Why James Tracy Should Resign 

Home • Tags: academic freedom, censorship

In a recent letter to local newspapers I have been publicly accused by colleagues of being a “conspiracy theorist.” The statement’s authors are asking that I resign my university post because my extracurricular commentary is deemed offensive and allegedly interferes with my ability to properly assess and articulate complex ideas in a scholarly manner.

In addition to blithely accepting official narratives they have not seriously interrogated, these would-be thoughtful and meticulous academics carelessly adopt and wield the “conspiracy theorist” pejorative without deeper consideration of its etymological meaning and cultural significance. In this way they awkwardly violate the exact professional code and etiquette to which they claim an academic should adhere while contradictorily upholding a popular perspective they might otherwise–following their own criteria–see fit to reject.[1]

Disparaging labels draw on and reflect the cultural and political beliefs of the given historical era. They may be used as disciplinary devices that at once legitimate certain worldviews and their attendant assumptions while designating others as dangerous and verboten. As the histories of many religions and political regimes suggest, concerted and vocal alarm directed toward unorthodox thought has typically been the focus of the state-sanctioned intellectual, reflecting the prevailing interests and beliefs of the given time.

With this in mind, the text of the colleagues’ letter is presented with various discursive trappings of particular periods in American history.

Revolutionary Era

“Why James Tracy, FAU’s Yankee Doodle, Should Resign”

Florida Atlantic University associate professor of communications James Tracy infuriated the public with his diatribes against the Crown and Parliament of Great Britain.

In many instances, he claims that the King and Parliament do not have the right to quarter royal troops in colonists’ homes, tax (“enslave”) their foreign subjects, or blockade colonial ports. Despite the suffering that he has caused King George III and the Ministry of Prime Minster Lord North, the poor example he has set for his students and the damage that he has done to the university’s reputation, Mr. Tracy continues his pamphleteering unabated.

He and his supporters quickly reference his inalienable right as a sovereign being to express his ideas. Ideas, they proclaim, lie at the heart of the human pursuit. What James Tracy does not understand is that ideas represent the end product of an intellectual process beholden to our glorious King and Parliament. Before they can be publicly espoused, ideas must be considered in terms of their value to His Majesty’s will and design. In this regard the King’s ideologues test ideas to prove their merit; revolutionaries simply state them. The King’s thinkers expose their theories to other English noblemen and clergy; pamphleteers scribble them to each other and thereby foment disloyalty. The King’s brain trust builds on the royal intellectual tradition, people like James Tracy court misfortune by speaking treason toward King George III.

James Tracy should not resign from FAU because he has upset people or brought shame to his fellows. He should resign because of his odious predilection toward “freedom and liberty.”
______________________________

Antebellum Era

“Why James Tracy, FAU’s Abolitionist, Should Resign”

Florida Atlantic University associate professor of communications James Tracy infuriated the public with his talk of why he believes enslaved Negroes should be emancipated from their servitude and enjoy equality with White folk.

In almost every pronouncement he maintains that the black savage is equal in his mental and emotional faculties to White people and should therefore no longer be regarded as the rightful property of his master and owner. Despite the suffering that he has caused to self-respecting Whites and those whose wealth rightly springs from Negro labor, the poor example he has set for his students and the damage that he has done to the university’s reputation, Mr. Tracy continues to keep company with Negroes and speak at “abolitionist” meetings.

He and his supporters quickly reference his First Amendment right to express his ideas. Ideas, they proclaim, lie at the heart of their pursuit of equality. What James Tracy does not understand is that ideas represent the end product of God’s just and prevailing will embodied in the peculiar institution. Before they can be publicly espoused, ideas must defend the sanctity of White womanhood. The fairer race tests ideas to prove their worth; agitators simply state them. The properly-bred gentry expose their notions to other gentry; abolitionists blurt them out to each other and put dangerous thoughts of freedom in Negroes’ minds. Our race builds on a rich Anglo tradition, people like James Tracy want to magically make men out of beasts.

James Tracy should not resign from FAU because he has upset people or brought shame to the Southern gentry. He should resign because he seeks to unleash heathen hordes upon White Christendom and upset the God-given harmony of the races.
______________________________

Cold War Era

“Why James Tracy, FAU’s Socialist Agitator, Should Resign”

Florida Atlantic University associate professor of communications James Tracy infuriated the public with his denunciations of free market capitalism and the noble American effort to thwart the Red menace in Europe, Asia and elsewhere throughout the world.

At every turn he claims that the Communist plot to overthrow this great country is exaggerated. Despite the suffering that he has caused all truly patriotic Americans, the poor example he has set for his students and the damage that he has done to the university’s reputation, Mr. Tracy proceeds to speak to industrial workers while cavorting with New Deal intellectuals and other fellow travelers.

He and his supporters quickly reference the Wagner Act and the workers’ right of free association to communicate their ideas. Ideas, they proclaim, lie at the heart of their collective interests. What James Tracy does not understand is that ideas are only possible to the extent that they abet American free enterprise and do not pose a national security risk. Before they can be publicly espoused, ideas must overall recognize the genius of American ingenuity and entrepreneurship. American-minded thinkers test concepts to prove their worth; rabble rousers simply state them. True Americans remain cognizant of the ideas they espouse in light of their loyalty oaths; subversives perch themselves upon their soapboxes, yelling at passersby. The genuine American reflects on and is enriched by his national heritage of technological and industrial innovation, people like James Tracy seek to kill the golden goose.

James Tracy should not resign from FAU because he has upset people or brought shame to the university. He should resign because he is an enemy of progress.
___________________________

“War on Terror” Era

“Why James Tracy, FAU’s Conspiracy Theorist, Should Resign”

Florida Atlantic University associate professor of communications James Tracy infuriated the public with his conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook massacre and is doing the same with the Boston Marathon bombing.

In each instance, he claimed that the events as we know them may not have happened and were perhaps staged using crisis actors. Despite the suffering that he has caused to victims’ families, the poor example he has set for his students and the damage that he has done to the university’s reputation, Mr. Tracy continues to blog unabated.

He and his supporters quickly reference his First Amendment right to express his ideas. Ideas, they proclaim, lie at the heart of the academic pursuit. What James Tracy does not understand is that ideas represent the end product of the intellectual process. Before they can be publicly espoused, ideas must be subjected to rigorous and intensive examination. Academics test ideas to prove their worth; commentators simply state them. Academics expose their theories to other academics; conspiracy theorists blog them to each other. Academics build on a rich intellectual tradition, people like James Tracy spin tall tales out of nothing.

James Tracy should not resign from FAU because he has upset people or brought shame to the university. He should resign because he is not an academic.

Notes

[1] The Western notion that knowledge should be the province of a learned few has obvious political implications, for it has been a principal claim over the [often divine or hereditary] power to develop and impose customs and beliefs. “Since Plato’s day,” political philosopher J. S. McClelland observes,

knowledge claims had also been claims to moral and political power. Knowing, really knowing, had always in the past been the privilege of the Few, and the claims that the true kn0wledge of the Few was superior to the ordinary opinions of the Many had been the most important part of the Few’s claim to rule the Many. J. S. McClelland, A History of Western Political Thought. New York: Routledge, 1996, 406.

The continuing phenomenon has impeded the university from making more meaningful contributions to public discourse. This is at least partially the result of an attitude among scholars who steadfastly believe they are right–even on topics or subjects of which they know very little. The social and cultural insularity of the modern university tends to cultivate this condition. As sociologist Diana C. Mutz has found, those with the highest degree of education have the lowest exposure to those with opposing points of view, while those with much less formal education have a far greater variety of potential interlocutors. Diana C. Mutz, Hearing the Other Side: Deliberative Versus Participatory Democracy, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

This dynamic is reflected in a 2010 study by American Association of Colleges and Universities, which discovered that less than 20% of 9,000 faculty surveyed believe it is safe to hold “unpopular views” on campus. Along these lines, the research also suggested how the longer students are enrolled at university the less open-minded they become. Of 25,000 students polled, only 40% of freshmen feel safe expressing unpopular positions versus 31% of seniors. Eric L. Dey, Molly C. Ott, Mary Antonaros, and Matthew A. Holsapple, Engaging Diverse Viewpoints: What is the Campus Climate for Perspective Taking? (pdf), Washington DC: American Association of Colleges and Universities, 2010, 7.