This will be the final post on On the Radar. It has been a fantastic nearly two and one-half years sharing my thoughts with the world, but unfortunately this time has come to a close.
You see, I am a conservative. Within my current realm of experience (higher education) this fact of my identity leaves me at a major disadvantage. My opinions and ideology concerning a number of political and social ideas places me in a fantastically small minority of individuals within my field. Considering the liberal slant of those in the majority and their predilection towards "diversity" and "privilege" it is even more disturbing the turn of events that has led me here. This minority status of my opinions and identity leaves me a target for virulent criticism and attacks by those in the ideological majority. Indeed, I have blogged anonymously from the start in order to protect myself from these attacks that would inevitably come. Although I rarely mentioned my upbringing or current surroundings, I still assumed that no one would go to the extensive trouble to find out my real name. I was wrong.
A few weeks ago a fellow student affairs professional - that I will not name or link to (I will provide him the courtesy that he refuses to me) didn't like what I wrote about Al Gore. He proceeded to check my site regularly, comment on posts that bothered him, and stalk me through search engines, Facebook, MySpace, and two university web pages. This individual was obsessed with finding out who I was. Why? Well - that is where it gets ironic.
I started this blog with the intent to comment on news stories that interested me, social issues that were in the news, and to use as an outlet for venting my frustrations with far-left craziness in academia. I assumed that what I had been taught within this liberal bastion of knowledge (to support diversity, to be tolerant of difference, to respect differing opinions) was the perfect auspices for writing on this blog. It is indeed with the most severe degree of irony that it is one individual who falsely claims to hold these values as important that has caused me to stop writing this blog because - if you can believe it - he disagrees with me, has decided that I am wrong and immoral, and has decided to let the whole world (or the five people that read his blog) know who I am as a result of his stalking.
This individual has made the classic far-left intellectual non-sequitur that has plagued liberals time and time again. They claim to support those that are different, but because they are so sure of the righteous rightness of their opinion instead attempt to destroy and belittle those with which they disagree. They support those who are different, but not those with differing opinions. Since I am fundamentally wrong for disagreeing with him I am "homophobic" and even "islamophobic." Because I blog anonymously he has decided the only way to get back at me is to reveal my identity - which he did with ease and enjoyment. I posted a comment immediately on his blog asking to remove the link that revealed who I am, or I would be forced to discontinue blogging. He has checked my blog at least five times since I made my request. He has failed to consider it (and I'm not particularly surprised).
So that's it. It's profoundly sad and ironic that it is the intolerance, ignorance, and general idiocy of individuals like this person that motivated me to blog in the first place that have used their ignorance, intolerance, and general idiocy to force me to stop. I truly pity this individual, and hope that in the future he will find it possible to consider conflicting ideas without rejecting and attacking those with which he disagrees (although I won't hold my breath).
I would like to thank slowpitch (my first blog-mate), Clint, and the Captain for their assistance with this blog. I would also like to thank mrs. radar for her patience in the time I spent here nearly every day.
I will leave the links along the left sidebar (slightly edited) for you all to enjoy. Remember to check Little Green Footballs, Powerline, and Michelle Malkin for the best real news from a conservative point-of-view. Those who run the previous blogs are truly lucky to be able to sustain their blogs regardless of the constant criticism and occasional death threats they receive for what they do.
Goodbye all! I wish you all well.
5 comments:
Hi Radar,
I've been following this conversation on the blog to which you refer, and the following is pretty much the same thing I posted on it, but here I address it directly to you.
The crux of the matter is how well you are actually able to appropriately serve the students whose identities you invalidate by your disapproval, as you claim to do. I think that this is within the realm of possibility. However, the students you disapprove of are the only ones who can testify to how successfully you do this.
If those students don’t know you disapprove of them, how will they know whether or not you are able to set aside your own hatred in your treatment of them?
Yes, that is a rhetorical question. They will know! If LGBTQQIA and/or Muslim students report (or would report, if asked) that you consistently interact with them with dignity, respect, equality, fairness, and love, then your claim is valid.
However, if your claim is valid, why do you need to hide your identity? If your behavior towards all students is beyond reproach, blogging under your real name and being “outed” in your workplace would demonstrate the depth and authenticity of your commitment to treating all students alike (which I infer from several of your statements).
Since when is it you and your buddy's job to determine my so-called ability to relate to students? Who do you think you are, the student affairs police? All I want to do is share my opinions and ideas in a medium where I am not subjected to personal attacks on my character, and you and people like you cannot deal with said difference.
Whoa, Radar! At what point did I say - or did you infer from any of my statements - that I "cannot deal with said difference"? I am fairly certain that that is an unfounded accusation.
Of course I am not the "student affairs police." I am not aware of the existence of such an organization. I AM a social justice advocate, and as such I am concerned that LGBTQQIA and Muslim students at the university which employs you may be experiencing injustice.
HOWEVER, the tone of my previous comment is definitely not accusatory. I am clearly giving you the benefit of the doubt in assuming that you treat all students equally.
I'm more than a bit taken aback by how angry and defensive you seem in response to my comment. Is the point of your blog to "share [your] opinions and ideas" in a vacuum, or is it to share your thoughts in an invitation to dialogue with others (who may or may not agree with you)?
If all you want to do is state your beliefs, then perhaps a blog on which people who disagree with you are able to comment isn't the best medium.
I love this. This whole episode has been completely hilarious for me. This is what you wrote, since you apparently are unable to read it yourself:
"If those students don’t know you disapprove of them, how will they know whether or not you are able to set aside your own hatred in your treatment of them?"
You claim that I hate my students - a claim I have refuted on nearly a half-dozen occasions - yet you repeat it again here. You have made clear your belief in my inability to work with students whose lifestyles I disagree with on several occasions, the last one being the first comment listed here. That is why you are the "student affairs police." You have denigrated my professionalism and my ability to work with students by claiming that I "hate" them. Believe me - I love difference of opinion - which is why I respond to your comments and not try to stalk you on Facebook. I just rather dislike it when someone who knows absolutely nothing about me personally makes comments concerning my ability to work with students and/or decides that since my opinion is "hateful" and apparently immoral to then decide the only way to shut me up is to tell the world who I really am. Maybe you need to read my post again to understand what I'm saying - I'm clearly not getting through here.
Michelle, he has to hide his identity because of precisely the actions that have been taken by Unnamed Blogger. Your post illustrates precisely the problem: you do not agree with a PC position, you may not agree with certain lifestyles (wrt homosexuality) so you cannot possibly be fair. That is NOT for you to decide. But this is what happens in an environment infested by liberalism. Such environments only seem to respect diversity of opinion that has a left-leaning slant. If you are found to be a conservative, watch out.
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