By Noel Ignatiev
A few days ago (November 18 to be exact) an enterprising blogger posted an article claiming to be an account of my final lecture to students in which I called for the destruction of all white people and urged all white males to commit suicide, along with an interview I purportedly gave in which I defended and elaborated on the lecture. Several websites picked up the story and Rush Limbaugh devoted considerable attention to it. I received a fair amount of mail, generally calling upon me to set the example, in some cases threatening me or calling me “kike,” “commie,” “scumbag” or the like. My place of employment received a number of phone inquiries, to which they responded by releasing the following statement:
We are saddened and disturbed to discover a recent blog post hoax with false and inaccurate claims being made against Professor Noel Ignatiev. This blog post is fraudulent and perniciously defames the reputation and standing of MassArt – its mission and its values. Certain internet commentators and writers have discovered this blog post and are perpetuating these inaccurate claims, despite the blogger’s own disclaimer statement that reads: “I created this blog for my own personal amusement”.
Massachusetts College of Art and Design is committed to diversity, inclusion and equity as core values for a thriving, respectful and creative community. We proactively foster an educational environment where discrimination, disrespect, and hatred is neither accepted nor tolerated.
Please direct any further inquiries to the President’s Office on this matter.
Thank you for your cooperation.
I was more amused than saddened, but I’m a person, not a college.
To those who wrote in response to the “report” of my “lecture” and “interview” and invited me to commit suicide (incidentally showing the sort of person they are by the names they called me):
You’ve been had. The clue is the following, from the blog that first ran the “story”:
“The original content on this blog is largely satirical…. I created this blog for my own personal amusement.”
Learn to read before you go off.
This little tempest shows that, in spite of undeniable changes in American life, the concerns that led us to start Race Traitor still inspire strong feelings. And contrary to the report, I haven’t retired.
