George Orwell’s 1984 has truly arrived. Look no further than the disturbing story about Marymount Manhattan College Professor Patricia Simon, who attended an “anti-racist meeting” via Zoom and is now being swarmed by fascists over her apparent lack of enthusiasm.
The fascists have arrived in the form of an online petition with nearly 2,000 signatures that calls for Simon to be fired, after she was allegedly caught sleeping during a June 29 town hall meeting to address systemic racism, or something.
“This is a petition that is demanding the removal a faculty member who does not align with the anti-racist views and actions that were promised to be adopted by the department earlier this week at the Town Hall meetings,” shrieked Marymount student Caitlin Gagnon, not long after the alleged doze.
But the petition does not stop there…
Simon is also being accused of *deep breath* “a history of ignoring instances of racism in the form of racial profiling within the program” and “enabling the racist and sizeist actions and words of the vocal coaches under her jurisdiction” and “has also been known to use her power to intimidate and bully the students in her program who have made efforts to advocate for themselves or for their fellow peers” and all the babies who signed the petition are undoubtedly hoping *sniff* Simon gets hit by a *sniff* train.
The comments left by those who signed the petition are equally childish, and therefore amazing.
For those wondering what would eventually happen to the Participation Trophy Generation, I give you…
“This was the professor that yelled at me and some other faculty members about us overloading the elevator at school.”
“When you compound this with Ms. Simon’s complete disinterest (apparently sleeping with absolutely nothing to contribute) in the issue of racial justice & LGBTQplus inclusion and safety at Marymount, on display in front of at least 150 students & other Musical Theater faculty, it is clear that the diverse student body of Marymount deserves better!”
“I am frankly shocked and appalled at this level of behavior.”
“She was never my professor. She traumatized enough of my friends and peers to know everything said about her is true.”
“She’s my advisor and has been nothing but lovely to me, but I trust my classmates. They deserve to feel just as safe and respected as I do.”
“She’s racist.”
The hysterical (and hysterically funny) petition includes a photo of Simon’s alleged doze, where it’s fairly obvious Simon is not dozing. I can tell you from experience that if you try to sleep with your hand supporting your chin, and by extension your entire head, this is an impossibility that never ends well.
For her part, Simon disputes the dozing allegations.
“I was not asleep as is implied at any point during the meeting,” she told Campus Reform. “The photo used was taken without permission when I was looking down or briefly resting my Zoom-weary eyes with my head tilted back which I must do in order to see my computer screen through my trifocal progressive lenses. I listened with my ears and heart the entire meeting.”
Here are some quotes from Orwell’s 1984 that immediately come to mind, especially the last one…
“Winston kept his back turned to the telescreen. It was safer, though, as he well knew, even a back can be revealing.”
“You had to live – did live, from habit that became instinct – in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every moment scrutinized.”
“It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children.”
Simon has been a professor at Marymount for almost 30 years, and now she has nearly 2,000 monsters attempting to cancel her because she did not evoke the necessary energy and enthusiasm during a stupid meeting that was probably as dull and pointless as it was pedantic.
These little monsters are also accusing Simon of straight-up acts of racism. Does anyone believe she would have survived 30 years if she were an open racist and supremacist?
All I can tell you is that if I were forced to attend some dumb “anti-racist” Zoom meeting, there would be plenty of opportunities to get screen shots of me holding up signs that read:
“ZZZzzzzzzzzz.”
“Systemic racism is a hoax.”
“So is Global Warming.”
“Could you repeat the middle thing?”
“I’m not wearing pants.”
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.
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