Professor David Guth, University of Kansas, tweeted shortly after the Navy yard shooting:
#NavyYardShooting The blood is on the hands of the #NRA. Next time, let it be YOUR sons and daughters. Shame on you. May God damn you.
He was suspended from work because of that tweet.
When asked by a reporter about the tweet in mid-September, he replied “Hell no, hell no, I do not regret that Tweet,” he said. “I don’t take it back one bit.”
That stance probably contributed to the suspension.
He’s since apologized and is now returning to work, saying that “some interpreted my tweet differently than it was intended” and “I don’t want anyone’s children hurt. The fact my words were misconstrued is my fault.”
I read the tweet. I’m not sure how anyone could misinterpret that. Either he meant it or he didn’t. In the initial interview, he emphatically said he meant it and had no intention of retracting. I guess the threat of losing his job probably weighed heavily on him.
But to say the tweet was “misconstrued” is just ludicrous. He should have just come out and issued an apology for an inappropriate statement about something he felt very passionate about. But instead, he puts the blame on the reader for misunderstanding his intentions. Shameful.
Be careful what you write. Own up to your statements. And, when necessary, apologize. Nobody’s perfect.
Professor Guth won’t be back in the classroom, at least not this year. He continues to be on administrative duty for now.
This wasn’t the first time he’s lashed out inappropriately. CampusReform.org reports “that Guth was also publicly censured by the university on October 8, 2010 for “unprofessional, threatening, and abusive behavior towards another faculty.””
Considering the fact that he’s shaping young minds, let’s hope there isn’t another “incident.”
What do you think? Was this simply his right to free speech? Should he have been suspended or fired or not? Let me hear your thoughts…
You can read more about this story here and get additional background from previous stories here and here.
Photo credit: Flickr butupa
Via The Real Side with Joe Messina 10/29/13
