FAIR Board of Advisors  For the Stella Adler School of Acting, FAIR Advisor Thomas Chatterton-Williams and Dr. Cornel West had a conversation, moderated by Colin Greer, about literature, theatre, existentialism, and art as a transcendent force which helps us to recognize our common humanity. Chatterton-Williams emphasized how modern technology and Big Tech algorithms have placed us in a profoundly new situation beyond our control. He argues that we are up against formidable odds and that "Those of us who care about art… text… stage and drama... [are] involved in a very important battle,” and that “in some ways we are involved in a struggle for what remains human in us..." Watch a recording of the event here.  For Bari Wiess’ Substack Common Sense, FAIR Advisor Maud Maron wrote a powerful piece from her perspective as both a mother and legal advocate on the recent DOJ memo which gave credence to the idea that parents protesting various policies could be labeled “domestic terrorists.” Maron clarified that “Actual violence should be condemned without reservation.” However, she believes that “the incidents cited by the NSBA are not criminal and they definitely do not warrant federal intervention.” Maron also disagrees with the statement made by the NSBA letter which claims the notion that “critical race theory” is being taught in K-12 is merely parent-driven “propaganda.” Maron reports that she (and other parents) have directly witnessed the divisive, neo-racist, and illiberal rhetoric being taught to her children over Zoom classes during the pandemic.
We are parents, and we have every right to speak passionately and publicly about our children’s education. To post on social media. To write open letters to school board members. To submit op-eds to newspapers. To form advocacy organizations with other parents. To organize protests. To show up to school board meetings.
That’s not domestic terrorism. It’s good parenting. It’s patriotism. And it’s a basic American right—one we all need to defend.
Read her article here.  For UnHerd, FAIR Advisor Ayaan Hirsi Ali argues that negative press surrounding “critical race theory” has caused its proponents to repackage the same ideas under a different banner. While many Americans have only just begun to understand “CRT,” she claims that “a different abbreviation has quickly become entrenched in America’s schools and colleges”—DEI, which stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Hirsi Ali argues that “...regardless of which trendy three-letter term you prefer to describe the latest iteration of America’s obsession with race, the goal in each case is the same: to shift away from meritocracy in favour of an equality of outcome system.” She says that “implementing a grievance model into our youth education curriculum will not fix the problems it purports to solve.” In fact, she believes that DEI programs are actually backfiring and promoting more—not less—division and discrimination. The best path forward, according to Hirsi Ali, is to treat people as “individuals with agency, ability and choice.”
Read the full article here.  For his new Substack Beyond Woke, FAIR Advisor Dr. Peter Boghossian announced the launch of his new series—“Woke in Plain English”—designed to help people understand how the definitions of words have shifted, and to demonstrate how “people have been hoodwinked by words” into supporting causes they may not necessarily understand or agree with. Boghossian explains that “words like ‘equity,’ ‘diversity,’ ‘inclusion,’ ‘belonging,’ and ‘safetyism,’ sound great, but they don’t mean what people think they mean.” This “nonstandard usage of terms” then creates an illusory consensus of support for various ideas, policies, and laws. Dr. Boghossian believes that the first step in conflict resolution is a common vocabulary.
I asked what my colleagues meant by “equity,” and nobody had a coherent response. One full time faculty member said, “‘fairness,’ it’s in the dictionary,” to which I responded, “Then why don’t we use the word ‘fairness?’”
Read his Substack here. |
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