framed and explained. To that I
say, "Let us join that chorus." And we should do so now, because
there is immediacy in the post-election window of opportunity.
Marching order #1, therefore, is this: No matter whom you talk to
outside our circles, begin to perpetuate the (false, exaggerated)
notion that George Bush's victory was built not merely on values
issues, but gay marriage specifically. If you feel a need to
broaden it slightly, try depicting the GOP as a majority party
synonymous with gay-haters, warmongers and country-clubbers.
Because I, for one, am tired of hearing whiny complaints from
conservatives that, not only do I not have values, but that I fail
to properly respect the values of people who are all too happy to
buy into, no less perpetuate, inaccurate caricatures of the 54+
million Americans who voted Tuesday for John Kerry.
A public call urging people to consciously, deliberately spread
falsehood; and it turns out that the author is [3]Tom Schaller,
"associate professor of political science at the University of
Maryland, Baltimore County," who has written for "the Baltimore Sun,
Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Salon."
Is it just me, or is there something especially troublesome in such a
statement -- not just something you think is an error or even a lie,
but an explicit call urging people to spread what the author expressly
acknowledges is falsehood and exaggeration -- coming from an academic
and a commentator for various leading newspapers?
Both professions, it seems to me, are supposed to be committed to the
pursuit and dissemination of truth. Both academics and writers for
newspapers can of course express opinions, or choose what truth to
spread and what falsehood to expose based on their politics. But I
would have thought that for both deliberately spreading falsehoods,
and deliberately urging others to deliberately spread falsehoods,
would be beyond the pale, not just in their professional work but also
in their outside work (which naturally reflects on their professional
temperament and credibility).
If you were a student of Prof. Schaller's, would you -- given the
statement quoted above -- trust the accuracy of statements he makes in
class? If you were a reader of one of his newspaper articles, or an
editor selecting them, would you trust the assertions he makes in
those articles?
References
1. http://instapundit.com/
2. http://dailykos.com/story/2004/11/5/163731/178
3. http://dailykos.com/user/Tom%20Schaller
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