"Skin Deep: The Battle for the Soul of Smith College" Jodi Shaw Cornell University, October 16, 2023

A naive liberal lands a dream job at her alma mater 25 years after graduation only to find the once-beloved institution is now hell-bent on creating a work/learning environment of fear, hostility and exclusion, all justified by benevolent-sounding missives such as "social justice" and "inclusion."
Thank you to Randy O. Wayne, Heterodox Academy Campus Community, the Alumni Free Speech Association (AFAS) and the American Council for Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) for making this talk possible.

[@Ambie61107]

Thank you Jodi. I found you through Megyn Kelly. I have sons that are 17 and 13 and what I’ve seen the last few years has truly scared me. I can’t figure out how it all runs so deep. But thank you very much for seeing the battle and being a voice of reason. Idk what the future brings but I know that voices like yours are invaluable. So thank you for not being scared to speak up. ❤❤ All the best to you and yours!

[@friedmandesigns]

Please keep on, Jodi. You are a voice for intellect and reason and *true* compassion in this epoch of Cognition-Control Cartels gaming autonomy and perceptual engines. The Sun also rises, and our future selves look back on this time of pitchforks and circular firing squads and are extremely grateful for folks like you. Thank you

[@JodiShawMusicianPoet]

Thanks, this means a lot to me, friend. Onward…

[@sherrijanzen9168]

Let’s go, Jodi!

[@sarazen]

I am so grateful for Jodi as an example. A very similar thing happened to me last fall when I was a student at the University of Tennessee in their Clinical Mental Health Counselor program. I was called out and humiliated after talking about my Buddhist practice, which was equated with color-blind racism. I have finally made a video of my own

[@Badlands_moon]

Are you familiar with Leslie Elliott's story & her 'Radical Center" channel ? She was doing her masters in Psychology and ....

[@JodiShawMusicianPoet]

Oh, the humiliation. It can have long lasting effects on the psyche. I’m so sorry to hear it.

[@JodiShawMusicianPoet]

Yes definitely check out Leslie Elliott - (a good friend of mine!)

[@mantasvilunas2636]

where is that video ?

[@snorgonofborkkad]

Jodi Shaw is Punk Rock. ✊

[@JodiShawMusicianPoet]

Best compliment ever ❤

[@rossgooding7423]

Rap and musical skills impress!

[@goodgrief888]

She really is. I started to hint on social media about the similar situation happening to me, years ago, and I suddenly found that people were unfriending me in droves. I caved and stopped discussing it, even with my husband. I learned that acknowledging this stuff happening to me would leave me completely alone. Even when I took art classes I found that even this “merit is bad” philosophy had permeated that when the instructor said that there’s no such thing as talent (he was lacking in talent himself) and then a month later asked that people with talent step back and not show their work in the student show, as it intimidates potential students who think that you have to be extremely talented to be able to do art. It was confusing to me, since he had previously said that talent didn’t exist and could be taught.

[@babsruth]

Thank you, Jodi, for standing up for truth and justice, and foundational principles on which this nation was founded, and what made American a great, giving nation. We are losing our moorings as a nation, and all paying the price for these dabased, hostile ideologies.I used to teach a course in student success course (for 7 years) and one of the core things we taught was to "ditch the victim mindset," and through that saw hundreds of students of all races "liberated" from their own mindsets. They recognized that their mindsets were there enemy, not some vague system, white supremiciists or any any other straw man created by CRT and CSJ advocates. Change always begins within.

[@Debsilvermusic]

Thank you @jodishawmusicianpoet You're courage to be true to your heart is a profound lesson I take with me. Thank you from the fearless part of mine.

[@lotteingerslev5776]

Thank you SO much, Jodi, for blazing the trail! ❤

[@AnthonyKellett]

Obviously, having followed your public journey virtually since day one, I'm well versed in your story. However, the refresher was welcome and the Q&A gave food for thought.

[@hubrisnaut]

Great to hear from you again Jodi, I grew up in Maine and still live here. In my opinion you are right. ~tjb~

[@Silvangreen]

I admire Jodi tremendously. She makes an excellent presentation of the process she went through and what she has learned. I have my fingers crossed that her lawsuit is successful. She is making a difference.

[@ChrisFaa]

Keep going Jodi. Thank you for your work. It’s actually *you* who is stunning and brave.

[@traderbellie799]

Great talk, Jodi. Keep it up.

[@bg-id1uo]

Jodi love your KZbin Channel ! Keep up the super job !

[@kateburke5743]

Great talk and the Q and A was excellent!

[@markworden9169]

I've followed since the beginning. I'm sorry this happened to you. I've went through something kinda similar at the municipality at worked at for 23 years, HR is not your friend, I filed a complaint with the state Bureau of labor and they found the city was discriminating against me, the city investigation found themselves not guilty imagine that, and it goes on, thanks Jody keep up the good fight.

[@tatpole99]

Jodi, I've been following you since your first KZbin video, and it's been great to see you grow in stature and confidence. If more people who think that the obvious neurotic nonsense and injustice you are fighting against were a bit more brave, it would be squashed in an instant. But in the meantime, glad you have the guts to lead and show the way.

[@LLLMYOB]

Hi Jodi 👋🏻 I have followed your journey since the beginning (first youtube vid). You have been so inspirational and therapeutic for numerous people including myself. I admire your strength and grace in spearheading this enormous challenge to hold accountable the hypocritical actions of several Smith College personnel. Their belief system and associated discriminatory actions are truly cult-like. May your strength, compassion, and courage flourish!

[@Badlands_moon]

Wonderful talk, Jodi ! Thank you.

[@kevinesler9032]

Good on you Jodi. Brava. Keep pursuing the via pulchridinis.

[@pcomitz]

Smith College is a disgraceful institution. We admire your perseverance. Please don't let them get away with it.

[@battygirlrachel]

Great presentation!

[@JodiShawMusicianPoet]

Thanks for watching !

[@deploribusrex4480]

Keep up the good fight!

[@edmundfrith]

Hi Jody! Always so glad to hear you speak about where you were and where you are in relation to where WE are likely, possibly, potentially going. Its been a while since I checked in here and I see its sort of been a while for yourself as well, so sorry if this comment comes in late -- but, I wanted to point out that when the young lawyer to be asked where do we go from here, and you had a typically wise and pointed answer, 'as said earlier, its a psychological problem' -- I was very pleased to hear you take the question back to that -- but then, you said, 'its a problem of the left' -- umm.... yes, but of the right too, and the center, and at any other point. IF it is a psychological problem, then, I say, on the level at which it is going to be solved (and by that I mean, deeply understood!) then it is ALL of our problem. We lean to our allies, I understand this. ALL of us, I say, have SOME place in our lives and our beliefs and our philosophy, where we are taking a truth, and converting it into a certainty -- instead of carrying it in our hearts as a living question, which is what was REQUIRED of the admins at the institutions (here and everywhere.) The psychological problem is turning a flowing river, into a solid block of sludge -- that is, seeking a formula for justice, instead of understanding justice as a living movement. As you say, always 'in context.' My argument.

[@Reachnopreach]

Hey Jodi. I'm facing a somewhat similar situation. My university has breached the contract of my employment with them without even really being clear about what I've done wrong. This is because I haven't done anything wrong and they're genuflecting to radical ideological motivation. How were you able to find a lawyer willing to help you in your situation?

[@DEWwords]

Good stuff.It's all about breaking the sense/logic/language connection. Social justice isn't just. That's #1... 2) BLM isn't about all Black lives... just the representational professional-managerial ones... It's the Church of College administrators... and all the sacrements. And pecking order.

[@roberts3784]

Critical Social Justice theory shares many similarities with Marxist class struggle theory, where social identity has replaced class relations, and they are both anti-capitalist. In Marxist theory, all relationships, cultural, social and political institutions are defined by their relation to capital.

[@rossgooding7423]

Amazon Prime great show “The Boys” pokes fun at the suffocating wokeness of society and companies. Brutal ,funny and entertaining

[@hlicj]

Implicit bias is a psychological mechanism that is based on frequency of observation -- this implies that everybody (including all creeds, all walks of life) has "implicit bias" as it is part of how we learn about the world (in a subjective perspective) and thus obviously it can never be "ruled out"; it is a factor that can utterly explain anything (and thus the science behind it, the possibility of a causal explanation) is highly doubtful.

[@kimberleyfloyd8179]

Hey Jodi and everyone! Thanks for sharing your story. When you mentioned your sons and their resistance to buy into the ideology, it occurred to me that it seems like the 'establishment' thinks it still is the anti-establishment. It obviously is not to me. It's is in every aspect of our lives whether it is political or governmental or in business. Not to mention in the arts. I am in Canada and not to cause offense or anything, but you can't go to the liquor store, school, or bank without being visually confronted by some aspect of the overall ideology. It could be a flag or a sign or a reminder. I'm not sure if it is as extreme in the US as here. I constantly feel a bit gaslit, to be honest. I, too, am liberal leaning and hide under the sheets watching JP. Luckily my husband is like me. My question, Jodi, is how do you navigate the music scene when it seems like the arts are so captured? I wonder if the people running the show have any clue that they are actually the current establishment?! Just a few of my thoughts.

[@kimberleyfloyd8179]

I wrote this and then returned, and you answered it sort of. Beauty!!! I must return to my painting.

[@peterfairley1]

Part of Jodi's 'Million dollar question' about equal protection under the law is the right to an attorney. Who is Jodi's attorney and how long can her legal power endure long delays? If she was not white she could go to the government discrimination office and get free legal assistance; Smith attorneys would see "the system" is not systemic in Smith's favor and settle quickly.. Another example of the absurdity of the "systemic racism" meme we are frequently assaulted with. Good luck to Jodi. I am glad it is not me in her position. I feel a kinship having gone to Amherst and having spent lots of time with Smith classes and friends.. I am sorry I cannot give more support in person. I found USA politics so tedious I left the country 20 years ago. There is lots of racial preference where I live now, that is somewhat of a negative in my life but it is easier to deal with than what many whites experience in USA. From here I see shocking similarities in BLM advocates essentially telling blacks they have "a right to jihad" similar to what Hamas teaches. USA & countries in EU etc really need to wise up about this right to jihad. One bad cop [or even several bad cops out of a million cops and billions of police encounters] does not give mobs the right to destroy cities and make it bad for police to fight back when they do..

[@ripple947]

The most significant event that ever happened at Cornell happened on 5/8/77

[@JodiShawMusicianPoet]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKPXnJV7q5mifLMsi=TfnsyPjUVsxDcMQS

[@janeeyre3649]

I really wanted to listen to this, but I stopped at minute 9:05 where she says. "Ideas, in and of themselves, do not hurt people, no matter what anybody tells you". And then, she giggles? I'd like to add : no matter what YOU FEEL ? It is proven by neurosciences that words (to exist, idea's ought to be embodied, aren't they ?) can activate the same region of the brain as the one for physical pain: exact the same region. This being said, I would like to express my wish for this ugly "skin deep" battle between Democrats and Repubicans not to be imported in EUROPE. I hope we will remain intellectually independant enough to stay outside of it. But I fear we are already contaminated. Still, I myself won't choose between this two radicalizing ideologies. I don't want any ideology, I want freedom of thinking.

[@goutvols103]

The question that should be asked is if she still listens to Dr. Peterson?

[@catserver8577]

All I feel sure of, is that if someone wants to end inequality and acknowledge others' struggles, the beginning and ending points need to be the final solution of not continuing to create those environments. There will not be a successful overturning of any unfair social structure if the solution only continues it or expands it. I believe the "woke" movement is both generational and not new, but one that occurs when progress is made in social structuring and a period of positive behavior follows. A generation following this period of relative peace is not as exposed to outright discrimination, but to insidious, long standing traditions that one could call systemic racism or closet racism. What follows is a second generation who has not, because of societal norms, been educated fully about our country's past history of inequality in schools. Eventually, the second generation discovers the past and current roadblocks and are understandably horrified by the underlying pattern of oppression that has and still is occurring. Anger is then an obvious reaction. I think the mistakes in repairing these serious problems can be lifted by: First, any progress made in the elimination of inequality, racism and other social evils needs to be called out as loudly as the calling out of the failings to do so. Second: We must never allow ourselves to forget the past, especially if the current day is still being affected by them. A thorough telling of the accurate facts of the country's history, without bias and with great detail needs to be taught in elementary, middle and high schools. This is not being done and has not been done, at this point. And third, but most importantly: All those who are at the forefront of change, education, social justice, social change, and the elimination of inequality must also ensure THEY ARE NOT EMPLOYING THE SAME TACTICS OR CREATING THE SAME RESULTS. We can't make this into the kind of world that is wanted by creating more of the same. We can't continue to ignore the more insidious effects from classism, and the corporatization of human society into a mass production hive that benefits a tiny minority of wealthy people constantly in power since before this country was created. Fix these things, and not only will we all be awakened, we will never fall back to sleep again. And it will improve everything.

[@hlicj]

This describes the "struggle sessions" of China's "cultural revolution" that destroyed that country in just a few decades. That is a culture, with traditions that go back several continuous millennia, was destroyed in just a few decades.

[@texcatlipocajunior144]

Ain't nothing new. After all, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. You can't just set some social structure in place and then walk away with no worries. Grift is pernicious.

[@user-dm9kw1pp3y]

While I can sympathize with you, this happened in 2021. I've worked in academia and experienced bad situations and put in a complaint, resigned and moved on. You've put this out there in the media when this happened...fine. But doing so now after a new president and new admin at Smith, that I don't understand. Viewpoints, and school culture changes with changes in administration. You are putting a lot of students in harms way considering what was said by the host in the last interview you did.

[@brstman]

With the new college environment, University of Pennsylvania President resigned. Could you now speak at more Colleges and Universities telling your story?