A Queen’s professor has drawn criticism from campus groups over comments she made in a letter published on Wednesday in the Toronto Star.
In her letter, Adèle Mercier, a professor in the philosophy department, wrote that the scene she witnessed on Aberdeen Street on Saturday night “filled me with revulsion never felt before.” Mercier also wrote: “[I was disgusted] at the thought that I devote my life to teaching students who turn into numbskulls worthy of the Hitler youth at the drop of a beer keg.”
Queen’s Hillel has issued a statement concerning the letter, which said, “Professor Adèle Mercier made a gruesome and callous remark in which she compared the behaviour of some Queen’s students to the Hitler youth. Although we value freedom of expression, we found that some of Dr. Mercier’s comments were grossly insensitive to Jewish students on campus.” Hillel President Ira Goldstein, ArtSci ’07, said he was “taken aback” by the comparison.
“I understand her anger,” Goldstein told the Journal. “There’s emotions running high right now and her feelings are shared by so many people. Everyone’s condemning what happened on Saturday night, [but] she could have gotten her point across in a much more responsible manner.
“I understand she wanted to draw a parallel, but that parallel offends us as Jews and Queen’s students in general because … there are students on campus whose grandparents were involved in the Holocaust.” Goldstein said that he and Hillel believe Mercier should apologize for her remarks.
In an interview with the Journal, Mercier said she regrets that her statement caused offense, but does not intend to apologize.
“It’s important not to interpret me as saying the events on Aberdeen Street are the same as the Holocaust,” Mercier said. “Who were the Hitler youth? They were just nice kids that stopped thinking, and it’s very dangerous to stop thinking because look at where it can lead. [It’s] ceasing to be rational. It may seem harmless, but we know we have horrible incidents of what can happen when people stop being rational.” Mercier said she became aware that her letter had offended some students after a student dropped by her office. Since then, she has received several e-mails from students. She said some e-mails have asked her to resign, while others have been from students who would like to meet with her.
Later in the Toronto Star, Mercier wrote that virtually all of those present on Aberdeen Street last weekend were “white, privileged middle-class kids.”
That comment has drawn the attention of AMS President Ethan Rabidoux.
“Now we have comparisons to Hitler youth and we’re being typecast and stereotyped as white, middle-class students,” Rabidoux said, adding Queen’s students come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
“A lot of students are struggling their way through [financially], and a lot of students were not on Aberdeen,” he said.
Mercier said her characterization of “white, privileged, middle-class kids” was meant to apply only to those she observed on Aberdeen Street on Saturday night.
“I was at the party for several hours, and I made a note of noting the ethnic variety of the kids at the party,” Mercier said. “I went there with the intent of noticing that and what the proportion of men to women was.”
Mercier said she made the characterization in reference to the Toronto Star and Kingston Whig-Standard’s decision to put a photo of a black partier on their front pages.
“[The Aberdeen party] was overwhelmingly white, and the point about that is the unfairness of having this black kid be the poster boy for the drunken brawl,” Mercier said. “I think that’s reprehensible.” Mercier added that she does not think Queen’s students are universally white and middle-class, but does think they are all privileged.
“I don’t think anybody at Queen’s can argue they’re lacking in privilege compared to other Canadians,” Mercier said. “They’re at one of the best research institutions in the country. You have to be worthy of the privilege.”
Mercier also told the Journal she believes there is an underlying psychology of “incredible self-entitlement” among students.
“There’s this implicit mentality that because they contribute so much money to the city, it confers upon them certain freedoms that other residents of Kingston don’t have. The freedom to drink in public, the freedom to drink underage [and] the freedom to have parties that annoy their neighbours,” Mercier said.
Rabidoux said he is concerned that Mercier chose to enclose her position at the University with the letter.
“Every individual has the right to state their own opinion, but she attached the Queen’s name to that letter, therefore people will assume when reading it it’s a reflection of Queen’s attitude to this situation,” Rabidoux said.
“The administration has not been proactive in standing up for students. Now they absolutely have to get out there and challenge these accusations.
“Students are saying to me, ‘If faculty are saying this, then it’s pretty obvious [we can’t] expect the administration to defend us to the city council and media when they’re not defending us to their own staff.’ I don’t believe for a second that [letter] reflects what the vast majority of faculty think.”
“If they’re going to treat it as an isolated incident and let it slide, then the damage to the administration’s credibility with students will be incalculable,” Rabidoux added.
University spokesperson Therese Greenwood said Principal Karen Hitchcock had no specific comment about Mercier’s letter.
“The Principal feels like she’s made her own opinion known through her statement and she’s interested in what other people have to say,” Greenwood said, adding the “other people” include community members, students and faculty.
Rabidoux said he believes Mercier’s comments were offensive and “are not helping anything.”
“It’s getting to the point where absolute hysteria is replacing reason,” he said. “This is a complicated issue and what we need is for everyone to take a deep breath and we’ll decide what to do.” Mercier said she was moved to write the letter out of her commitment to students.
“It’s not all and only Queen’s students who are like this,” she said. “You expect better of Queen’s students. I’m very dedicated to my students and I’ll be damned if I stand by … I consider myself first and foremost a teacher, and I consider it my duty to scold when I think scolding is appropriate.
“My students will attest—I think almost universally—I’m a very devoted teacher and there’s something parental about being a teacher and I was hoping my students would listen to me.”
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