ohulancutash

@ohulancutash@feddit.uk

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Racism Pushed Jason Arday to the Top of the News Agenda⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩:

  Or was it the pro-DEI mob who elevated an academic to a position they didn’t deserve and put them in the firing line, labelling any complaint as racist? Neither scenario is satisfactory.

  To be clear, the “shortcoming” here is plagiarism and falsifying evidence, the worst offence in academia. Sure, the racist anti-DEI mob played a part. But is that because they were the only ones prepared to stick their heads above the parapets?

  There were many regular academic colleagues of his who expressed concerns when the investigation bothered to ask, but for some reason they were afraid to lodge the initial complaint themselves. This is concerning.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Racism Pushed Jason Arday to the Top of the News Agenda⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩:

  And this is the problem with DEI implementation. For everry worthy hire, there is the risk of an institution forcing through an unworthy candidate for PR optics purposes. When people are so convinced of their righteousness it’s tempting to label dissent as racist out of hand. It’s deeply concerning that the rally in Trafalgar Square attracted non-critical support from senior MPs including Zack Polanski and Jeremy Corbyn, without any apparent critical thinking involved.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Racism Pushed Jason Arday to the Top of the News Agenda⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩:

  Can you give me another academic that’s such a Walter Mitty? His bizarre extreme claimed lifestory played a big part in the media coverage - it is silly season after all - and I can’t think of an academic like that but you may remember the case a few years ago of Nicholas Rossi, the American fugitive rapist found on a Covid ward in Scotland who fought extradition by claiming he was Irishman Arthur Knight, never even visited the US. The outlandish claims and behaviour magnified coverage of that case much as it magnified the Arday affair.

  And yeah, race was a factor in the Arday case, the Heil and Telegraph can’t help themselves, but there are more sober issues which should be discussed openly - why were Arday’s colleagues, who had serious concerns - unwilling to come forward with complaints lest they be labelled as racist? Why did it take vile racists to actually get the institution to look into the matter? Isn’t something broken here?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Racism Pushed Jason Arday to the Top of the News Agenda⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩:

  Oh it’s Arday’s fault for ripping off his students and committing academic fraud. Completely on him.

  It’s the College’s and University’s fault for Blackwashing and promoting someone to a position they didn’t deserve to get good publicity. Also their fault for offhandedly dismissing complaints about him as racism.

  It’s the media’s fault for overexposing the story, though it’s silly season and a perfect silly story.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Racism Pushed Jason Arday to the Top of the News Agenda⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago⁩:

  Cofnas wasn’t connected to the investigative reporting by Times Higher Education last autumn which found 68 pages of comparison between Arday’s papers and his students’ - with typos intact. It also uncoveed evidence he had falsified a medical study he authored. The piece was spiked following a SLAPP threat from notorious lawfare firm Carter-Ruck, on instructions from Arday.

  The first Cambridge investigation made the mistake of discounting the allegations against Arday because the complaint had been brought by another racist. This despite the investigation having found copious corroborative evidence from Arday’s colleagues, who were deeply concerned by his comduct.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Racism Pushed Jason Arday to the Top of the News Agenda⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago⁩:

  I’d argue it was his extraordinary claims, such as running 600 miles in 6 days or completing 4 marathons on consecutive days with a hairline leg fracture. Catnip for subeditors.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Tributes paid to Jason Arday after ex-Cambridge professor found dead⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  I think theres more nuance. For nearly two decades he actively courted press attention, constructing a striking self-mythology that almost dared disbelief.

  He was happy enough with that until last year when investigative journalists actually began questioning his methods and claims, at which point he engaged the services of notorious SLAPP law firm Carter-Ruck to intimidate them into silence.

  At a time when there are concerns of AI-hallucinated studies and deep cutbacks in the university sector, his downfall amid accusations of fabricated evidence and plagiarism was newsworthy. He didn’t deserve that end, but scrutiny was merited.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Reform UK unveils massive £50bn welfare overhaul to scrap PIP⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Sure. The party that wanted to abolish juries isn’t as bad as the parties that didn’t.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Reform UK unveils massive £50bn welfare overhaul to scrap PIP⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  The Tories are also the MAGA party. And Restore. And increasingly Labour.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Tributes paid to Jason Arday after ex-Cambridge professor found dead⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  His memoirs are being published this week, and he has been a public figure for nearly 15 years. He isn’t exactly a private citizen.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨California just passed a law forcing mandatory DRM in 3D printers⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  Its not like americans can be trusted not to make their own bang sticks so fair enough.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Subtitles⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  They can refer to the continuity script, which will make this clear.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Emergency Alert About Wildfires⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  However it does seem people still aren’t getting that.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Count Binface: My Clacton Victory Speech!⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  His commitment is to the satire, not to the idea of having to be an MP.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Harry Potter star Bel Powley says she 'strongly disagrees' with JK Rowling's views⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  I hope you did full diligence on your employers board of directors.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Subtitles⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  They do. That’s another type of subtitle track.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨A customized delivery experience⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  So basically laziness.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Can Count Binface defeat Britain's Nigel Farage in this byelection?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  The answer is “No”. But it’s satisfyingly humiliating that he brought that question upon himself.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Would a disk shaped planet have uniform gravity like earth or would it vary depending on whether you're near the center or edges?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Earth doesn’t have uniform gravity…

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Mark Zuckerberg leaves stranded boat passengers to die in middle of the Pacific.⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  The boat was just off the harbour, and ran out of fuel. It made non-emergency requests for assistance. Vessels were not obliged to render assistance.

  “Leaving them to die” is hysterical and hyperbolic, and a gross distortion of the facts. If you feel you have to go there, you’re implying even you don’t believe in your premise.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Hmmm⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  You’re talking half a millennium ago…

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Wetherspoon bans filming on Meta glasses inside pubs⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  All spectacles to be dunked in a glass of water?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨‘It is British life’: No 10 vows to stop councils trying to limit standing in pubs⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  They’d burn quicker afterward though.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Cambridge academics reject university’s attempt to end row over Jason Arday⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Plagiarism is the worst possible academic offence. This man was the youngest black professor ever at Cambridge, and had been widely publicised as such.

  Add to that the extraordinary claims he made - non-verbal until 12, illiterate until 18, ran 600 miles in 6 days for charity, dug wells in South America, ran 30 marathons in 30 days, the last few with a hairline leg fracture. His debut book, an autobiography, is to be published this month for which he claimed he was paid an astonishing advance of 1.4 million.

  It raises important questions for academia, which has had a race problem - he had been investigated for plagiarism at Cambridge before, but because the accusations originated from racist journalists and academics, the claims were dismissed seemingly without due diligence. And now it’s come back to bite the institution in a big way. Big questions about how institutions handle complaints and investigations.

  And the field of sociology he works in - the study of race issues - is currently under fire in the culture wars. Its a heavy blow to the subject to have such a prominent member brought into question.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Nice caboose⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  N? N? The mark of insanity.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨This bookstore wraps all books in plastic.⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Sounds like people shouldnt bother living in such shitholes.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Former Pakistani minister arrested over alleged child rape in 1990s Manchester⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Mr Pringle Nooo

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Amazon thought it would be a good idea to not include subtitles in a film made entirely with sign language.⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Because it only makes sense because employers can’t be trusted to hire equitably. It is a thumb on the scales, and so is an injust act, but is currently necessary due to bad hiring practices.

  Hopefully we can grow out of this and employers will just hire the best people for the job, regardless of personal circumstance.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Amazon thought it would be a good idea to not include subtitles in a film made entirely with sign language.⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Its a bad thing, but it’s less bad than the thing it’s trying to solve. We should look forward to a scenario where DEI is obsolete.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Royal Mail postmen defend delivery worker who kicked blind dog to death ‘like a football’ in vile attack⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I wouldn’t even consider it to be anything other than bullshit. It’s not a reputable source. Your mate Kev down the pub - the one who trains whippets - is probably going to be more reliable.