Kathleen Stock: Jason Arday, Cambridge's DEI Darling

link

   Arday is clearly unqualified...even in perhaps the weakest discipline in academia...(and that's saying something...) He is undeniably a DEI hire. He is a serial fabulist--and his tall tales aren't even minimally credible. He is the poster child for academic Woketarianism and in particular DEI. Cambridge has embarrassed itself but it simply will not admit it. It and he have their defenders. Here, for example, is a mess of thermonuclear cringe, an open letter in Arday and Cabridge's defense.

Here's an embarrassing paragraph:

It is difficult to ignore the question of motivation. When a distinguished Black academic is repeatedly subjected to baseless allegations after being fully exonerated, it signals there is an attempt to undermine Black people who hold positions of influence.

Contrariwise:

It isn't at all difficult to ignore the question of motivation. Regardless of anyone's motivation, the charges against Arday are devastating. And at least most of them are far from "baseless"--they are supported by extremely strong evidence. Cofnas carefully documents Arday's extensive plagiarism, for example. But Cambridge and at least some of the relevant journals are helping cover it up. No ordinary academician would be afforded the opportunity to go back into a published paper filled with plagiarism and add references. He has not been "exonerated"...much less "fully" so. Rather, at least many of the accusations are clearly true. So, again: motives need not come into this.

...however...

When an obviously unqualified academic is obviously hired because of his race--and, perhaps, his tall tales about disability ("neurodivergence")...and when it has been proven that he plagiarized and lied...and when the leftist establishment nevertheless refuses to accept the plain facts of the matter...

...well...it's just the opposite of what the authors and signatories of the open letter would have you believe.

Obviously.

   Contrast Arday and Cofnas: the former is--well, see above. Cofnas is smart, intellecutally independent, fearless, and astute. But Cofnas is white, and has the temerity to speak politically incorrect truths. Arday is black, and checks all the woke boxes. Cofnas was chased out of Cambridge and is lucky to have found a position he hasn't been run out of...yet. Arday's indefensible actions are being defended by Cambridge et al...

I thought academia might more or less be done embarrassing itself.

But I was wrong.