The Claudine Gay affair follows a familiar script. Principles and values associated with racism, the boilerplate litany of phobias linked to religion, ethnicity, and genders, varieties of predation, and in Gay’s case scholarship and academic misconduct, are cynically weaponized to bring down ideological foes. Individuals on the same side of the chasm as the accused mount kneejerk defenses in the face of evidence that there is substance to the allegation. Others react by denouncing the accused while acknowledging the bad faith of the accusers.
The Gay Affair
The Gay Affair
The Gay Affair
The Claudine Gay affair follows a familiar script. Principles and values associated with racism, the boilerplate litany of phobias linked to religion, ethnicity, and genders, varieties of predation, and in Gay’s case scholarship and academic misconduct, are cynically weaponized to bring down ideological foes. Individuals on the same side of the chasm as the accused mount kneejerk defenses in the face of evidence that there is substance to the allegation. Others react by denouncing the accused while acknowledging the bad faith of the accusers.