{"id":14498,"date":"2025-01-01T20:07:29","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T20:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cameraoncampus.org\/?p=14498"},"modified":"2025-01-21T17:10:49","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T17:10:49","slug":"the-reason-im-not-impressed-by-robinsons-response-to-applefield-column","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cameraoncampus.org\/he\/blog\/the-reason-im-not-impressed-by-robinsons-response-to-applefield-column\/","title":{"rendered":"The reason I’m not impressed by Robinson’s response to Applefield column"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than ever, Americans are skeptical of the value of higher education. One need look no further than\u00a0a recent column by Benjamin Robinson<\/a>, an associate professor in the Department of Germanic Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, to understand why such doubts exist.<\/p>\n

Instead of engaging in reasoned debate on\u00a0issues raised by a Jewish student<\/a>, Robinson resorted to straw man arguments and ad hominem attacks. If Robinson is representative of academic faculty in the United States today, then society\u2019s skepticism is warranted.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Rachel Applefield, a student at Indiana University, penned an op-ed in The Herald-Times. Applefield carefully laid out her concerns about the antisemitic and pro-Hamas propaganda that had spread across campus. Concrete examples were provided, as were her reasoned and sourced explanations as to why the rhetoric and symbolism being used was extreme and hateful.<\/p>\n

Applefield\u2019s column demonstrated what society expects from a university education: the ability to intellectually engage on contentious issues in a respectful and reasoned manner. But, while Applefield modeled academic integrity, Robinson exhibited all the anti-intellectual behaviors universities once stood as bastions against.<\/p>\n

A week after Applefield\u2019s op-ed, The Herald-Times published a response from Robinson. The problems begin with the headline itself: \u201cAddressing Rachel Applefield\u2019s apology for Israel\u2019s genocide.\u201d Robinson didn\u2019t take issue with, or even address, the substance of any of the young student\u2019s actual arguments.<\/p>\n

Instead, he attacked her on a personal level, making baseless accusations about Applefield\u2019s motives and opinions, claiming she is \u201cheartless\u201d and \u201cfeels no empathy\u201d toward Gazans. Robinson\u2019s malicious ad hominem attacks are beneath that of any self-respecting newspaper, let alone of a serious academic institution.<\/p>\n

But the problems with Robinson\u2019s op-ed go beyond his schoolyard bullying tactics. Despite the title of his op-ed, Robinson never actually responds to Applefield\u2019s arguments, which are about the antisemitic and pro-Hamas rhetoric of activists on Indiana University\u2019s campus. Other than the personal attacks, Robinson\u2019s entire article is simply a laundry list of the alleged sins of the Jewish state.<\/p>\n

Although none of these perceived sins has any bearing on the points raised by Applefield, Robinson\u2019s article \u2014 and indeed the headline itself \u2014 falsely claimed she was defending said sins.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a classic straw man argument, suggesting an inability to substantively respond to Applefield\u2019s op-ed. Professor Robinson is, of course, entitled to his opinions. But given the quality of his arguments, or rather the lack thereof, the public is also entitled to question the value of the education he is providing to students at Indiana University.<\/p>\n

CAMERA stands unreservedly behind Applefield, who is a 2024-25 CAMERA on Campus fellow. We\u2019re proud of her article and of her ability to engage in public dialogue in a civil, fact-based manner. As for Robinson, who also used his op-ed to accuse CAMERA of \u201cintimidation and smear campaigns,\u201d we invite him to review our many publications providing substantive, fact-based responses debunking his allegations against Israel.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u2019ll assist the professor in understanding the difference between reasoned debate on the one hand, and \u201cintimidation and smear campaigns,\u201d such as his against Applefield, on the other hand.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times:\u00a0CAMERA analyst responds to column on Israel Gaza campus issues OPINION<\/a><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than ever, Americans are skeptical of the value of higher education. One need look no further than\u00a0a recent column by Benjamin Robinson, an associate professor in the Department of Germanic Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, to understand why such doubts exist. Instead of engaging in reasoned debate on\u00a0issues raised by a Jewish student, Robinson Read more…<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10340,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3223,1,3125],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camera-in-news","category-cameraoncampus","category-cameraoncampusuk"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe reason I'm not impressed by Robinson's response to Applefield column<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/cameraoncampus.org\/he\/blog\/the-reason-im-not-impressed-by-robinsons-response-to-applefield-column\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"he_IL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The reason I'm not impressed by Robinson's response to Applefield column\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"More than ever, Americans are skeptical of the value of higher education. 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