A college professor, whose rhetoric had been labeled "vile" and "hateful" by his own university, died by suicide, police said Monday.Colleges used to be places where academic freedom gives tenured professors the ability to say whatever they want. Not any more. I was curious as to what got him in so much trouble, and I found this:
Last month, Adams came under fire for tweets about Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home orders because of the coronavirus.Those tweets got him fired?!
In a May 28 tweet, Adams said universities shouldn’t be closing but that they should shut down “the non-essential majors. Like Women’s Studies.” The next day, Adams tweeted, ““This evening I ate pizza and drank beer with six guys at a six seat table top. I almost felt like a free man who was not living in the slave state of North Carolina. Massa Cooper, let my people go!”
He posted on Twitter about individuals protesting the killing of George Floyd, saying that rioters were “thugs looking for an opportunity to break the law with impunity.” Adams also called the actions of the Minneapolis police involved with Floyd’s killing “completely indefensible” on Twitter.
The first is a sensible opinion, as no one thinks that Womens Studies is essential. The second is a harmless sarcastic comment about the lockdown. The third is a couple of correct statements about rioters and Floyd's death. We certainly need professional opinions on police conduct.
I am guessing that saying that Minneapolis police actions are defensible got him in the most trouble. If so, let's have a debate on what the cops should or should not have done. But we don't see that.
I have yet to see anyone say how Derek Chauvin could have done any better. You could say that he could have taken his knee off of Floyd's neck, and allowed Floyd to get up. Is there some medical explanation for that improving Floyd's health? I doubt it. I have an open mind on this, but in the current climate, I don't expect any good explanations.
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