3 ms·

Maybe they did think they were helping. But their threats and denouncement of him were likely harmful. IMO, an apology just looks like an admission of guilt in

• shadowgovt 5y ago
  The denouncement clearly wasn't helping him, but since it's Yale, it's not unexpected. Yale itself has a bad racism reputation (https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2018/05/10/yale-responds-after-black-student-reported-for-napping-in-common-room/ https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2018/05/10/yale-responds-afte...), so the administration can be expected to respond by covering their own asses via declaring their lack of condonement or concurrence with his speech. The letter they proposed is an acknowledgement that his actions were harmful and a specific declaration of lack of intent. It'd have been a good tack for him to take. Doubling down, instead, that the word choice should not be considered hurtful is risky; definitions are semi-subjective, and the history of the term he chose was clear (reference to a controversial left-wing blog isn't really an excuse; it's basically an argument "Well if shock jocks can use it, why can't I?" Because your profession of choice is lawyer, friend, not audio entertainer).