Progressive Heads Explode at the Audacity of NYU Student Sara Ackerman

New York University student Sara Ackerman rejected the Occupy Wall Street assignment of Professor Caitlin Zaloom.

Pamela has the report, "Professor Forced NYU Student to Go to #OWS Against Her Will for Class Requirement."

I have some questions about Ackerman. For example, was her course a requirement, and if not, why not just drop the class if she opposed the ethnography assignment on Occupy Wall Street? And her demand that Professor Zaloom be fired is a bit much. That said, it's alleged that the university was ready to giver her an "A" in the course in exchange for her keeping quiet about the matter. That'd be hush money, if true, and obviously those offering such payments have something to hide (the administration denies it). See the original article, "NYU Student Weaves Elaborate Email-Drama, Beefs With Administration Over OWS And Student Ethics." (The e-mails are at the link, and Ackerman appears perfectly lucid to me.) Whatever happened, my hunch is that folks at NYU couldn't believe Ackerman wasn't down with the program --- and you know how progressives react when conservatives deviate from the accepted narrative: KABOOM!! These f-kers bring down the hammer of PC totalitarianism and progressive hate and recrimination. They libel and smear dissenters as "unhinged" and "threatening" --- Ackerman's mental health was questioned --- and the university threatened her with "disciplinary action."

And for what? Ackerman claimed that she wanted an alternative assignment for fear of her safety. As the report indicates:

Sara says she refused to go down because of ethical disagreements and concerns about “the criminals, drug addicts, mentally ill people” that were there.

Well, considering the dregs of society populating OWS, I can't say I blame her.

Either way, the reaction across the institutional leftosphere is a stark reminder of the deep divisions in society over the scope of decency and freedom of conscience. The progs practically want Ackerman's scalp.

See, for example Huffington Post, "NYU's Sara Ackerman Tries to Get Professor Fired Over Occupy Wall Street Assignment."

And Sydney Brownstone, at The L, rips into Ackerman for her evil representation of "the degree of segregation by economic status in which this country is currently steeped." See: "NYU Student Goes Apeshit Over OWS Assignment, Reaches Out to Lady Gaga, TV Talk Shows on Facebook." And more over the top headlining at Gawker, "The Crazy Department-Wide Emails That Everyone at NYU Is Talking About," and New York Magazine, "NYU Student Flips Out Over Occupy Wall Street Assignment."