AERA takes yet another political stand

Below is the text of a press release, signed by 23 academic organizations, including AERA, condemning Fox TV star, Glenn Beck, for his vitriolic and deceitful attacks on sociologist, political scientist, and renowned scholar Francis Fox Piven.

Now, I’m delighted that AERA is standing up for Professor Piven against this professional hate-monger. But this is yet another example of AERA taking a political stand–something it claims it doesn’t do or can’t do as a “research organization.”

It’s too bad AREA adamantly refuses lift a finger when queer kids are being abused and bullied to death in US public schools and other educational settings. In the midst of the rampant bullycides of Fall 2010, AERA was notable for its silences on LGBT issues in education…although scholars across North America were pleading and exhorting the organization to SAY SOMETHING.

Clearly, AERA only cares about non-queers as it relates to their political stances. This current stance gives lie to the notion that AERA is studiously apolitical and won’t sully itself in the world of politics. It just won’t do so if there are queers involved.

Again, how many dead queer kids will it take for AERA to give a god-damn?

ASA NEWS
Contact: Daniel Fowler, American Sociological Association, (202) 527-7885, pubinfo@asanet.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ASA, 22 Other Academic Groups Condemn Glenn Beck’s Attacks on Piven

WASHINGTON, DC, February 15, 2011 — The American Sociological Association (ASA) and more than 20 other academic organizations issued a joint statement Tuesday condemning radio and television personality Glenn Beck for his attacks on Frances Fox Piven and calling on public officials, political commentators, and others in the media “to help discourage the rhetoric of hate and violence that has escalated in recent months.”

Piven, a renowned professor of political science and sociology at the City University of New York Graduate Center, is considered one of the foremost commentators on America’s social welfare system. She has also held a number of leadership positions including President of the ASA, Vice President of the American Political Science Association, and President of the Society for the Study of Social Problems.

Beck has accused Piven of creating a plan to “intentionally collapse our economic system” and has labeled her one of the nine “most dangerous people” in the world. “These attacks have been based on rhetoric, rather than substance, and have incited threats of violence, rather than encouraging open debate,” said the Feb. 15 statement signed by 23 academic organizations including ASA, the American Anthropological Association, the American Educational Research Association, the Consortium of Social Science Associations, and the Social Science Research Council.

“For many years, the academic community in the United States has stood firm in its support of scholars across the world who have been threatened or endangered by their scholarship, research, and writing,” said the statement. “We must do the same for scholars in the United States.”

Although Beck has not directly called for violence against Piven, his attacks have created an opening for threats of violence to emerge. During the past few months, Piven has received a flood of hate mail and been the subject of menacing Internet postings, which include a series of death threats. Much of the violent vitriol has appeared on Beck’s own website.

“Both scholars and commentators, regardless of political orientation, strive to serve the public good,” said the statement. “We can only benefit from their work when all parties respect the rights of others to disagree without fear of violent reprisal.”

Despite their concern about the threats directed at Piven, ASA and the other academic organizations emphasized the importance of First Amendment rights.

“We vigorously support serious, honest, and passionate public debate,” the statement said. “We support serious engagement on the research of Professor Piven and of others who study controversial issues such as unemployment, the economic crisis, the rights of welfare recipients, and the place of government intervention. We also support the right of political commentators to participate in such debates. At the same time, we insist that all parties recognize the rights of academic researchers not only to gather and analyze evidence related to controversial questions, but also to arrive at their own conclusions and to expect those conclusions to be reported accurately in public debates.”

The other signatories include the American Association of Geographers; American Council of Learned Societies; Association for Humanist Sociology; Board, American Society of Criminology; Board, Research Committee 19 (Poverty, Social Welfare, and Social Policy) of the International Sociological Association; Board, Society for the Study of Social Problems; Eastern Sociological Society; Linguistic Society of America; Mid-South Sociological Association; Midwest Sociological Society; National Women’s Studies Association; Pacific Sociological Association; Planners of Color Interest Group, Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning; Rural Sociological Society; Social Science History Association; Sociologists for Women in Society; Sociologists Without Borders; and Southern Sociological Society.

Full Text of Feb. 15, 2011 Statement:

The Freedom to Conduct Research, Write, and Share Ideas Without Fear of Violence
is Fundamental to American Democracy

A Response to the Recent Attacks on Professor Frances Fox Piven

For many years, the academic community in the United States has stood firm in its support of scholars across the world who have been threatened or endangered by their scholarship, research, and writing. We must do the same for scholars in the United States.

We, the leadership of major scholarly associations, express our collective outrage at the recent, repeated attacks on Professor Frances Fox Piven. These attacks have been based on rhetoric, rather than substance, and have incited threats of violence, rather than encouraging open debate. Radio and television personality Glenn Beck has accused Professor Piven of creating a plan to “intentionally collapse our economic system,” as reported by The New York Times; and he has included her in a list of the nine “most dangerous people” in the world. While Mr. Beck has not directly called for violence against Professor Piven, his attacks have created a space for threats of violence to emerge. Over the past several months, Professor Piven has received a flood of hate mail and menacing internet postings, including death threats. The Center for Constitutional Rights has identified many violent posts by visitors to Mr. Beck’s website, including the following: “I am all for violence and change Frances: Where do your loved ones live?” The rhetoric has become sufficiently overheated that the potential for physical violence is real.

Dr. Piven, a Professor of Political Science and Sociology at the City University of New York Graduate Center who holds a PhD from the University of Chicago, is one of the nation’s most thoughtful commentators on the country’s social welfare system. She has been elected President of the American Sociological Association, Vice President of the American Political Science Association, and President of the Society for the Study of Social Problems.

We call on public officials, political commentators, and others in the media to help discourage the rhetoric of hate and violence that has escalated in recent months. We vigorously support serious, honest, and passionate public debate. We support serious engagement on the research of Professor Piven and of others who study controversial issues such as unemployment, the economic crisis, the rights of welfare recipients, and the place of government intervention. We also support the right of political commentators to participate in such debates. At the same time, we insist that all parties recognize the rights of academic researchers not only to gather and analyze evidence related to controversial questions, but also to arrive at their own conclusions and to expect those conclusions to be reported accurately in public debates.

Both scholars and commentators, regardless of political orientation, strive to serve the public good. We can only benefit from their work when all parties respect the rights of others to disagree without fear of violent reprisal. We call on all parties to condemn the recent escalation of violent rhetoric, which does nothing to serve democracy.

Signatories:

American Anthropological Association
American Association of Geographers
American Council of Learned Societies
American Educational Research Association
American Sociological Association
Association for Humanist Sociology
Board, American Society of Criminology
Board, Research Committee 19 (Poverty, Social Welfare, and Social Policy) of the International Sociological Association
Board, Society for the Study of Social Problems
Consortium of Social Science Associations
Eastern Sociological Society
Linguistic Society of America
Mid-South Sociological Association
Midwest Sociological Society
National Women’s Studies Association
Pacific Sociological Association
Planners of Color Interest Group, Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning
Rural Sociological Society
Social Science History Association
Social Science Research Council
Sociologists for Women in Society
Sociologists Without Borders
Southern Sociological Society

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About the American Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association (www.asanet.org), founded in 1905, is a non-profit membership association dedicated to serving sociologists in their work, advancing sociology as a science and profession, and promoting the contributions to and use of sociology by society.