When Yale submitted to Trump's political views, it was gut-wrenching to see academic institutions lose credibility and valuable scholars in the process.
Yale is extremely interesting to me. While I have not attempted any study that could be called rigorous or systematic or even just basic, the name “Yale” seems to come up a lot these days. My impression is that a lot of go-to experts in a lot of fields are identified with the University. It seems some are honored and others are shunned by the institution.
Of course other schools have ejected scholars out of fear of intimidation. I think especially of research director Renee DiResta and the Stanford Internet Observatory. Here we see the regime using the same suppression strategies that are deployed in the arenas of law firms, corporations, politicians, news outlets, international alliances . . . . On and on. Few heed Professor Snyder’s warning about capitulating in advance.
"Renee DiResta and the Stanford Internet Observatory." I googled her in Wikipedia, but didn't see that she'd been fired/ousted. More information, please.
Here is a pretty good review of the course of events. The research director being let go is not explicitly mentioned, and the report includes some comments from the university’s point of view. I have heard interviews with Ms. DiResta that made it quite clear whose initiative led to her departure, as well as the pressures that Stanford’s trustees faced.
As Modern European historian-scholar and fascism expert Timothy Snyder pointed out here on his Substack recently, “antisemitism”, like “fascism”, is being deployed with the intent of destroying the universities as the key fount of free, independent thought that is the life-blood of a free people and their democracy. I think this analysis is spot-on and scorching. In my view, the treasonous, ancient Roman-reminiscent triumvirate of Trump-Musk-Vance -- the apotheosis of Nazi-like antisemitism -- is exploiting this term, via psychopathic projection, onto those legitimately protesting Netanyahu’s Israeli genocide against Palestinian civilians by gaslighting us about the essentially humanistic and morally noble criticism of a contemporary incarnation of the marriage of Orwellian doublespeak with the Hitlerian Big Lie. Bottom line: The genuine antisemites of MAGA Christian-theocratic fascism have squirreled their falsely appropriated “antisemitism” into an anti-intellectual Trojan Horse aimed directly at the ivory tower to delegitimize and disempower the freedom of speech, thought and expression that animates educational institutions as the prime guardians of the values, rights and human happiness upon which the Founders wisely constructed their vehicle of a democratic republic for realizing their vision.
I "hearted," while I think that Dr. Lee would agree that things always seem to boil down to money, as in "follow the money." There are ideological and sociological issues that factor into it, too. The key word in this posting is "Zionist." The state of Israel has every right to exist and defend itself, which it makes abundantly clear. With the response to the Oct. 7 heinous attacks, along with an apparent policy eventually to annex the West Bank, Israel has likely gone too far. It seems obvious to me that the differences between those peoples in that area of the world are only supposedly based on differences in religion (hence, the "Zionist'). They're actually abuse of religious belief in the service of authoritarianism, with leaders in different countries having majority religions (and even state religions) vying for control of people. Money is the practical tool and objective, and leaders in universities are accordingly falling into line. The ultimate peaceful solution would be what Dr. Lee advocates--world government that prioritizes secular law along with freedom of religion (as in the wording of our Constitution). It's an ideal and would thwart the authoritarians, so it's probably a long way off but worth promoting.
All seem too big to fail, like in corporate America. Ironically, ‘affirmative action for the wealthy’ via ‘legacy’ admissions benefitted a lot of people who are crushing higher learning and turning it into a propaganda tool. University of PA, Wharton School (Trump), Yale (Bush) and Harvard, RFK, Jr. (read Carolyn Kennedy’s scathing warning to the Senate confirmation hearings). The gaslighting of the rest of us has been going on for a long time.
Then comes along Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Curtis Jarvin, Zuckerberg, Jobs, Gates, all of whom dropped out or bypassed graduate school at an opportune time in history where Silicon Valley (the society of tech bros) and the introduction of modern technology propelled them into the billionaire class. And, now by their gobsmacking wealth and status alone, by their ‘luck’ in history they’ve inspired a generation of young white ‘dudes’ whose gaming prowess informs their world view. This is the generation of social media influencers spawned by tech developers.
Oh, and then enter Gordon Gekko of “Greed is good” fame, and the era of reality television and you have the perfect collision of the overtaking of every major institution in American life by white, male privilege. Alan Dershowitz, Jeffrey Lieberman and Dr. Phil are all opportunistic creatures riding this wave. Ironically, they’re out while the tech bro world is remaking America in the artificial world of gaming and AI.
To me, what seems to be a common thread among them is the seeming lack of personal insight, empathy, compassion, decency, basic understanding of the human condition, concern for the 99% (maybe the exception is Gates) and most of all the ability to navigate the social world in any meaningful way.
Dr Lee-I was heart broken and angry to read that you were dismissed from Yale in such a cruel way. The sadism is part of the contagion. I have read both of your books and they were so illuminating.
I know you will land on your feet but sad that you have had to deal with this trauma. So many of the politicians have come from Yale and their character is lacking. Sadly, the admissions committee does not have the tools to weed out the brilliant students that have character disorders. Our country has suffered because of it.
I’m reminded of the Counterinsurgency maxim that “you can’t want it more than the locals.” Is it perhaps sadly true that the institutions don’t want principles and intellectual freedom/honesty any more than the administration? I’m reminded of a training session I had at Yale where a professor told me the college cares only about money, not education or principle. The same seems to hold from conversations I’ve had in relation to Columbia and Harvard.
Has Yale released a statement chronicling what Ms Doutaghi did to merit this suspension? The Samidoun organization is troubling in its rhetoric. While the alleged distribution of candy to celebrate the 07oct23 attacks in November 2023 and while calling for the destruction of Canada strike me as deeply distasteful, I have seen no actions that endanger others.
"Yale has suspended an international law scholar and outspoken defender of Palestinian rights, after an AI-powered, far-right website called Jewish Onliner accused her of ties to a group on a U.S. sanctions list, an apparent reference to the advocacy organization Samidoun."
Samidoun: "Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is an international network of organizers and activists working to build solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in their struggle for freedom. Samidoun developed out of the September-October 2011 hunger strike of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, seeing a need for a dedicated network to support Palestinian prisoners. We work to raise awareness and provide resources about Palestinian political prisoners, their conditions, their demands, and their work for freedom for themselves, their fellow prisoners, and their homeland. We also work to organize campaigns to make political change and advocate for Palestinian prisoners’ rights and freedoms."
Thank you, Dr. Lee, for this important, though distressing, update. Among the places where gender balance is crucial for human development are institutions of learning, which educate predominantly younger persons to be functional - or dysfunctional - in society. Therefore, it is very distressing indeed when female academics - and any academics across the genders - are pushed out of their positions at institutions of learning.
When Yale submitted to Trump's political views, it was gut-wrenching to see academic institutions lose credibility and valuable scholars in the process.
"Why Do People Stay in Controlling Groups?"
by Cult Expert Dr. Steven Hassan
🔸️A cult leader demands loyalty and offers love, protection, and purpose so followers feel safe and valued.
🔸️But question or step away from a cult leader and that love turns into rejection.
🔸️True love allows freedom, doubt, and independence. If leaving a group feels like betraying a parent, it may be manipulation, not love.
🔸️Understanding this emotional control is the first step to breaking free!
https://substack.com/@stevenhassan/note/c-99927840?r=280c3q
Yale is extremely interesting to me. While I have not attempted any study that could be called rigorous or systematic or even just basic, the name “Yale” seems to come up a lot these days. My impression is that a lot of go-to experts in a lot of fields are identified with the University. It seems some are honored and others are shunned by the institution.
Of course other schools have ejected scholars out of fear of intimidation. I think especially of research director Renee DiResta and the Stanford Internet Observatory. Here we see the regime using the same suppression strategies that are deployed in the arenas of law firms, corporations, politicians, news outlets, international alliances . . . . On and on. Few heed Professor Snyder’s warning about capitulating in advance.
"Renee DiResta and the Stanford Internet Observatory." I googled her in Wikipedia, but didn't see that she'd been fired/ousted. More information, please.
Here is a pretty good review of the course of events. The research director being let go is not explicitly mentioned, and the report includes some comments from the university’s point of view. I have heard interviews with Ms. DiResta that made it quite clear whose initiative led to her departure, as well as the pressures that Stanford’s trustees faced.
https://www.theregister.com/AMP/2024/06/14/stanford_internet_observatory/
Thanks very much, Frank.
Shame on Yale.
As Modern European historian-scholar and fascism expert Timothy Snyder pointed out here on his Substack recently, “antisemitism”, like “fascism”, is being deployed with the intent of destroying the universities as the key fount of free, independent thought that is the life-blood of a free people and their democracy. I think this analysis is spot-on and scorching. In my view, the treasonous, ancient Roman-reminiscent triumvirate of Trump-Musk-Vance -- the apotheosis of Nazi-like antisemitism -- is exploiting this term, via psychopathic projection, onto those legitimately protesting Netanyahu’s Israeli genocide against Palestinian civilians by gaslighting us about the essentially humanistic and morally noble criticism of a contemporary incarnation of the marriage of Orwellian doublespeak with the Hitlerian Big Lie. Bottom line: The genuine antisemites of MAGA Christian-theocratic fascism have squirreled their falsely appropriated “antisemitism” into an anti-intellectual Trojan Horse aimed directly at the ivory tower to delegitimize and disempower the freedom of speech, thought and expression that animates educational institutions as the prime guardians of the values, rights and human happiness upon which the Founders wisely constructed their vehicle of a democratic republic for realizing their vision.
Thank you Dr. Lee. How can we stand with People presser Doutaghi?
I "hearted," while I think that Dr. Lee would agree that things always seem to boil down to money, as in "follow the money." There are ideological and sociological issues that factor into it, too. The key word in this posting is "Zionist." The state of Israel has every right to exist and defend itself, which it makes abundantly clear. With the response to the Oct. 7 heinous attacks, along with an apparent policy eventually to annex the West Bank, Israel has likely gone too far. It seems obvious to me that the differences between those peoples in that area of the world are only supposedly based on differences in religion (hence, the "Zionist'). They're actually abuse of religious belief in the service of authoritarianism, with leaders in different countries having majority religions (and even state religions) vying for control of people. Money is the practical tool and objective, and leaders in universities are accordingly falling into line. The ultimate peaceful solution would be what Dr. Lee advocates--world government that prioritizes secular law along with freedom of religion (as in the wording of our Constitution). It's an ideal and would thwart the authoritarians, so it's probably a long way off but worth promoting.
Dr Lee, the universities have become factories to produce human capital for our economic system.
https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/13/05/2024/universities-factories
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/05/college-activism-hypocrisy/678262/
Look at this... they are now flipping the diagnoses and creating a law calling sane people those with "Trump Derangement Syndrome" https://www.instagram.com/p/DHPgk4qPx2I/?img_index=1&igsh=OTEyeWs2cW12NHgw
All seem too big to fail, like in corporate America. Ironically, ‘affirmative action for the wealthy’ via ‘legacy’ admissions benefitted a lot of people who are crushing higher learning and turning it into a propaganda tool. University of PA, Wharton School (Trump), Yale (Bush) and Harvard, RFK, Jr. (read Carolyn Kennedy’s scathing warning to the Senate confirmation hearings). The gaslighting of the rest of us has been going on for a long time.
Then comes along Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Curtis Jarvin, Zuckerberg, Jobs, Gates, all of whom dropped out or bypassed graduate school at an opportune time in history where Silicon Valley (the society of tech bros) and the introduction of modern technology propelled them into the billionaire class. And, now by their gobsmacking wealth and status alone, by their ‘luck’ in history they’ve inspired a generation of young white ‘dudes’ whose gaming prowess informs their world view. This is the generation of social media influencers spawned by tech developers.
Oh, and then enter Gordon Gekko of “Greed is good” fame, and the era of reality television and you have the perfect collision of the overtaking of every major institution in American life by white, male privilege. Alan Dershowitz, Jeffrey Lieberman and Dr. Phil are all opportunistic creatures riding this wave. Ironically, they’re out while the tech bro world is remaking America in the artificial world of gaming and AI.
To me, what seems to be a common thread among them is the seeming lack of personal insight, empathy, compassion, decency, basic understanding of the human condition, concern for the 99% (maybe the exception is Gates) and most of all the ability to navigate the social world in any meaningful way.
Dr Lee-I was heart broken and angry to read that you were dismissed from Yale in such a cruel way. The sadism is part of the contagion. I have read both of your books and they were so illuminating.
I know you will land on your feet but sad that you have had to deal with this trauma. So many of the politicians have come from Yale and their character is lacking. Sadly, the admissions committee does not have the tools to weed out the brilliant students that have character disorders. Our country has suffered because of it.
Kind wishes,
Bonnie Esserman
I’m reminded of the Counterinsurgency maxim that “you can’t want it more than the locals.” Is it perhaps sadly true that the institutions don’t want principles and intellectual freedom/honesty any more than the administration? I’m reminded of a training session I had at Yale where a professor told me the college cares only about money, not education or principle. The same seems to hold from conversations I’ve had in relation to Columbia and Harvard.
Has Yale released a statement chronicling what Ms Doutaghi did to merit this suspension? The Samidoun organization is troubling in its rhetoric. While the alleged distribution of candy to celebrate the 07oct23 attacks in November 2023 and while calling for the destruction of Canada strike me as deeply distasteful, I have seen no actions that endanger others.
I’m not at all clear what she did to cause the reaction. I assume it’s protesting on behalf of Palestinians.
"Yale has suspended an international law scholar and outspoken defender of Palestinian rights, after an AI-powered, far-right website called Jewish Onliner accused her of ties to a group on a U.S. sanctions list, an apparent reference to the advocacy organization Samidoun."
Samidoun: "Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is an international network of organizers and activists working to build solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in their struggle for freedom. Samidoun developed out of the September-October 2011 hunger strike of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, seeing a need for a dedicated network to support Palestinian prisoners. We work to raise awareness and provide resources about Palestinian political prisoners, their conditions, their demands, and their work for freedom for themselves, their fellow prisoners, and their homeland. We also work to organize campaigns to make political change and advocate for Palestinian prisoners’ rights and freedoms."
Amazing. It must be Yale’s ambition to be a defendant. If she’s on full pay perhaps not but exemplary damages apply in the US.
I’d like to know how McCarthyism is associated with Zionism.
Thank you, Dr. Lee, for this important, though distressing, update. Among the places where gender balance is crucial for human development are institutions of learning, which educate predominantly younger persons to be functional - or dysfunctional - in society. Therefore, it is very distressing indeed when female academics - and any academics across the genders - are pushed out of their positions at institutions of learning.