A University of Virginia student is suing the school for banning him from campus as a violent threat after he calmly questioned an official’s definition of “microaggression.”
Reason magazine reports:
Kieran Bhattacharya is a student at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine. On October 25, 2018, he attended a panel discussion on the subject of microaggressions. Dissatisfied with the definition of a microaggression offered by the presenter—Beverly Cowell Adams, an assistant dean—Bhattacharya raised his hand…
… “Thank you for your presentation,” said Bhattacharya, according to an audio recording of the event. “I had a few questions, just to clarify your definition of microaggressions. Is it a requirement, to be a victim of microaggression, that you are a member of a marginalized group?”
Adams replied that it wasn’t a requirement.
Bhattacharya suggested that this was contradictory, since a slide in her presentation had defined microaggressions as negative interactions with members of marginalized groups. Adams and Bhattacharya then clashed for a few minutes about how to define the term. It was a polite disagreement. Adams generally maintained that microaggression theory was a broad and important topic and that the slights caused real harm. Bhattacharya expressed a scientific skepticism that a microaggression could be distinguished from an unintentionally rude statement.
After the event assistant professor, Nora Kern filed a “professionalism concern card”
against Bhattacharya, claiming he was “quite antagonistic” and showed “so little respect toward faculty members.”
Kern also claimed “his level of frustration/anger seemed to escalate,” a claim which is not supported by recordings of the event, which show Bhattacharya never losing his temper or expressing frustration.
That led to a personal visit by an assistant dean, who claimed “I simply want to help you understand and be able to cope with unintended consequences of conversations.”
When Bhattacharya still failed to submit to liberal dogma, he was ordered to attend mental health counseling and was reported to university police as a violent threat.
Reason reports:
The student was informed that he must be evaluated by psychological services before returning to classes. Bhattacharya repeatedly asked university officials to clarify what exactly he was accused of, under whose authority his counseling had been mandated, and why his enrollment status was suddenly in doubt, according to the lawsuit. These queries only appear to have made UVA officials more determined to punish him: Bhattacharya’s mounting frustration with these baseless accusations of unspecified wrongdoings was essentially treated as evidence that he was guilty. At his hearing, he was accused of being “extremely defensive” and ordered to change his “aggressive, threatening behavior.”
He was ultimately suspended for “aggressive and inappropriate interactions in multiple situations.” On December 30, UVA police ordered him to leave campus.
Bhattacharya is suing the university for violating his First Amendment rights, and courts have ruled he has a case.
“Bhattacharya sufficiently alleges that Defendants retaliated against him,” Judge Norman Moon ruled. “Indeed, they issued a Professionalism Concern Card against him, suspended him from UVA Medical School, required him to undergo counseling and obtain ‘medical clearance’ as a prerequisite for remaining enrolled, and prevented him from appealing his suspension or applying for readmission.”
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Michael Brigham
Michael Brigham has written for American Action News since the summer of 2019. His areas of expertise include foreign affairs, government, and politics, but regardless of the subject matter, he has a nose and an insatiable appetite for news. In his free time, he enjoys reading nonfiction, watching a mix of comedies and true crime documentaries, and spending time away from the swamp hiking in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Anyone who disagrees with these leftist nut jobs is considered to be an aggressive domestic terrorist. They are rewriting the dictionary of what is allowable in society and unfortunately not enough people have the backbone to stand up to them!
That’s what I’ve been saying
white peoples fault.
The left is nothing but a bunch of illiterate Nazis.
NO CATHOLIC is my ‘bro’. I am an American! NO Catholic is an American. They may be citizens, never Americans. Most CATHOLIC have never read the Constitution of the USA OR the bi-babble!
Excuse me, I am Catholic and have read both the US Constitution and the Bible (Douay-Rhiems, King James, and several more modern translations), probably well before you were born. Where are the facts to back up your assertions? Given your animus, I doubt any Catholic (or other intelligent person) would even want to be your “bro.”
He’s a TROLL trying to get attention. Ignore him and he will go away.
Why the puerile animus against Catholics? And why are you so benighted as to what an American is? Can we also surmise that you’re an atheist apologist?
Hey, Al, isn’t this a continuation of something you said in another post a few days ago. Why the animus against a religion which is conservative and against almost everything that’s happening now from abortion to censorship and control to trans-everything to the open border I don’t happen to be Catholic and feel this is not really what should be in this comment sestion. Most PEOPLE in general have not read the constitution and it certainly isn’t being taught in our public school systems and colleges! Remember, where there is EVIL, there WILL be judgment! Let’s work together against that evil that’s in the government today.
Yeah, I read his rant yesterday, too. Apparently, this is an unhealthy obsession, perhaps brought on by the isolation of the government-created lockdown.
I am not happy with the current leadership of our Roman Catholic Faith, but this, too, shall pass. The Faith will survive.
Al is very scary. I hope his family is keeping an eye on him. He needs help, pray for him.
He’s a TROLL trying to get attention. Ignore him and he will go away.
He’s a TROLL trying to get attention. Ignore him and he will go away.
Boy you are IGNORANT!!! I am a disabled veteran, combat wounded, I am also Catholic, for you to bad mouth me, well, I would kick your ass into next year!!!
You sound to me like you are a DEMENTED COWARD!!! You need to educate yourself!!! You also sound STUPID!!! Just kill yourself!!!
He’s a TROLL trying to get attention. Ignore him and he will go away.
I am Catholic and also a strong conservative as are many of my family and Catholic friends. I am also a veteran as are my uncles and my late husband, all were Catholics. You, al, are an ignorant fool and some might suspect you as a KKK member or at least a sympathizer.
WOW, did you know that Adolph Hitler, Karl Marx, Mao, Castro and Hugo Chavez SAID THE SAME THING? You are in good company,,,Al.
I’d like to dispute your contention that NO Catholic is an American. I am Catholic, have always been catholic, retired from the military, and my conservatism is just to the right of Attila the Hun. I have a copy of the Constitution at my desk, at which I am typing this response. Please do not lump all people together, we’re all individuals. That’s exactly what the libs do!!!
Are you normal?
I would love to see home win billions!
In addition to getting a precise definition of “microaggression,” I’d also like an explanation of how someone can be both “extremely defensive,” and “aggressive” and “threatening” at the same time. Doublethink, anyone?
Sad situation that the Liberals are trying to take away our right to have our opinion if it does to meet their communistic way
He is better off being out of that WACKO place. They are practicing MACRO STUPIDITY.
COMMUNIST AUTHORITARIANS now indoctrinate our children when they go to college! This story is a PRIME EXAMPLE of Joseph Stalin! When ANYONE disagreed with Joseph Stalin, they were COMMITTED TO PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT! And when they finished the treatment, those people would then be telling everyone, “Joseph Stalin is our great Father!” These professors can 🖕🖕🖕!
Come on down to Texas and transfer into one of our Med schools. I will bet that you don’t have the same ridiculous treatment down here.
Isn’t this a macroaggression against an Asian? Then again, so are all College Camus Kangaroo Courts aggressions.
Microaggression is nothing more than a liberal invention to convince people that they are victims in order to control them and others. It’s part of the PC Democrat agenda of identity politics for political advantage.
Someone needs to start a funding page for him; I’d contribute!!! This is unhinged! And as they are getting away with it in a big way….WE have to do something because it has gotten this bad because we DIDN’T do something years ago when all this controlling began. We are almost a communist/marxist state and we can’t let it happen!
Sue UVA’s butts off!
Seems what happened to him is exactly what happens to those in Communist China who disagree with their betters.
This is the Academy’s method of forced indoctrination and group think. One must “go along” to “Get Along.” Any person, student, faculty or staff who violated the WOKE convention is sanctioned and ostracized or expelled as punishment for failure of “Right Thinking.” Sounds like Mao’s Cultural Revolution and it is happening in the US.
The behavior by this school administration is the same behavior that Twitter, Facebook and lamestream media does to anyone who dares to disagree with them. We have let their violation of our rights go for so long that they now think they are above the laws of Americans. I hope more and more people start fighting back against this woke bs and winning and I hope our lame ass congress gets their acts together too and shuts down these bastions of wokeness. They have no place in America.
This happened two and a half years ago – what has happened since?
Welcome to the new antiquainted dystopian society. Follow the rules and lies by the left, and you’ll go far. Disagree, and you’ll be blacklisted, treated as unstable, and maybe get a job sweeping floors or picking up litter from the side of the highway.
I pray this young student uses every single avenue to put these backward, holier-than-thou, pompous professors, school board, etc. in their place. They don’t need to be involved in shaping young minds to be our future healthcare providers, business leaders, and just good, fair, unbiased adults who think with their own minds!
The University’s actions is the only real aggression that happened in this story and it is not a “microaggression” (whatever the hell that is) it is full blown aggression.
HE had a right to ask that question. As a former LEO, I saw MORE Racism in Minority communities then I ever did in “Low Rent” White communities. ANY accusation of Microaggression MUST be taken with the SAME seriousness regardless of Race, Color, Ethnicity or SEX. if not,,it should NOT be taken seriously AT ALL.
F**k these oeople
good hope he takes them for millions
I used to live in Virginia. The pertinent words there are “USED TO.” Not any more since they went BLUE in the 2020 election. Now a proud citizen of Florida. HaHaHaHa!!
GOOD! Hope he beats the crap out of their wallet. That’s trying to confuse thing so nobody will say anything about nothing. Commies are taking over.
When university professors are also wuss snowflakes…good night education! I hope Mr. Bhattacharya WINS.