Ramapo College prof who said Trump-voting minorities are ‘dead to me’ accuses critics of ‘cancel culture’ for exposing his rants
“‘Conservatives’ should be happy that I never could, and probably never will, change anyone's minds away from their deeply held convictions. It's a good thing conservatives don't believe in #CancelCulture,” he wrote.
‘We are deeply concerned about the potential impact these posts may have on our campus community, including the learning environment. . . . We take these concerns seriously,’ a college spokesperson told Campus Reform.
A professor in a New Jersey college has criticized Campus Reform in response to the exposing of his rants against people who voted for President-elect Donald Trump.
Professor Tae Yang Kwak, who teaches history at Ramapo College in New Jersey, strongly expressed his anger at Trump’s victory, as Campus Reform reported Tuesday.
On Nov. 7, Kwak wrote: “Yesterday, I told my dear friend Sky Muhammad that my tank is running on fumes... I have to look out for me and mine, us and ours. In the past, I tried, really tried, but I’m no Daryl Davis. Every White majority Trump voter and every internally colonized non-White Trump voter is dead to me now. You have to put on your own oxygen mask first, or you’ll be dead and useless to everyone, and a lot of friends, family, and strangers need us now more than ever.”
[RELATED: Unhinged higher ed reactions to Trump’s win: ROUNDUP]
Following Campus Reform’s Tuesday story, Kwak kept the original post but added: “The above post has been written up in Campus Reform, ‘a conservative watchdog.’ I’ve not edited the original text (it’s screenshotted in the ‘article’ anyway). The link to Daryl Davis (below) was posted in the comments since this post was posted, in case anyone didn’t know who and what I was talking about.”
He continued, discussing the case of Daryl Davis, a black man who “befriend[ed] over twenty members of the KKK, and claims to have been directly responsible for between forty and sixty, and indirectly over two hundred people leaving the Klan.”
Kwak concluded: “Again, I’m not Davis. I don’t have any energy left to try to change any minds. ‘Conservatives’ should be happy that I never could, and probably never will, change anyone’s minds away from their deeply held convictions. It’s a good thing conservatives don’t believe in #CancelCulture.”
Kwak made numerous other controversial posts both recently and throughout the years, including repeatedly using the slur “WyPipo” and condemning minorities who do not share his political views.
Since the publication of Campus Reform’s story, Kwak also seemingly deleted or restricted access to at least two previous posts that referred to former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) as having a “punchable face” and to Trump advisor Stephen Miller as “eminently punchable.”
[RELATED: Trump won because of racism and sexism, claim faculty at University of California, Berkeley]
A Ramapo spokesperson told Campus Reform regarding its original story about Kwak: “On November 19, the College was made aware of posts by Professor Kwak to his personal social media account. We are deeply concerned about the potential impact these posts may have on our campus community, including the learning environment. While personal social media profiles of employees and students do not represent the views of the College, we recognize that posts shared publicly can influence the sense of trust, respect, and inclusion that are fundamental to our community’s values.”
The spokesperson continued: “We take these concerns seriously. As an institution of higher learning, we are committed to fostering an environment where all individuals feel respected and supported, and where dialogue and growth can occur constructively. We expect all members of our community to engage in ways that uphold the principles of mutual respect and understanding.”
In another follow up email, the Ramapo spokesperson told Campus Reform on Thursday: “Tae Kwak is an employee of Ramapo College and this matter is being addressed. While the social media activity of our employees and students does not represent the views of the College, we remain concerned about the impact the posts may have on our community. Further, we will continue, as a community, to insist upon civil discourse as we do not wish to contribute to the dehumanizing rhetoric that surrounds so many of us.”
Professors at several other universities have had strong reactions following Trump’s victory, such as Leonard Serrato, a University of Oregon staffer who told Trump voters on social media: “If you are so sad about your groceries being expensive, get a better f--king paying job. Do better in life, get a f--king education. . . . Do something because you’re f--king stupid, and I hope you go jump off of a f--king bridge.”
