Dirty Cancel Culture Social Politics
Cancel culture becomes "Whoops, don't cancel my contract!" culture when witch hunt leaders realize they're likely imperiling themselves monetarily and careerwise:
Aaron Sibarium writes at Free Beacon about an example of this at Yale:
The dean of Yale Law School, Heather Gerken, authorized the email condemning second-year law student Trent Colbert for his use of the term "trap house," according to a report from Original Jurisdiction's David Lat.The revelation--which comes amid a contentious review of Gerken's deanship--suggests Gerken has been downplaying or deliberately obfuscating her involvement in a scandal that's dogged the law school for months.
Gerken vowed in October not to "act on the basis of partial facts" and tasked Yale Law School deputy dean Ian Ayres with assembling a report on the incident. In a follow-up email that appeared to summarize the report, Gerken said that the administration's message condemning Colbert was inappropriate and implied it had been sent without her permission.
"I have spent every year of my deanship trying to foster an inclusive community and create an environment where students feel called into the community rather than called out," Gerken wrote. "The email message from administrators to members of the 2L class did not strike the appropriate balance between those two goals."
But faculty who've seen the report say it confirms that Gerken signed off on the condemnation, according to Lat. It is not clear if the report will be made public, or whether Gerken had any other involvement in the meetings between Colbert and the administration. Faculty haven't been allowed to read the report for themselves; they've had to go to Ayres's office and ask for it to be read aloud to them.
The Yale administration has adopted such cloak-and-dagger protocols amid ongoing tensions between Yale faculty, who, in Lat's telling, have been debating the "trap house" incident in faculty-wide emails for weeks. Monica Bell and other young professors have defended the administration's treatment of Colbert, while law school luminaries like Roberta Romano and Akhil Amar have derided it--with Amar calling on the administration to apologize for its "deplorable" conduct.
Amar is right about "the email invitation deemed to be 'triggering' by Yale officials," per ABA Journal:
The invitation was sent by a 2L who was part Cherokee and a member of the Native American Law Students Association as well as the conservative Federalist Society.The 2L was later identified as Trent Colbert.
"Sup NALSA," the Sept. 15 invitation read. "Hope you're all still feeling social! This Friday at 7:30, we will be christening our very own (soon to be) world-renowned NALSA Trap House ... by throwing a Constitution Day bash in collaboration with FedSoc. Planned attractions include Popeye's chicken, basic-b- - - - American-themed snacks (like apple pie, etc.) ... Hope to see you all there."
The invitation was shared to an online forum for 2Ls, where critics focused on racist connotations associated with the term "trap house."
The term was once associated with inner city crack dens, but it has come to mean "any place where young people can score beer," according to the Washington Free Beacon. According to Reason's reporting on the incident, "trap house" was frequently used in rap lyrics, but it has come to mean a "place with a fun party." The term is also used in the name of a socialist podcast, "Chapo Trap House."
Seems any letter of condemnation should be sent to the administrators who threw Trent Colbert under the bus.
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