Law Commons^™

Political Correctness Askew: Excesses In The Pursuit Of Minds And Manners, Kenneth Lasson

All Faculty Scholarship

Political Correctness, n., the avoidance of forms of expression or action that exclude, marginalise or insult racial and cultural minorities.
- Oxford English Dictionary (9th Edition)

All I want of you is a little seevility, and that of the commonest goddamnedest kind.
- Z. W. Pease, The History of New Bedford (1918)

Forgive us all our peccadilloes.

With the fullness of time, when all has been said and done in both the heat of the moment and the cooler perspective of experience, what has come to be called "Political Correctness" will be revealed as little more than passionate folly-merely another …

Free Speech Faces Hostile Environment: An Aggressive Hunt For Sex Harassment Leaves Plenty Of Wreckage, Kenneth Lasson

All Faculty Scholarship

Take the case of James Maas, who has been teaching at Cornell University for more than 30 years and whose Psychology 101 is perhaps the largest undergraduate course in the country (attracting about 1,000 students every semester). He was won numerous teaching awards. In 1994, Mr. Maas was called before Cornell's "Professional Ethics Committee" to defend himself against charges of sexual harassment. The allegations centered around his "overly friendly and affectionate behavior" - which, it turns out, were hugs and occasional social kisses, most often in front of class or family.

The most notable example of a professor who stood …