The latest skirmish in the culture wars: Reed College vs. the MRA Troll

March 26, 2015 8:01 PM

The academic discipline of Jeremiah True: edgy provocateur or tactless a@#$hole?

The annual spring crisis of Reed College is the latest controversy in the back and forth of gamergate/rapes on campus kulturkampf. Jeremiah True is facing potential expulsion from the school for his speech and actions, which included racial and sexual epithets. His conservative defenders are alleging another instance of academic censorship..

At debate: the limits of acceptable discourse (Warning: SLBF) in discussing the topics of rape culture

posted by LeRoienJaune (6 comments total)

I remember arguments about St Odo and whatever Ray Kierstead or Tina Zwarg lectured about in my Hum 110 seminar- I can't fathom how rape culture has worked itself into the discussion. But I graduated Reed in '86 and it was a simpler time.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 8:10 PM on March 26, 2015

Uh, so trolling isn't just for the internet anymore, if it ever was? I'm not sure what we can learn from this other than that it remains possible for disruptive behavior to disrupt.
posted by meinvt at 8:11 PM on March 26, 2015

Hey ethnomethodologist, I read somewhere that the rape of Lucretia was one of the triggers -- see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucretia. Seems like legit topic matter for Hum 110 to me ;)

('97.)
posted by ctitusbrown at 8:13 PM on March 26, 2015

I'm not a mental health professional, but his antics seem to border on the area where he should seek evaluation (and possibly help) from a professional. As for saying that he will "rain hell down upon you all", I'm assuming Oregon has a terroristic threat law, right? He should at least spend a bit of time in the custody of the state troopers for saying something like that.

Bless Reed for being open-minded. A lot of other universities would have expelled him and banned him from campus. From the looks of things, rightly so.
posted by aureliobuendia at 8:16 PM on March 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

WHY CHOOSE
posted by klangklangston at 8:17 PM on March 26, 2015

All I can say is that I'm so unhappy to see this posted here. RTA before you weigh in, mefites. This isn't some poor, intellectually curious seeker being silenced. It's someone who's running around the campus of his tiny, close knit college yelling "N****r" and trying to get his fifteen minutes worth by depriving the rest of the people in his hum conference of the education they've come for.

I wish I could tell the whole world to flag it and move on.
posted by sleepy psychonaut at 8:19 PM on March 26, 2015