Jimmy Kimmel and educators have something very important in common
Late night TV host Jimmy Kimmel operates in a different world than schoolteachers and most university faculty, and his earnings dwarf theirs, but the TV star has something very important in common with the educators. They are all on the front lines of protecting democracy, and that makes them political targets in this age of the aspiring dictator, Donald Trump, and his gang of apologists and enablers.
Trump and many of his elected followers keep attacking what autocrats hate and Kimmel and educators represent — things like the First Amendment, real freedom of speech, truth and inclusion.
Trump has made it clear that, in his view, free speech doesn’t include speech or media reports that are critical of him and doesn’t include educational policies or classroom discussions with which he takes issue.
Months ago, he bullied two TV networks — CBS and Kimmel’s ABC — into settling lawsuits he brought over alleged grievances that should have been thrown out of court. Brendan Carr, Trump’s chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, then strong armed ABC into temporarily pulling Kimmel’s show off the air.
Trump also has withheld funds appropriated by Congress from several, elite universities to force them into dropping diversity, equity and inclusion programs that offend the racists and bigots among his political base and his own personal sense of superiority.
The anti-First Amendment infection has spread to Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Trump’s legislative supporters in Texas have clamped down on what public school teachers can teach their students in our state. This began a few years ago with restrictions on teaching about slavery and race relations, followed this year with a ban on teaching about diversity, equity and inclusion.
Texas leaders also have imposed restrictions on books in school libraries.
A few weeks ago, politics also figured in the firings of two higher education faculty members in Texas. One was a Texas A&M instructor who was axed for allegedly teaching material that was not part of the course catalogue description for her class in children’s literature.
In truth, she was fired for discussing DEI material with a class and being caught on a student’s video. Abbott demanded she be fired for violating state law, even though, unlike the DEI ban in K-12 public schools, there is no state law prohibiting professors from discussing DEI in higher education classes. Under MAGA-inspired political pressure, though, the A&M president fired the professor and then resigned from his own job a few days later.
Now, Angelo State University, citing a legally dubious executive order from Trump, is banning discussions of transgender issues in its classrooms.
A Texas State University professor was fired for allegedly inciting a violent overthrow of our government. He was axed after a video of him speaking at a socialist conference about anarchists and their lack of organization was posted on social media. “Without organization, how can anyone expect to overthrow the most bloodthirsty, profit-driven, mad organization in the history of the world — that of the United States?” he reportedly said.
I don’t know if he really was promoting violence — most professors in Texas don’t — or merely trying to make an academic, hypothetical point, a risky endeavor nevertheless for educators in an era when unfriendly digital eyes and ears are lurking everywhere. In any event, he didn’t make the remarks in a classroom, and he is entitled to due process.
The former professor, who had tenure, has sued the university, claiming violation of his free speech and due process rights as well as his contractual provisions.
“Conduct that advocates for inciting violence is directly contrary to the values of Texas State University,” the university’s president said after reviewing the video. “I cannot and will not tolerate such behavior.”
The only violent attempt to overthrow the U.S. government since the Civil War was the Jan. 6, 2021, deadly attack on the Capitol by rioters stirred up by Trump’s claim that the 2020 election, which he lost, had been stolen from him. The rioters delayed but didn’t stop Congress’ certification of the election results favoring Democrat Joe Biden.
Despite numerous court decisions upholding Biden’s election, Trump still wrongly claims the election was stolen. On his first day back in office in January, he pardoned everyone who had been convicted of participating in the riot, including those who had been convicted of assaulting Capitol police officers.
Inciting violent conduct may be contrary to the values of Texas State University and, I hope, to most Texans. But what are the values of a president who is a threat to democracy?
