Quote:
Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha
I am a strong supporter of the First Amendment. I also place a high premium on academic freedom.
I would be against firing a guy who makes widgets and spews dumb speech about 9/11 conspiracy theories since his ideas have nothing to do with his work product. However, academics are judged by what they say and write. Academics do not make widgets, they produce words that should be based in sound reasoning, research, etc. So, if a professor teaches things or writes things for students and other academics that are simply stupid, their "work product" sucks. So, I would say that firing a guy for demonstrating his stupidity is not necessarily viewpoint-based and an attempt at censorship. Rather, it amounts to firing someone for their inability to produce quality work.
What are the limits of academic freedom? Do they encompass racist statements? I think there are limits and academic freedom does not protect dumb, thoughtless statements. It's a close call and there is a slippery slope, but this guy should go.
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So if you had a business like a fast food resturant and this guy worked very hard but was saying this stuff to your customers or other employees he should be protected by free speech. I own my business and as long as they are on the job I have the right to regulate what they say when they are off the clock that is their business and they can say as they please.