Horowitz’s Tall Tale
Horowitz’s Tall Tale
David Horowitz has been campaigning to end the vast left-wing conspiracy on college campuses. To support his claims of inappropriate political bias, Horowitz has been talking about a student at Northern Colorado University who was asked on a test to “explain why George Bush is a war criminal.” According to Horowitz’s account, the student wrote an essay explaining why Saddam Hussein was a war criminal and received an F.
As it turns out, Horowitz’s tale was almost completely fabricated.
Inside Higher Education revealed today:
1. The question the student answered was not “Explain why George Bush is a war criminal.” Here is the relevant part of the actual question:
Cohen’s research on deviance discussed this process of how the media and various moral entrepreneurs and government enforcers can conspire to create a panic. How does Cohen define this process? Explain it in-depth. Where does the social meaning of deviance come from? Argue that the attack on Iraq was deviance based on negotiable statuses. Make the argument that the military action of the U.S. attacking Iraq was criminal.”
2. The question was optional. The student could have chosen not to answer it at all and written an essay on a completely different topic instead.
3. The student did not receive an F.
4. The professor who asked the question “is a registered Republican and considers himself politically independent, taking pride in never having voted a straight party ticket.”
Horowitz meekly “responds” to the charges on his website today but doesn’t actually try to defend the original facts of the story. Here’s a sample:
Until I hear from the student I have no comment on the matter of the grade but it is conceivable to me that if this were an “A” student and she received a “D” or even a “C” on this exam, in her mind it might as well be an “F.” And, finally, it is quite plausible that since there were two required and two optional questions she might have been confused as to which were which…
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If the student was an A student and there were two required and two optional questions then… She shouldn’t have been confused as to which was which.
It seems to me that a student who is an A student should be able to tell the difference very easily.
I don’t know enough to speak for the US education system, but in the UK an A, B or C is a passing grade a D sometimes (depending on the actual exams) is and an F is always a fail.
Z.
March 15th, 2005 at 4:06 pmExcuse me, folks, but, um, that question -at least as given in the present context – is an outrageous one. The question clearly asks for for a specific answer rather than independent thinking. And it does so in a particularly ugly way. The converse would also be true by the way – if the professor had asked a student to defend Iraq as morally justifiable.
(And before you dismiss me as some kind of defender of the right or the Iraq war, I’d suggest you check my blog.)
The reason the entire context of the test is important, however, is that I can easily imagine a teacher requiring a student to argue numerous positions based on various person’s theories. But if this was the only question of this sort on the test, then, yeah, there’s a problem.
Horowitz’s lies, however, are both inexcusable and incomprehensible. His excuses worse.
March 15th, 2005 at 4:34 pmTristero, Given what we know of the content of the course (at least according to the Professor) it sounds perfectly reasonable. The question is essentially asking if the student can look at a set of facts impartially and argue from an alien viewpoint that a given statement is true. This seems like a reasonable thing to do. It would be like me asking you to argue that the Italian involvement in the second World war was Justifiable to the Italian Government of the time.
Z.
March 15th, 2005 at 5:02 pmZwack,
Point understood.
As I mentioned, the issue is modulated by context. You may be right that it was simply urging argument from a specific point of view as an exercise in understanding that “alien” point of view. If so, then sure, there’s no problem.
But it is not entirely clear from what’s posted here whether that is so. Hence, concern. And therefore, I think the entire context needs to be fleshed out.
And again, it’s unfortunate this is being discussed within a Horowitzian context, who once again demonstrates what a slob he is.
March 15th, 2005 at 5:16 pmThat’s what we need, another brain-dead grade chaser.
March 15th, 2005 at 5:26 pmTristero, I was basing my comments on the linked article, plus the Horowitz articles.
“Dunkley said that the course focused on the relationship between deviance and being classified as a criminal. “We talked in class about how George Washington was considered a war criminal to the British,” he said. “We were going into the idea that different people define criminal behavior differently.”"
It seems to me that that covers the “alien/alternative point of view” part. Given that the course talked about George Washington in that way you would think that the students would assume that a question covering the actions of other people might take the view point that criminality is in the eye of the beholder at least to some extent.
Z.
March 15th, 2005 at 5:47 pmLaw schools ask you all the time to take a point of view you don’t agree with and defend it. It’s part of the academic process.
On the thread topic – I guess it’s OK when Republicans & wacked rightwingnuts lie through their teeth. It’s only wrong when democrats do it. (paging Tom DeLay, Mr DeLay, please go to the white courtesy phone).
March 15th, 2005 at 5:49 pmZwack, Usually, I read the links, but this time didn’t. For some reason, I don’t think I even saw it (reminder to self: long overdue for eye exam). Having read the entire article, it seems clear what the point of the question was.
And you are of course, absolutely right. Any concern I had was mistaken. The question was perfectly reasonable.
March 15th, 2005 at 6:35 pmUm…..George Bush IS a war criminal!
March 15th, 2005 at 7:41 pmWhy in the world would anyone care what David Horowitz thinks?
April 7th, 2005 at 10:35 am1
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December 5th, 2005 at 3:26 pm[...] Think Progress ” Horowitz’s Tall Tale … Horowitz’s Tall Tale. David Horowitz has been campaigning to end the vast left-wing conspiracy on college … http://thinkprogress.org/ 2005/ 03/ 15/ horowitzs-tall-tale/ trackback … Permalink TrackBack [...]
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