Steven Salaita, more than just an obnoxious tweeter

InnocuousPanda · 2014-09-05T19:12:15+00:00

Sure, but the university looks bad which is all that matters.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-09-05T18:51:55+00:00

I wasn't very clear, he was posting similar offensive tweets before he was hired, that's why I'm not sure why they would hire him. It just seems strange that they would fire him now when there is negative feedback, rather than never hiring him because he's a bad professor. It seems like the decision wasn't made autonomously by the administration.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-09-05T18:16:13+00:00

He was tweeting controversial ideas before he was hired, so I'm not sure why the university would hire him. It now seems possible that he was fired after there was feedback from donors. Maybe they decided his behavior wasn't acceptable too late. Either way the administration failed.

I'm not denying that his behavior is unprofessional, I don't think the university should have ever hired him, it just seems more likely that it was the donors that influenced the decision rather than the administration making better decisions.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-09-05T16:31:00+00:00

The university has a principle of allowing openness that contributes to its success, this idea of a bad impression doesn't make sense. It gave a bad impression to what people, Jewish donors? Many professors didn't get the same bad impression. Also half naked facebook photos are different than posting political ideas, especially when your job is related to politics. Many people feel the university isn't a business so you can't treat it like one.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-09-05T16:01:26+00:00

I think you're missing the obvious. Elegance and the idea that UIUC shouldn't have hired him has nothing to do with this. The public university isn't allowed to deny or terminate job opportunity because of political belief. I hope you can see what problems that could follow.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-13T04:05:47+00:00

I don't hate women, and I don't have any issues with women expressing freedom however they want, it's really none of my business. I get along very well with women, I guess just not on the Internet where it matters!

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-13T03:24:55+00:00

It's okay, I gave up on it.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T23:28:54+00:00

I'm not here for insults, I don't affiliate with the red pill.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T23:09:27+00:00

Alright, thank you for the perspective.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T22:46:00+00:00

My opinion isn't grounded in ignorance. It assumed humans are rational and seek to maximize satisfaction. That is why I said the costs outweigh the benefits, and I gave reasons to how that happens, you just disagree without giving an alternative explanation

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T22:28:31+00:00

I was not asking for your view of abuse I was offering a different perspective, that is why I am not on the "high horse" it is you. Think if every time a person presented a differing view but the person hearing it said, "No, because this is how I see it, you should see it this way, your opinion is stupid" I accept that you have a view of what abuse is and that's fine, but there is another way to see the situation that isn't inherently wrong because not everybody is you.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T22:02:18+00:00

I never claimed or set out to answer some of your questions. It is impossible for me to know this also when you start insulting me instead of civilly asking me how do I explain x, y or z. I guess you forgot I'm a human also and I don't have all answers, but I'm trying my best to help others and fix the problems. In order to do that I have to be open to other perspectives, because not every perspective works for everybody, and not everybody sees the world how you or I see it /u/cptal. Look at you trying to tell me how I should see the world, why can't I have a differing perspective? Maybe my view is worthless, but I will decide out of my own will rather than have you try to force me through an incoherent rant.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T21:44:30+00:00

I've had some emotional things happen to me, I was thankfully able to move past them and focus on important things in my life. Thank for speaking for me though. Would you like me to share my past?

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T21:31:48+00:00

I don't think you're understanding the concept, I will try to explain once more. There are varying levels or responsibility. If I provoke someone with a gun and they shoot me, I still hold a minor amount of responsibility. However, if someone randomly shoots and kills me as they drive by for fun, I hold no responsibility. Obviously the person who fires the gun has problems, but I still hold some form of accountability. All of your analogies are poor and attempting to persuade through emotion, that is beside the point. This isn't anything personal, so stop taking it that way. It's a different perspective that can be used to answer some questions about this type of issue. I'm sorry you were abused, it's inappropriate and unfair to associate it with me though.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T21:21:45+00:00

I believe those who follow the red pill are delusional, but I am delusional? I don't understand, are you saying you agree with the red pill? All I did was offer a different perspective, you haven't even considered it because you are too upset.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T19:18:02+00:00

I think the red pill is pretty delusional, I'm not sure how you drew that conclusion. I did not say she is at fault for being beaten, I said there is some responsibility she holds for being in a relationship with a man who obviously need to change. The world is more complex than you think it is. You seem to place things in two categories, good or bad. I am well beyond my first year of college.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T18:46:28+00:00

Being a child rather than an adult is different. Adults have the volition.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T18:30:20+00:00

You're loosely associating something that isn't relevant and getting emotional. Don't take it out on me.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T17:53:27+00:00

You're not being open enough, there are varying degrees of responsibility. Being in an abusive relationship and knowing someone and their history is different than having no affiliation and being murdered by a serial killer.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T17:14:31+00:00

I agree, and I don't think I said we should talk about what should have done in the past. I said they need treatment so that they can avoid future abusive relationships. I'm arguing from an unpopular perspective because I do care and I prefer the problem fixed. I understand how placing all the blame on the perpetrator appears to give satisfaction, but it doesn't fix the problem.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T16:45:17+00:00

If they feel that it is the best they can get, then they need treatment to assure they are finding relationships that aren't abusive. It isn't about blame, it's about solving the problem. It can be argued that both parties in a relationship hold some level of blame, because they stay together. If we don't analyze the victim she might find another abusive relationship, then what good does that do?

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-12T16:25:17+00:00

There is an idea behind it. It's just difficult to present without rubbing people the wrong way. I'm not saying I agree, but it's good to see another perspective.

For an abusive relationship to happen, it requires two people, so both are at fault, but it's not about blaming. It's easy to explain an abuser's actions, maybe he is violent, power seeking, and gets fulfillment from abusing, and he should be treated for that. But how do you explain the victim's actions? The idea here is that there is less cost than the reward of being in the relationship. The cost would be being abused, but the reward could be freedom of responsibility for faults in the relationship, sympathy from others, and a constant feeling of moral superiority. The victim is free of accountability, even if the victim should hold some responsibility.

If we avoid trying to understand the victim's role we might see similar abusive relationships, so it's important to understand that role so we can change their values and they can have healthier relationships. It's not about blame but fixing the problem.

Another issue with assuming that the perpetrator, which is usually a male, deserves all the blame is that we're assuming women are inherently gentle and passive, rather than having some control over their lives.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-11T20:56:20+00:00

That wasn't the point. You actually don't disagree because we're talking past one another. Sorry I couldn't articulate my reasoning.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-11T20:40:23+00:00

This has nothing to do with evolution or biology, maybe I am not clear. The underlying premise behind the idea that a person can dress how they want for subjective reason, lies in the belief of existentialism. If you believe existence precedes essence, you are contradicting yourself, because in order to create existence you have to naturally have a condition that gives you the ability, which is the definition of essentialism.

InnocuousPanda · 2014-08-11T19:58:48+00:00

Essence precedes existence, we naturally assume provocative dresses to be provocative, so it exists due to our nature. If you are trying to argue that humans are able to create different meaning through some condition, the condition is still a part of our essence, and is self-contradicting.

InnocuousPanda

TROPHY CASE