Sounds Like Mob Rule to Me


The coronavirus pandemic and the resultant lockdowns have inflamed tempers in a lot of people . . . this is not unexpected.

The video of the killing of George Floyd has inflamed a lot of people . . . this is not unexpected.

This morning I read about two recent situations in which the reactions were inappropriate. One situation had to do with Covid-19 imposed restrictions, and the other had to do with the killing of George Floyd.

In Orange County, the Healthcare Officer. Dr. Nicole Quick, was forced to resign as she was receiving increased threats and protests at her home due to her mandates concerning the mandatory wearing of face masks in public. Many in Orange County did not agree with Dr. Quick, and basically threatened violence to her and her family. Whether or not I agree with Dr. Quick here is incidental.

So let me get this right, a physician with a specialty in Public Health makes a judgement. Not all agree with her judgement and she is forced to resign because of threats. 

Is this right? . . . No!

Sounds like like mob rule to me!

In Los Angeles, a longtime UCLA professor has been placed on leave after facing backlash over his response to a student’s email request to postpone a final exam for African American students, considering the impact of George Floyd’s death. 

The class was an online class where the students could not be identified by race, so essentially the email request would have to involve all students. Would this be fair to students who had worked hard and studied hard for the final exam on that date? My answer to that is, “No, it would not be fair.” As far as I know, the student making the request could well have been severely emotionally traumatized by the death of George Floyd. However, just as likely for whatever reason, the one that requested the postponement may not have worked hard or studied hard for the entire quarter, and the postponement of the final was a chance for he/she to make up for lost time. For the sake of completion, the sole course grade was from the final only, and postponing the final for some but not others could only possibly lead to skullduggery.

The professor was following institutional policies when he refused to alter final, but apparently this did not matter to UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, which stated that Professor Klein, who has taught there since 1981, was put on leave for three weeks, and his classes have been assigned to other faculty. 

So let me get this straight, a professor follows the rules of the school, but some students did not agree with what he, and so the professor, in essence, gets suspended. 

Is this right . . . No!

Sounds like mob-rule to me! 

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