‘Behavior is the very seed of censorship’

Publication Date: 11/09/2009

I am deeply appalled by the letters written to The Exponent by Nicholas DeBoer and Griffith Rees about Professor Chapman’s blog. I am unable to understand why they think it’s appropriate to call for the dismissal of Prof. Chapman for his own opinions, when they have no evidence whatsoever that he acts on them at all, that he even believes them, that he’s done anything more than post speculations. For all they know, he could even be playing devil’s advocate. Whether or not their own opinions are correct (which they may very well be), their behavior is the very seed of censorship and the very antithesis of freedom of speech and free inquiry.

Not only is Chapman only posting his own opinions, he’s not even doing it under the mantle of the University. How can DeBoer and Rees reconcile the utter hypocrisy of their calls in this light? Are they honestly trying to say that, in private, they have never uttered an opinion that less than 100 percent of our species would laud as enlightened? I mean, if they’re not being hypocritical, then they are obviously calling for themselves to be expelled and fired from any career for not being perfectly politically correct.

On a much lesser note, I find it absolutely hilarious that Rees, an undergraduate student in the College of Liberal Arts, thinks he can dismiss a professor’s claims with such a simple wave of the hand as “there’s no reason to even consider them.” To be honest, I personally feel that such claims of Chapman’s as highlighted in the letters deserve quite a lot of scrutiny, especially in light of his non-economics based position. But seriously, how arrogant must you be, Jedi master?

As an endnote – I know I’ll be called a homophobe for this letter. I’d like to try to run that off now, by explaining that I have gay relatives and friends, and I love them. I have no problem with gay families, etc., etc. But I have a problem with close-minded bigots such as DeBoer and Rees calling for the ostracization of another member of this university simply for presenting (not implementing!) a different point of view.

Paul Deignan

Senior in the College of Engineering