University of Tampa fires professor who says Hurricane Harvey is 'instant karma' for Texas Republicans

Fire him, maybe, for referencing lyrics from a John Lennon solo tune. The offense against musical quality alone is indictment enough. But this? It's obnoxious in all the ways we've come to expect from academia. It's insulting, stupid and pointlessly provocative.

That's exactly why I want guys like this to be able to keep their jobs. There's nothing he says that most of his colleagues don't think, and anyone sending their kids to college should have the opportunity to know what kinds of people are filling their minds. But academia wants to keep that as quiet as it can to the community writ large, so he's out:

Kenneth Storey, whose LinkedIn profile says he lives in Winter Park and who also teaches at Hillsborough Community College, ignited online outrage Sunday, amid reports of the destruction in Houston. "I dont believe in instant karma but this kinda feels like it for Texas. Hopefully this will help them realize the GOP doesnt care about them," Storey posted to Twitter, according to screen captures by other Twitter users and conservative websites. Storey has since deleted the tweet and responses defending it to other users. According to TampaBay.com, he said he was “only blaming those who support the GOP,” though “the good people there need to do more to stop the evil their state pushes.”

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On Monday night, an apology was posted to the account: “I deeply regret a statement I posted yesterday. I never meant to wish ill will upon any group. I hope all affected by Harvey recover quickly.” Storey, a University of Central Florida graduate who teaches sociology, did not respond to a reporter’s direct message seeking further comment Tuesday. The University of Tampa on Monday night posted a statement on Facebook condemning Storey’s comments and “the sentiment behind them,” but noted they were posted to a private account and “not made within his capacity as a faculty member.” That statement made no reference to Storey’s future role with the university — but, in another release Tuesday, the university said Storey “has been relieved of his duties at UT, and his classes will be covered by other sociology faculty.”

There's another reason I don't like firings like this. I don't like the way it encourages the affected hulabaloos we get every time someone strays from what's considered polite and acceptable and dares to utter a thought that upsets people. You can argue that in this case there's absolutely no value or virtue to be found in the comment, and I wholeheartedly agree.

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But so what? If society had come up with the clear and obvious solution to every problem we have, then maybe you could argue that there's no room for tolerance of outside-the-bounds expressions. We already know everything we need to know, so color inside the lines, people. Since that's clearly not the case, we need to have some patience for nontraditional thinking. Sometimes that will come across as obnoxious and upsetting. So what? Deal with it. How good is this guy at teaching sociology? (Why anyone needs to take sociology is another question, I guess, buit we'll not explore that one too deeply here.) If that's the job he's supposed to be doing and he can do it well, I really don't care what he says about Republicans or hurricanes. I also don't accept the idea that he "represents the college" when he rants on Twitter. No he doesn't. He represents the college in his classroom and in other interactions with students. The rest of the time he speaks for himself, and when he's a jerk, that's all the college has to say. Of course, we live in an environment where everyone who upsets someone can now be hounded on social media, and busybodies contact these people's bosses demanding that they be fired even if they're perfectly competent and responsible in doing their jobs. Bosses are capitulating way too often just to avoid the heat. I'd like to challenge conservatives not to be part of that trend. If some idiot says something stupid and awful about you, but the words themselves can do you no damage, then just let it go. Remember, offense is a spirit you can choose to pick up or leave alone. If you're offended by what Kenneth Storey said, that's not on him. It's on you.