Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Campus Free Speech

NYU Professor Criticized Trigger Warnings. Now He's on Leave for the Semester.

University denies punishing him for expressing unpopular views.

Robby Soave | 11.1.2016 8:31 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests
Large image on homepages | Elisa.rolle
(Elisa.rolle)
NYU
Elisa.rolle

New York University liberal studies professor Michael Rectenwald is on paid leave for the rest of the semester, and his vociferous criticisms of trigger warnings and far-left social justice activism may have something to do with it.

Back in September, Rectenwald created a Twitter account—Deplorable NYU Prof—in order to anonymously tweet attacks on PC culture.

"Why don't you go to a safe space and tend to your obvious psychic wounds?" he wrote, directing the question to "social justice warriors."

"The scariest thing about Halloween today is now the liberal totalitarian costume surveillance," he also observed (not incorrectly).

Last week, Rectenwald succumbed to temptation and outed himself in the pages of Washington Square News. He maintained that he was neither a sincere member of the alt-right, nor an actual Trump supporter. In fact, he described himself as a left communist:

I don't support Trump at all. I hate him — I think he's horrible. I'm hiding amongst the alt-right, alright? And the point is, this character is meant to exhibit and illustrate the notion that it's this crazy social-justice-warrior-knee-jerk-reaction-triggered-happy-safe-space-seeking-blah, blah, blah, blah culture that it's producing this alt-right. Now, I'm not dumb enough to go there. And my own politics are very strong — I'm a left communist. But I think that in fact, the crazier and crazier that this left gets, this version of the left, the more the more the alt-right is going to be laughing their asses off plus getting more pissed. Every time a speaker is booed off campus or shooed off campus because they might say something that bothers someone, that just feeds the notion that the left is totalitarian, and they have a point.

His comments quickly drew the attention of something called the Liberal Studies Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group at NYU. The group published a letter critical of Rectenwald: it's members contended that he was guilty of "illogic and incivility."

And that's fine. Rectenwald gets to say what he thinks, and his critic get to say what they think.

But according to The New York Post, Rectenwald was also summoned to appear before his department head and an HR representative. He told The Post that the administrators accused him of having mental health problems and gave him no choice but to take a leave of absence.

A spokesperson for the university denied Rectenwald's account, telling the Gothamist that his leave was "voluntary."

"We look forward to having him back when he's ready," said the spokesperson.

Rectenwald is a popular teacher, according to ratemyprofessor.com.

I don't know whether Rectenwald embellished his tale of persecution, or whether NYU is being dishonest about punishing him. But it's concerning to see an academic complaining about safe space culture one moment and run off campus the next. Perhaps Rectenwald's exile is his own doing, but if the university permits no criticism of the regime of coddling its far-left students demand, it's just as illiberal as he claims.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Human Freedom Is Up, But Government Quality Is Deteriorating

Robby Soave is a senior editor at Reason.

Campus Free Speech
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (192)

Latest

Government Argues It's Too Much To Ask the FBI To Check the Address Before Blowing Up a Home

Billy Binion | 5.9.2025 5:01 PM

The U.K. Trade Deal Screws American Consumers

Eric Boehm | 5.9.2025 4:05 PM

A New Survey Suggests Illicit Opioid Use Is Much More Common Than the Government's Numbers Indicate

Jacob Sullum | 5.9.2025 3:50 PM

Judge Orders Tufts Grad Student Rumeysa Ozturk Be Released on Bail From Immigration Detention

C.J. Ciaramella | 5.9.2025 3:17 PM

Georgia Man Who Spent 6 Weeks in Jail on a Kidnapping Charge Says He Was Helping a Falling Child

Autumn Billings | 5.9.2025 2:05 PM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2024 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

r

Do you care about free minds and free markets? Sign up to get the biggest stories from Reason in your inbox every afternoon.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This modal will close in 10

Reason Plus

Special Offer!

  • Full digital edition access
  • No ads
  • Commenting privileges

Just $25 per year

Join Today!