Yesterday 08:52 PM
(This post was last modified: Today 04:25 AM by C C.)
BACKGROUND FROM 2024: A high school teacher has been fired from his job months after he encouraged a student to think for himself and examine his assumptions [...] Warren Smith’s video-recorded conversation with a unnamed student went viral back in February...
[...] In the video, which Smith posted on his YouTube channel, the student criticizes the famous author for her “bigoted opinions” about transgender women competing in female-only sports. Reacting to that accusation, the soft-spoken teacher gently challenged the unseen student to participate in a “thought experiment,” beginning with defining what “bigoted opinion” means.
[...] Challenged by Smith to give an example of Rowling’s transphobia, the student reads a Twitter post from Rowling from 2019 [...] “Do you find that transphobic yourself?” Smith asks the student.
“I myself don’t really have an opinion,” the student amazingly replies. “I’m just going with what a lot of other people have said.”
THE DAILY HERETIC (guest Warren Smith)
https://youtu.be/GHbWiMiXE40
VIDEO EXCERPTS: What was that JK Rowling situation? What happened in the classroom?
[...] There were a lot of people at the school that were not happy. ... I've never disclosed its name because it just feels weird to dox a school. If they want to do it, that's fine.
And just seeing the number of people trying to get me fired from there ... I got an email from the dean or the head of the chair saying, "Hey, our social media team has picked up a massive amount of activity targeting you. You're being targeted online, and we have a policy. If we detect a faculty member being targeted, we offer to step in and blah, blah."
Like if you need support, let us know. I appreciate it, guys. That's nice of you. And I was surprised because I'm sure they were aware of the whole thing. And that was their response. They didn't do anything beyond that. [...] A few weeks, a few months went by, and I did end up still getting fired as a result of it. But it turned out to have been a blessing.
Yeah. Well, now you have a successful YouTube channel, and it's maybe a job that you are more passionate about.
Yes. I enjoy it a lot. Though there are things I miss about teaching.
What was it about JK Rowling that was being said in that video?
A student asked me, "What are your views on JK Rowling? Have your views on Harry Potter changed given her bigoted opinions?"
And there's a presupposition there. What are you basing that on? And he didn't have anything, and then his mind was changed by the end of it. Five-minute exchange.
[...] You get so annoyed. You go through graduate school, and you have friends and family that are just in tears over JK Rowling. And they're saying, "How could you? And sorry you got fired, Warren, but you did say JK Rowling is not bigoted."
[Laughter] Did you have people actually say that to you?
Yeah. Friends, best friend, childhood friend.
How did that go? That conversation?
I feel bad talking about it. I'm keeping his identity private, but I don't think he'll see this. He was in tears that night because, "What are you doing, Warren? You've changed."
That was the first time I'd come back to North Carolina since that viral video. I remember him and his brother on the porch, and we were talking about it. He'd had a few beers, so that might have had something to do with it. But yeah, he was literally in tears.
What condition were you in?
Like I always am. I was like, I will talk to you, man. We can walk through it step by step. I don't care if you want to be trans. But do you understand that tomorrow, given the framework you're proposing, I could decide I'm a woman and now have legal access to all these spaces? Do you see how if anyone can do that, that could be problematic?
[...] He's like, I don't understand what you're saying. I said, okay, which part do you not understand?
The JK Rowling viral video that absolutely changed everything ... https://youtu.be/GHbWiMiXE40
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/GHbWiMiXE40
[...] In the video, which Smith posted on his YouTube channel, the student criticizes the famous author for her “bigoted opinions” about transgender women competing in female-only sports. Reacting to that accusation, the soft-spoken teacher gently challenged the unseen student to participate in a “thought experiment,” beginning with defining what “bigoted opinion” means.
[...] Challenged by Smith to give an example of Rowling’s transphobia, the student reads a Twitter post from Rowling from 2019 [...] “Do you find that transphobic yourself?” Smith asks the student.
“I myself don’t really have an opinion,” the student amazingly replies. “I’m just going with what a lot of other people have said.”
THE DAILY HERETIC (guest Warren Smith)
https://youtu.be/GHbWiMiXE40
VIDEO EXCERPTS: What was that JK Rowling situation? What happened in the classroom?
[...] There were a lot of people at the school that were not happy. ... I've never disclosed its name because it just feels weird to dox a school. If they want to do it, that's fine.
And just seeing the number of people trying to get me fired from there ... I got an email from the dean or the head of the chair saying, "Hey, our social media team has picked up a massive amount of activity targeting you. You're being targeted online, and we have a policy. If we detect a faculty member being targeted, we offer to step in and blah, blah."
Like if you need support, let us know. I appreciate it, guys. That's nice of you. And I was surprised because I'm sure they were aware of the whole thing. And that was their response. They didn't do anything beyond that. [...] A few weeks, a few months went by, and I did end up still getting fired as a result of it. But it turned out to have been a blessing.
Yeah. Well, now you have a successful YouTube channel, and it's maybe a job that you are more passionate about.
Yes. I enjoy it a lot. Though there are things I miss about teaching.
What was it about JK Rowling that was being said in that video?
A student asked me, "What are your views on JK Rowling? Have your views on Harry Potter changed given her bigoted opinions?"
And there's a presupposition there. What are you basing that on? And he didn't have anything, and then his mind was changed by the end of it. Five-minute exchange.
[...] You get so annoyed. You go through graduate school, and you have friends and family that are just in tears over JK Rowling. And they're saying, "How could you? And sorry you got fired, Warren, but you did say JK Rowling is not bigoted."
[Laughter] Did you have people actually say that to you?
Yeah. Friends, best friend, childhood friend.
How did that go? That conversation?
I feel bad talking about it. I'm keeping his identity private, but I don't think he'll see this. He was in tears that night because, "What are you doing, Warren? You've changed."
That was the first time I'd come back to North Carolina since that viral video. I remember him and his brother on the porch, and we were talking about it. He'd had a few beers, so that might have had something to do with it. But yeah, he was literally in tears.
What condition were you in?
Like I always am. I was like, I will talk to you, man. We can walk through it step by step. I don't care if you want to be trans. But do you understand that tomorrow, given the framework you're proposing, I could decide I'm a woman and now have legal access to all these spaces? Do you see how if anyone can do that, that could be problematic?
[...] He's like, I don't understand what you're saying. I said, okay, which part do you not understand?
The JK Rowling viral video that absolutely changed everything ... https://youtu.be/GHbWiMiXE40