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elSicomoro · 04-17-2002, 06:20 PM

Russotto, UT, and anyone that reads the phl.transportation or phl.media news groups, may be familiar with this already.

First, read this story from The Daily Pennsylvanian (the newspaper of the University of Pennsylvania). This in turn led to it being covered in Philadelphia's City Paper.

These links may not last long, so the bottom line: A UPenn student (who is infamous on the above newsgroups) posted an inflammatory statement against Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims on a UPenn newsgroup. Naturally, it has upset quite a few people. But her words are covered under the first amendment.

The glitch in all this? She's a teaching assistant in the linguistics department at UPenn. Some folks have said that she should be held to a higher standard because of this. Others have expressed the importance of respecting free speech.

In addition, UPenn has already dealt with another famous free-speech case--the "Water Buffalo" incident in 1993, in which a white student called some black students "water buffalo." The student who made the remark won his case.

Read the articles...what say you?

My $ .02: First, the infamous remarks in this case were posted on the UPenn news server. I have not seen an actual copy of the post, and unless one of you folks out there can access upenn.talk, we may not get a chance to see the full post. Maybe I'll e-mail her and ask her for a copy of it. Therefore, we don't know for certain just what exactly was said.

I am familiar with Stephanie Winters...and I believe her to be more of a shit-disturber than anything. I've argued with her a couple of times over Native Americans and European colonization. I think she does what she does to push buttons.

This post also came from the same person that thinks a)An area without a mall sucks and b)That people should practically be forced to call S. Delaware Ave. in Philadelphia by its newer name--Christopher Columbus Blvd.

Just FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN of her post, it doesn't surprise me, and it's outright ridiculous. But Alan Kors, a professor at Penn that defended the offending student in the "water buffalo" incident, made a good point--"To say what you think of her is far more effective than making a free speech martyr of her. You’re allowed to say hateful things. And the appropriate response is more free speech."

So far, Ms. Winters has not made an official comment to either paper. She listed some of the good things she has done mixed with cute insults on phl.transportation.

It takes all kinds to make a world, right?

04-17-2002, 06:20 PM	#1
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Testing the boundaries of Amendment #1 Russotto, UT, and anyone that reads the phl.transportation or phl.media news groups, may be familiar with this already. First, read this story from The Daily Pennsylvanian (the newspaper of the University of Pennsylvania). This in turn led to it being covered in Philadelphia's City Paper. These links may not last long, so the bottom line: A UPenn student (who is infamous on the above newsgroups) posted an inflammatory statement against Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims on a UPenn newsgroup. Naturally, it has upset quite a few people. But her words are covered under the first amendment. The glitch in all this? She's a teaching assistant in the linguistics department at UPenn. Some folks have said that she should be held to a higher standard because of this. Others have expressed the importance of respecting free speech. In addition, UPenn has already dealt with another famous free-speech case--the "Water Buffalo" incident in 1993, in which a white student called some black students "water buffalo." The student who made the remark won his case. Read the articles...what say you? My $ .02: First, the infamous remarks in this case were posted on the UPenn news server. I have not seen an actual copy of the post, and unless one of you folks out there can access upenn.talk, we may not get a chance to see the full post. Maybe I'll e-mail her and ask her for a copy of it. Therefore, we don't know for certain just what exactly was said. I am familiar with Stephanie Winters...and I believe her to be more of a shit-disturber than anything. I've argued with her a couple of times over Native Americans and European colonization. I think she does what she does to push buttons. This post also came from the same person that thinks a)An area without a mall sucks and b)That people should practically be forced to call S. Delaware Ave. in Philadelphia by its newer name--Christopher Columbus Blvd. Just FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN of her post, it doesn't surprise me, and it's outright ridiculous. But Alan Kors, a professor at Penn that defended the offending student in the "water buffalo" incident, made a good point--"To say what you think of her is far more effective than making a free speech martyr of her. You’re allowed to say hateful things. And the appropriate response is more free speech." So far, Ms. Winters has not made an official comment to either paper. She listed some of the good things she has done mixed with cute insults on phl.transportation. It takes all kinds to make a world, right?