I've received permission from the lawyer (alluded to here) to share his information, which he also posted at Professor Coyne's blog. Here it is:
If anyone was rejected for a position in such a search or any other search requiring a mandatory diversity statement, please reach out to me. I am an attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm that offers pro bono representation and am looking to challenge the University of California Policy.
Daniel Ortner
Pacific Legal Foundation
dortner@pacificlegal.org
UPDATE: PLF is a libertarian legal organization; they are on the wrong side of some issues, and the right side of others, as in this case. But here is the remarkably dishonest gloss of philosopher Chris Bertram (Bristol) on Twitter on the preceding:
I wonder whether Professor Bertram also supports the McCarthy-era loyalty oaths? And surely this political philosopher might agree that not just any means are acceptable for promoting worthy ends? Presumably the University of California could not forbid hiring white people, even though that would be a "diversity-promoting hiring practice."
There's a context to this pathetic display, that I’ll post below the fold for anyone who is interested.
Bertram unfriended me on Facebook awhile back because he was unhappy with the attention I had given to gender critical feminists on my blog (not on Facebook--there I just post personal stuff). That was weird, but oh well. But then he had a meltdown when I blocked him on Twitter because he was such a tiresome scold. (He didn't seem to notice the double standard.) Ever since, he's been sniping at me on Twitter. I'll give another example: allegedly in response to this post (to which he did not link), Chris posted this fabrication on Twitter. I had been ignoring his sniping, but after this was sent to me I wrote to him as follows: "One of our mutual friends sent me this tweet, which is bizarre even by your standards lately. The point the article made, correctly, is that racism was not the cause of slavery, but rather it was the other way around. Slavery arises in certain socio-economic conditions, and it then yields an ideology that justifies it: in the American case, racism. This has nothing to do with the alt-right, and you surely know that. Get a grip, Chris. And at least link to what you’re criticizing so others can see what you’re doing instead of smearing me based on fabrications." Chris's reply (I'm not making this up): "I'm sorry to hear we have 'mutual friends,' but they can't be friends of mine if they are sending my tweets to a person I've blocked (and who has blocked me)."
Bertram always struck me as a timid character, keen to "be accepted" as another mutual friend put it. I did like his Rousseau book, but maybe he should think more about "amour propre"?
Recent Comments