By Timothy Birdnow ——Bio and Archives--June 4, 2015
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"Now, the University must come together. We will move to more formal and institutionalized conversations about race on our campus. We also will begin to devise short- and long-term initiatives that retain and attract more students and faculty of color, promote equal opportunity, and advance focused economic development in disadvantaged neighborhoods. These efforts are completely consistent with the mission of this University. They are just the start of what I had announced in my inaugural address: That this extraordinary University bring to bear its creative, intellectual and economic energy and help lead St. Louis to a better place" […] In addition, I was disheartened by some of the harsh and ugly words hurled via social media, phone calls and emails that only fueled anxiety, misunderstandings and divisions on all sides at a time when what we needed most was to listen and learn and find common ground.”In other words, like Neville Chamberlain, Pestello gave the lawbreakers everything they wanted and more. But his hand was not forced. When the riots first erupted in Ferguson in August of the past year, Pestello sent out an e-mail obliquely calling for solidarity with the rioters. Read it at my website here. The University later came out with tips for rioting. According to The College Fix:
“We understand that a group of protest organizers are working hard to ensure that planned demonstrations are civil and non-violent,” Dr. Kent Porterfield, vice president for student development, said in the email sent to students Nov.12. “But we also recognize, despite their best efforts, they may not be able to control the few who wish to cause trouble.” “[T]he university is planning for various scenarios,” Porterfield adds, noting officials may restrict visitors on campus, including in residence halls, and will consider cancelling classes if protests occur near the urban campus. He did not specify how close to campus protests would have to occur for these measures to be taken. Porterfield, in his email, also hyperlinked to a generic “protest prep” memo under the disclaimer that “this information is for reference only and does not specifically address any possible protests or demonstrations in our region.” “We go into a protest knowing that there is a chance that we will get arrested, tear gassed, shot with rubber bullets, or billy clubbed,” stated that “protest prep” memo, which suggested “bandannas soaked in vinegar (1:15 ratio) or lemon juice in a plastic baggie helps neutralize tear gas in the event of a spraying.” The memo also offered a list of do’s and don’ts. Do bring: pen and paper; video cameras and tape recorders; warm clothes, extra socks, boots and sealed eye goggles; water and energy snacks; and duct tape, the memo says. But don’t bring an address book, illegal drugs, weapons or contact lenses, it adds. The memo also includes tips on legal advice. “If someone is being arrested, try to write down the badge # of the officer (if they have it on), and video tape it if you can,” it states. “Indy media and other organizations can use this footage, and it could potentially be used by the lawyers in suits against the cops.” Other advice sent to students included links to “How to protest safely” and the ACLU’s “Know Your Rights: Demonstrations and Protests.”So SLU had a hand in the troubles from the beginning. This should not surprise; Dr. Pestello has been a strong proponent of "social justice" in his lengthy career. In his previous position as President of Lemoyne University in Syracuse Pestello pushed his new "vision statement' for the university, something that emphasized social justice. See the document here. This document calls for such things as;
"Establish recruiting and hiring targets for diversity that are annually reviewed by senior leadership. C. Continue to increase the mix of diversity" [...] "Promote Greater Diversity within the Le Moyne Community and Increased Engagement between the College and Other Communities Regionally, Nationally and Internationally" [...] "Le Moyne seeks to build a respectful, welcoming campus culture that celebrates difference and models inclusion. Uniqueness is expressed through gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical and mental attributes, and religious and political beliefs" [...] "Continue to strengthen the focus on the multicultural and diversity aspects of recruitment and retention of faculty (sic), administrators, staff and students." [...] "Develop comprehensive assessment, awareness, training and programming in cultural competencies in order tofoster (sic) the understanding: “I need your difference.” [...] "Take a leadership role in solving key issues in the community: host community fora (on campus and in the community (sic) in cooperation with civic leaders) on critical topics, engage faculty expertise and contribute to demonstrable (sic) change."There is much more; do read the entire document. And Dr. Pestello made his views clear in an interview he gave when he first came to St. Louis University:
What kind of sociologist are you? I assume there are flavors. I’m a sociological social psychologist, specifically a symbolic interactionist or social constructionist. [He says it in a rush, then has the grace to laugh and repeat it.] That’s probably the first lens through which I see the world, although I try others. The way we act is based upon the way we define things. We each construct our reality. Was sociology an early passion? Not at all. I started as a chemistry major. I had to take some humanities and social sciences. I took a sociology course—I didn’t even know what sociology was—and I was fascinated with the subject matter. I thought the methodology was sloppy, compared to what I was used to. I took a second course on inequality and race and issues of gender—it was a turbulent time in the country—and decided to switch my major. In my junior year, I actually thought about switching to philosophy. And then my senior year, I became interested in communication.So a radical "social justice" advocate finds the university he has just assumed responsibility for overrun by radicals demanding "social justice" and a statue - and then he removes a venerable statue honoring a true hero because of alleged complaints of its "racist" nature. Hmm. This is a bit craftier than ISIS or the Taliban, but it is in the same spirit; an attempt to disdain those who came before, to denigrate history and culture and tradition, an attempt to dismiss the times before the coming of the enlightened. And this is not unique to Pestello and SLU; an argument has erupted here in St. Louis over a statue honoring Confederate soldiers on a sparsely used street in Forest Park. St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, a liberal Democrat to the core (who demanded that city hall perform homosexual marriages in defiance of a state constitutional amendment) wants the statue removed, even though it has been there for decades. This is nothing new; the Left has been aggressive toward anything that does not fit with their beliefs, and is in an endless war to fundamentally change our culture. New heroes are promoted, with the old ones being demonized. Men like Washington or Jefferson are systematically smeared, while people like Malcolm X or Che Guevara are venerated. Look at the way they lionized an L.A. cop turned cop killer. Look at how they lionized Mike Brown and demonized the officer forced to shoot him. Brown assaulted Officer Wilson because he was just coming from punching out and robbing a convenience store clerk. Who a people hold as their heroes says much about who that people are, and their memorials work to reinforce the beliefs of that people. Islam attacks the monuments of the people they conquer because that is the only way to obliterate a competing culture. The same holds true of the America Left, which seeks to smite the "old white guy" culture and replace it with a kleptocratic, socialistic, post-Christian order. Dr. Pestello, a trained sociologist, knows what he is doing in this instance. The deepest shame upon him!
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Timothy Birdnow is a conservative writer and blogger and lives in St. Louis Missouri. His work has appeared in many popular conservative publications including but not limited to The American Thinker, Pajamas Media, Intellectual Conservative and Orthodoxy Today. Tim is a featured contributor to American Daily Reviewand has appeared as a Guest Host on the Heading Right Radio Network. Tim’s website is tbirdnow.mee.nu.