Charles Murray at Villanova

Social Scientist  Charles Murray, co-author of The Bell Curve, spoke tonight at Villanova University. There were protesters awaiting him. Philly.com has reported that three protesters were removed by security. Fox News has just reported that Murray was escorted from the building by security. I am unclear if he was able to finish his speech.

Murray, whose appearance at Middlebury College in Vermont a few weeks ago, is accused of being racist because of what he wrote in The Bell Curve. He denies the charges.

And guess who openly advocated shutting down Murray’s speech. None other than Drexel University professor George Ciccariello, of whom I just wrote over his tweet about wanting to vomit when he saw a man on an airplane give up his first class seat to a man in uniform.

Tonight I checked out the campus paper, The Villanovan, to see what was being reported regarding Murray. I found what I think is a very sensible op-ed-certainly more sensible that Ciccariello.

http://www.villanovan.com/news/view.php/1028214/Differing-views-arise-as-University-prep

Also in The Villanovan is a letter signed by several Villanova professors. They think that Murray should have shared the stage with someone who disagrees with him. Here is their main objection:

“However, when one side of the debate is rooted in spurious assertions about the genetic inferiority of particular groups–assertions that foreclose the possibility of half of our faculty and students engaging as equals in this debate–we believe it is incumbent upon us to speak out.” 

I understand the objections to Murray based on his past work, but the topic of tonight’s speech  was “What does Trumpism mean for liberty in the long run?”

I will follow up to see what the extent of the disruption was.