On Thu, Sep 4, 2014 at 8:37 PM, Michael Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
> As far as I can see, it's generated more pushback than these things usually > do (they're quite commonplace). I don't think this has anything to do with > the specifics of the case; it has to do with the rapidly diminishing > effectiveness of the Zionist thought police among the US public generally. > I wish this was correct, but no, the Salaita case has some very unique features that may really make it one of a kind, so this may not say anything one way or the other about US public opinion about Zionism. Some of the ways in which the Salaita case is very special: - Salaita's job offer was revoked only weeks before he was set to start teaching. Technicalities apart, this is basically tantamount to a tenured professor getting fired. While that, by itself, is not unprecedented, it is very rare and newsworthy every time. But even more than that, getting fired over a few tweets would make this case quite unique all by itself. - There are academic freedom issues given that the university administration vetoed the decision of the traditional search committee which is also very rare. - There are governance issues regarding how the Illinois administration apparently allowed itself to be dictated to by rich Zionist donors. - There surely are some First Amendment issues here considering that the tweets in question came from Salaita's personal account and do not directly have to do with his academic work or teaching. - There are also more obscure issues relating to whether "civility" should be considered as a necessary part of academic discourse. This is very controversial, and even more so when it is extended to extramural social media activities, and even more so when it is applied to "viewpoints" rather than persons. How crazy is it to require people to be "civil" to every possible opinion or viewpoint? - Finally, of course, there is the subject of his tweets itself. -raghu.
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