![Barbara Bush circa 1992 [image courtesy Office of the President wikimedia commons]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/4/18/660x290/b_502x220x82/barbara-bush-circa-1992-image-courtesy-office-of-the-president-wikimedia-commons_1944915.jpg "Barbara Bush circa 1992 [image courtesy Office of the President wikimedia commons]")
Former First Lady Barbara Bush was so universally beloved that President Trump. Barack Obama, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Nancy Pelosi all united in expressing grief and condolences at her passing. She was the very personification of a grandmother, tart-tongued at times, but still brimming with compassion. However, as an English professor at Fresno State named Randa Jarrar proved, there is always a jerk ready to grab 15 minutes of infamy with the help of social media.
Randa Jarrar’s volcanic hate for the Bush family
Jarrar essentially called Barbara Bush an “amazing racist” and said that she and the elder President Bush had “raised a war criminal,” presuming President George W.
Bush. She also celebrated the fact that the younger Bush was likely sad about his mother’s passing. When called out by numerous people who suggested she should not be allowed near young people and be fired, she boasted that she had tenured and could, therefore, say anything she wanted without fear of termination.
Fresno State now has a problem
Fresno State, to its credit, rapidly distanced itself from Jarrar’s remarks and expressed its condolences for Barbara Bush’s death. A spokesperson also hinted that there might be a way to rid the university of Jarrar’s presence. However, Hot Air is likely correct that in the absence of the commission of a felony, Jarrar’s job is indeed safe.
Of course, the incident has sparked a renewed debate on free speech.
The high minded reaction has been that free speech covers even the most obnoxious, so Jaffar should not be made to suffer professionally. On the other hand, one does not have to imagine what would happen to any academic who would dare dance on the grave of Hillary Clinton, horrible person that she is, should she go to her reward.
Unfortunately, too many people like Randa Jarrar exist in academia, full of themselves, addled by an epic sense of entitlement, boiling with rage and hate that can never be assuaged. Her case suggests that universities should take more care about who they hire, not to speak of granting tenure to.
It is entirely possible that the problem may be solved by students and their parents.
Who would want to spend tens of thousands of dollars every year to have one’s child exposed to the likes of Randa Jarrar? Enrollment may start to dry up, hitting Fresno State’s bottom line. Students who do go to the university would be well advised to avoid taking any of Jaffar’s classes. If she is capable of hating Barbara Bush, who knows how she approaches literature?
