Rima Azar during YouTube interview with Jordan Peterson
A Mount Allison psychology professor says she’s been banned from the university campus until December 1st when her seven-month suspension without pay is scheduled to end.
Rima Azar made the disclosure during a lengthy YouTube interview with Jordan Peterson, the former University of Toronto psychology professor who became internationally famous for his denunciations of political correctness and identity politics along with his defences of assertive masculinity and unfettered free speech.
“What are the grounds for not allowing you to be on the campus?” Peterson asked.
“I guess I’m toxic maybe,” Azar responded before Peterson interrupted.
“It’s because you present a danger,” he said ironically.
“Danger, unsafe, see…” Azar answered before Peterson interrupted again.
“Right, right, so that, that makes sense. So, now you’re an unsafe person and so you can’t go on the campus because of the threat that you might pose to students,” he said.
“Yes,” Azar replied.
Azar suspended in May
In an e-mail to students, faculty and staff on May 4th, the university said its decision to suspend Azar was based on the report of an independent investigator who “reviewed complaints from students alleging discriminatory conduct, stemming from blog posts and student interactions,” but gave no further details.
“Students, faculty, and staff deserve to have a safe place to learn and work, and should not have to avoid any class, activity or person because of their race, gender identity or gender expression,” the e-mail added.
Mount Allison launched its investigation in February after students complained that among other things, posts on Azar’s private blog denied the existence of systemic racism or systemic discrimination in Canada, accused the group Black Lives Matter of peddling communist propaganda and questioned concerns about climate change.
Faculty union challenging suspension
Jordan Peterson talking with Rima Azar on YouTube
Azar told Peterson she’s grateful for the support of the Mount Allison Faculty Association, suggesting that the union will take a formal grievance against her suspension to arbitration.
She added, however, that she could not give further details for fear of harming the process.
Azar agreed with Peterson that she has been hit with a suspension simply for exercising her right to free speech.
“If it happened to me, it may and it could and it would happen to anyone, not just at my institution,” she said. “No one should be going through that, not you, not me, not anyone.”
‘Witch-hunt charade’
Peterson criticized Azar’s university colleagues for not speaking up in her defence.
“I’m absolutely appalled at their silence on this issue,” he said.
“If they had an ounce of courage, they would unite together and they would tell the [university] administration to back the hell off right now, or else,” Peterson added.
“If they banded together behind you, this would be over right away. The university would buckle and the people who sanctioned you would be fired,” he said.
“It’s absolutely appalling that one of Canada’s finest undergraduate institutions should be participating in this bloody awful, witch-hunt charade.”
“I do understand that people are afraid sometimes because they may have kids,” Azar said before Peterson interrupted her.
“They should be afraid, I agree with you Rima, I agree with you, but the issue is what should you be afraid of?” he asked.
“Should you be afraid of defending your colleague, or should you be afraid of the arbitrary power handed to half-wit student mobs, hell-bent on bullying and destruction who are presenting themselves in the guise of moral avatars?” Peterson asked.
“Those are the people you should be afraid of and cowardly administrators who kow-tow instantly to any complaint no matter how groundless,” he added.
“Those are the things to be afraid of.”
For previous coverage of this story, click here.
I don’t know how the university could have so miscalculated this. They’ve turned her into a cause célèbre and in the process have made themselves targets for the likes of Peterson, Jon Kay, and their legions of knuckle-dragging “free speech” warriors..
They should quietly apologize and reverse the suspension, and do what they should have done in the first place: establish a generous scholarship for BIPOC students who choose to study psychology at Mount A.
“Freedom of Speech” and “Freedom of Expression” is a right, not a privilege.Though Social Justice Warriors, extreme bullies will tell you otherwise. I don’t see their names on “The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms “.
James Turk and Toby Mendel hardly qualify as “knuckle-draggers” (https://warktimes.com/2021/05/16/free-speech-advocates-question-seven-month-suspension-of-mt-a-professor/). Nor does Noam Chomsky, who repeatedly expressed his concern about restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression, e.g., ” The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum….”
I don’t know if being a provocative jerk and publicly picking on an undergrad using your silly, rambling blog has ever, or ever will, fall within “the spectrum of acceptable opinion”…but sure, get your meaning…
My point remains, the university bungled its response to this. Bullies and provocateurs are best ignored.
To Rob says: June 10, 2021 at 9:22 am
Reply From: Demian Hammock
Who gets to decide what an acceptable opinion is?
“Speech codes” or what is called “Inclusive Language Guides”.
An opinion is ok as long we get to clear it first via our syndicate’s aka “Fascism”.
An “Acceptable Opinion” is code amongst the Soft Subjects Intelligential that “Critical Theory” must replace “Critical Thinking” and “Individualism” should be replaced by “Identity Socialism” e.g. “Critical Race Theory” (CRT) just a lame attempt for the justification and excuse for “Tribalism”.
This has been done by design to trigger race and gender wars so they divert people from what I would call Progressive Privilege aka “Dream Hoarders”, “The Investor Classes” the top 20% of income earners aka “The Bureaucratic Classes”. As for “The Middle-Class” they have been out-sourced a long time ago.
If one is poor and is not right with the world, one is crazy and is not to be respected “Walmart Americans”.
If one is well to do and is not right with the world, one is eccentric and is to be respected “Progressives”.
Who are these so-called Progressives/Regressives Bullies pushing doctrines like CRT? Which is a form of Political Correctness (PC) a term first coined by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R) and was indeed later culturally appropriate by the National-Socialist German Workers’ Party(NAZI).
Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape
“So what does this group look like? Compared with the rest of the (nationally representative) polling sample, progressive activists are much more likely to be rich, highly educated—and white. They are nearly twice as likely as the average to make more than $100,000 a year. They are nearly three times as likely to have a postgraduate degree.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/large-majorities-dislike-political-correctness/572581/
Progressive Economics believes in the concept of “Income Inequality”. This is based on the concept that anyone can grow up to be President. All that is required for this to happen is a little patchwork here and there e.g. quotas for marginalized groups to succeed “Income Inequality”. We are not living in “Victorian England” (1837 to 1801) e.g. “Income Disparity”, in other words, we don’t have a “Class System” e.g. “Classism” in the US or Canada. “Walmart Americans” believe that “Income Disparity” is indeed a very real thing and that the “Progressive Classes” are living in the past the 50’s, 60’s 70’s living in echo-chambers and are self-aggrandizing about their awesome moral superiority to everyone else, especially “Walmart Americans”.
I don’t know if being a provocative jerk and publicly picking on an Walmart Americans, rambling blog has ever, or ever will, fall within “the spectrum of acceptable opinion”…but sure, get your meaning…
Bullies and provocateurs are best ignored.
Sincerely Demian Hammock,
BFA, Mount Allison University; Diploma of Advanced Studies, Human Resources Management, NBCC.
P.S. All Voices Matter!
McCarthyism Academia, The Frankfurt School – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hiring-liberal-arts-grad-check-date-base-first-demian-hammock?trk=portfolio_article-card_title
“… publicly picking on an undergrad using your silly, rambling blog…”
As far as I know (and I haven’t seen the confidential report), Dr. Azar commented on public statements by a student or students in her blog. The student was free to respond on the same blog. I call this a conversation among adults.
I agree, however, that the university has handled this poorly.
I am appalled and disgusted by the cowardness of Mount Allison University Faculty especially those that are tenured on this issue concerning Dr. Rima Azar an Associate Professor of health psychology at Mount Allison University. If you don’t speak up now you’re next but this time there will be no one around to defend you because they will say why did you not speak up earlier?
Some Other Matters of Concern
First of all Mount Allison University has no legal right to probe into Psychology Professor Rima Azar personal life her personal blog. Mount Allison University is not “a state within a state” like the military.
These soft subject intellectuals that believe they hold these powers that they do not hold are indeed a direct threat to all Western Democracies with their extreme bullying tactics.
Psychology Professor Rima Azar is also Tenured.
“Tenure is a category of academic appointment existing in some countries. A tenured post is an indefinite academic appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program discontinuation” Wikipedia
The Secular Orwellian Church that Mount Allison University has become a reality. How to opposed criticisms of any kind? Well, just like the church, Mount Allison University is now an institute that promotes public shaming. If anyone disagrees with your doctrine just call that person a racist or call it a form of harassment, etc…
This is a tactic that has been described as a reverse hand grenade attack meant to stun the victim temporarily so the other party can gain power for their so-called objectives. It is not about the quest for truth and fairness nor justice. It is about the justification for mayhem and destruction of the “Humanities”.
Universities endorsing concepts like Critical Race Theory (CRT). Where have I heard this dogma being spouted before? Let me think for just one moment, the “Mischling Test”.
What Mount Allison University is doing to Psychology Professor Rima Azar is no different from the methods used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). A social credit system judicial review process.
So what they are saying to Psychology Professor Rima Azar is that she will be giving the opportunity to “criticism and self-criticism”. Not the right to defend herself, she is being told to self-actualize about “equity, diversity and inclusion training” and her morality and her conduct and to reflect these findings back to this so-called committee. “Self-criticism was necessary in one-party states because it allowed for criticism without questioning the ideology. Without admitting mistakes the power would become highly inflexible. Admitting own mistakes also allows an authority to retain the position while changing the course and without looking random and unprincipled. If there are no mistakes, but there are hurdles it means all errors are in the ideology.”
https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/1894/how-did-the-chinese-self-criticism-work-in-practice
If this so-called committee feels Psychology Professor Rima Azar has reflected properly about her moral conduct, the committee might forgive her for having thought incorrectly.
This self-punishment for Psychology Professor Rima Azar is for her own good. To be able to self-actualize done through proper training and methodologies about “equity, diversity, and inclusion training” with the right outcomes. It will ensure Psychology Professor Rima Azar will not repeat her offense of critical thinking but instead, fall in line with the correct proper doctrine of critical theory.
Regardless Psychology Professor Rima Azar reputation can not ever recover from this social credit score that was imposed on by Mount Allison University is also now part of Psychology Professor Rima Azar permanent digital footprint and was done without her consent. This is also a form of character assassination of Psychology Professor Rima Azar that was perpetrated by Mount Allison University.
To technically discriminate against someone, one would have to deny someone a benefit. Let’s say suspending someone without pay. Based on denying someone the fundamental right of “freedom of expression”. This type of action in my humble opinion would be highly dubious.
I would point out to people also the costly fallout of a similar case at a selective liberal arts school in the United States at Smith College dealing with similar issues and accusations without merit.
Sincerely Demian Hammock,
BFA, Mount Allison University; Diploma of Advanced Studies, Human Resources Management, NBCC.
I’m not surprised at Mount Allison’s corporate stance. This was made crystal clear when they desecrated the memorial library. That is when MTA spoke to its own truth which is to embrace the reductionist approach to life: the concepts of freedom, honour, truth and principles are only literature.
Rima Azar is a wonderful example of, “The object life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”-Marcus Aurelius. (You know the roman Emperor made famous by the movie GLADATOR.)
The quote is one commonly misattributed to Marcus Aurelius. Apparently it originated in a translation by Aylmer Maud, in 1937, of Leo Tolstoy’s “Recollections And Essays” (OUP).
Cancel culture is the new normal… if you get in the way of their machinery expect to be crushed.
Too sane for their campus perhaps being born in Lebanon she received a real education that taught her early to use critical thinking skills not groupthink… courageous to run a blog and question the narrative. Will she be returning to work in December? We await an update on her status.