If you want to know what's hot, hot, hot, in the world of the perpetually aggrieved right wing community, look no further than Fox News. The latest outrage, about a liberal professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, fits nicely with Fox's we don't need no librul education meme. Fox introduced the latest bit of toxicity as a great, big website lede during the week-end. So it wasn't a surprise when it popped up, on today's Outnumbered where the lovely, leggy, ladies and #oneluckyguy Jesse Watters whined about this teacher who has been outed by the courageous conservative kids at "Campus Reform." Now that Ward Churchill is old news, I guess Fox News needs a new punching bag?
The subject of the discussion was Dr. Charles Angeletti who, according to a Fox News article sourced from Campus Reform, is "forcing" students to recite an alternate satirical Pledge of Allegiance which, conservatives say, is insulting to conservatives. Watters' opening remark, about how Angeletti "sounds like the next Ward Churchill," telegraphed the propaganda message. Andrea Tantaros remarked that "it sounds like he [Angletti] hasn't left the campus since 1962." She suggested that Watters show up "at his door." She added that if the exercise is to challenge leadership, students should challenge leadership by refusing to do the exercise. The smarmy Watters noted that people in the classroom say that the professor '' is an easy grader but some of the republicans say he's tougher on the republicans than he is some of the democrats." (Awww)
After claiming that she had lots of liberal professors in college, Kennedy attempted some satire with her description of the professor's "Christopher Walken mullet." She snarked that "he thinks he's so clever with his uber leftism and I had to check myself before I wrecked myself." (Huh?) She claimed that Karl Marx was brought up in a math class but didn't say if it was a class she attended or something she heard from somebody else.
Harris Faulkner referenced how the professor said the exercise is an "ice breaker" and asked "how boring is this man's class if he thinks he needs to do this to make students excited about being there." The chyron framed the propaganda message: "Report, Denver Professor Makes Students Recite Pledge Some Call Anti-American." Watters, who isn't exactly a model of clarity, joked that because "everybody is so stoned out there," the professor needs to do this "to get their attention." Fox Business' Elizabeth McDonald snarked "our state backed tuition at work" - a comment that's true only for residents of Colorado.
After the gang feigned ignorance (!) of what the professor is talking about, Watters asked "what can people do" because the professor "is a total animal [cue the death threats] totally out of control, his salary is paying paid for by the tax payers in Colorado." He asked Tantaros if anything will happen. She responded that there are lots of teachers like this and that he's tenured. She encouraged the audience to not send their kids to these colleges and suggested that students not sign up for his classes. Kennedy urged folks to "give him a bad rating" on college websites.
At that point, the leggy regulars just gushed over McDonald while she said that they are "awesome."
So let me get this straight. Fox News supports free speech for Christians but for professors - not so much. Awesome, indeed
I know that if Watters worked for me, I would have not only fired him, but I would have sent the victims of his crap a notice that I’m his now-former employer, and I’m filing the suit, to make sure he faces one. Not to mention that every call/visit from the FCC about him, I’d throw his ass under the bus.
But I have ethics, and empathy for people- Not to mention enough common sense to know that Watters’ ratings wouldn’t worth the damage to my reputation. Or the damage the outlet would be repairing when he gets fired, arrested, and blacklisted… I’m pretty sure that, even at Fox, his career’s gonna end with all three.
Who wants to bet Watters would be calling the cops on such “mavericks?”