Beware the conservative watchlist

Professors, take note — political conservatives are onto you.

A list of some 200 college professors unexpectedly appeared online Nov. 21 aiming to “expose” academics “advancing leftist propaganda.” Yet, the host website, “Professor Watchlist” isn’t protecting conservative students from alleged liberal bullies but rather encourages the silencing of free speech.

“Professor Watchlist” includes thin, and oftentimes inaccurate, information in regard to instances where “liberal” professors have created an uninviting environment for right-wing students and a deficient search option. The site’s minimalist layout is a reflection of the urgency its creators had for it to reach the masses while the current political climate is still vehement.

Cal State Long Beach President Jane Close Conoley appears on the meager list because of a message she wrote for the campus community in 2014 regarding racial privilege. According to to the watchlist’s vague reasoning as to why she made the list: “Conoley stated that if you are ‘light-skinned’ you have ‘significant unearned privilege.’ Moreover, these privileged individuals show distrust and ‘lower expectations of behavior’ of those with another skin color.”

So what’s wrong with what Conoley wrote about white privilege? Nothing – in fact, the message was honorable — it touched on the issue that societal privileges benefit white people in western countries more than people of color living under the same political and economic order.

These so-called watchdogs create mistrusting academic climates — the kind that don’t necessarily impede professors from sharing their opinions, but will place them on a degrading “wanted” list if their opinion leans toward the left.

Lists like these are not new — they’ve actually been common throughout the years. They’re the kind of lists that target blameless people and incite violence toward them.

According to an article titled, “Seven doctors have been murdered, now judges rule in favour of abortion hit list” for The Guardian by Duncan Campbell, a few years ago U.S. anti-abortionists published an online list of doctors who conduct abortions. Deemed “baby butchers” by the pro-life conservatives, the list included addresses, car licence plate numbers and relatives’ names on the list.

At least 11 people have been killed in attacks on abortion clinics since 1993, as reported by the New York Times.

The website aims to protect conservative ideology through,  for example, its prejudiced denunciation of white privilege.

This “exposure” of Conoley, for instance, does nothing but encourage an environment where opinion on controversial topics from non-conservatives is unacceptable.

I’m convinced the reasoning behind this website consists of something along the lines of: “Haven’t white conservatives suffered enough?”

But how are professors reacting to this? Are they concerned? Will these “crazed” liberals watch what they say from now on? No, not at all.

According to Long Beach State spokesperson Terri Carbaugh, “President Conoley gives the founders of the list a ‘D-’ grade at getting the facts right. The list will have zero effect on how she conducts her business going forward.”  The list does more than provide a kind-of-Orwellian surveillance on academics who didn’t vote for Donald Trump — the site includes plenty of reprehensible claims throughout.

For example, associate professor at Kent University Julio Cesar Pino was accused of being investigated by the F.B.I. for having ties with the Islamic State by the watchlist creators.

Pino denied the claims that he was affiliated with any terrorist group and has denounced violence many times in the past, according to a New York Times article titled “Professor Watchlist Is Seen as Threat to Academic Freedom” by Christopher Mele.

Instead of focusing on improving the actual quality of teaching at universities, the website’s goal is to merely defame professors while advancing a conservative agenda.

Professor Watchlist does nothing more than encourage conservative students to combat anyone who doesn’t have a right-wing mindset and attempts to antagonize them.

It’s unfortunate — students feel the need to try and defame academics rather than engage with them.

Universities are hotspots where progressive thinking is not only common, but highly revered. Places where intolerant ideologies are typically condemned, not in an abusive manner, but rather one including factual evidence and passionate explanation.

Although the reasoning behind the website is rather obnoxious, the campus community should not shrug Professor Watchlist off as conservative nonsense.