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Univ. of Chicago student called a 'bully' by media says they are 'scared' of conservatives speaking out
By Kristine Parks
Published July 13, 2023
A conservative student who faced media attacks after exposing a course called "The Problem of Whiteness," at his school, said the blowback shows the left doesn't expect conservatives to push back.
"If you're a conservative, 'shut up, obey, don't say anything,'" Daniel Schmidt told Fox News Digital.
The incoming junior at the University of Chicago and self-described activist said the controversy began after he stumbled across the class while browsing the upcoming semester's catalog last fall.
"And it just stood out to me," Schmidt said. "Can you imagine if there were a class called ‘Problem of Blackness’ [or] ‘Problem of Jewishness?’…Everyone would be talking about it."
His tweets about the class blew up, drawing negative attention to the school and lecturer, Dr. Rebecca Journey.
PROFESSOR LAMBASTS WHITE PEOPLE AS ‘DAMAGING’ WHO NEED TO DISMANTLE THEIR ‘WHITENESS’
Daniel Schmidt told Fox News Digital about the media attacks against him after he exposed lecturer's ‘The Problem of Whiteness’ course. (Fox News Digital)
Dr. Journey filed two complaints about the sophomore to school administration, the New York Times reported last week.
Journey went to the media to air her complaints after the school administration said Schmidt's actions were protected under the university's policy of free expression.
The instructor attacked the school for excusing "white rage, misogyny, and antisemitism," in a school newspaper op-ed and claimed Schmidt's tweets could inspire an "armed white nationalist" to shoot up her classroom.
Schmidt said Journey was unsuccessful in her attempts to "get him expelled, twice" but that didn't stop the negative media attention directed toward him. A CNN opinion piece recently called him a "bully" and the New York Times questioned if he was guilty of cyberbullying.
Schmidt argued the media's "overreaction" to his actions shows their hypocrisy about student activism. (Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File)
Schmidt argues the media's "overreaction" to his activism is hypocritical because the press doesn't seem to care when liberal students try to "dox" professors and ruin lives."
"They totally are shocked when a conservative, White male speaks up. I mean, you know, let's be honest, Black Lives Matter activists, they try to cancel professors all the time. They try to dox students. They try to ruin lives. I mean, this happens on a regular basis. And I don't see any New York Times article being written about this. I don't see any CNN article about this. But when a conservative student does it, that's —totally [the] end of the world," he remarked.
Schmidt believes these "hit pieces" show liberal media outlets are "a little scared" of how effective the conservative minority on college campuses can be.
The student cited other instances of discriminatory policies, saying he was barred from a debate tournament because he's White, and not allowed in campus dining halls during the pandemic because he was unvaccinated. After he found out that the vaccine policy was illegal in the city of Chicago, he wrote about it and administration officials "quietly reversed" it, he said.
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Schmidt praised The University of Chicago for defending his right to free speech. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Schmidt emphasized how he thinks his school is much better than most universities in defending free speech. At another school, he thinks he would've been kicked out by now. However, he continues to highlight what he sees as "anti-White" policies on his campus in an effort to improve the school he loves.
He hopes his activism encourages other students around the country to speak up at their schools as well.
"Your voice is more powerful than you think," he said. "University administration are fragile….they are not used to students calling them out."
Multiple requests for comment from Dr. Journey went unanswered.
The University of Chicago declined to comment on the instructor's filed complaints, citing privacy concerns.
The school defended "The Problem of Whiteness" course while maintaining that they do not tolerate threats.
"The University supported the teaching of this course in many ways, and the course was taught successfully and without incident this spring," a spokesperson said. "We take any potential threats against members of the University community extremely seriously."
The school also cited a 2015 university policy on freedom of expression which says, in part, "It is not the proper role of the University to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive."
Fox News' Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/univ-chicago-student-called-bully-media-scared-conservatives-speaking