The academic empire has struck back against the one professor in the group of three hoax-paper writers who currently has an academic appointment, Peter Boghossian of Portland State. He’s accused of research misconduct for poking fun at gender studies and the like.

In today’s Martin Center article, John Staddon — professor emeritus of neurobiology at Duke and someone who knows a thing or two about real research — asks whether the hoaxers did anything wrong.


In a word, no.

The notion that submitting a hoax paper is undisclosed research on human subjects and therefore out of bounds far-fetched and means that no hoax paper is ever allowed. That would cut off a valuable means of academic discourse.

Moreover, to punish a professor for writing a hoax paper (or anything else) is to attack academic freedom.


Staddon also takes issue with a couple of academics who are all hot and bothered that Boghossian and his colleagues made fun of a serious, important article about “whiteness.” Unlike those two, who regard the article in question as a paragon of research that deserves nothing but praise, Staddon argues that it is just as bad as the rest of the “studies” research and deserves to be mocked.

The article, by Professor Robin DiAngelo is entitled “White fragility.” After plowing through it, Staddon concludes:

In sum, DiAngelo’s ‘seminal’ article is little more than a series of unfounded allegations about the faults, debts owed, and injuries done to blacks by white people. It is anti-white propaganda masquerading as social science. To parody this kind of writing is not wrong; in fact, it’s arguably the most effective way to counter it.

This is yet another demonstration that the thin-skinned academic left loves to use power to silence and punish those who disagree with them. Dissenters must be rooted out!

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