Law Professor Shuts Down ‘All Lives Matter’ With An Epic Response To Her Racist Students
Never underestimate the wit of a good (law) professor. Especially when trying to outplay them on something they know the rules of all too well.
Back in 2016, the Whittier Law School professor named Patricia Leary was surprised by an unexpected letter of complaint from her students who berated her for wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt. She was scolded for making the students “subjected to indoctrination” and “extremely inflammatory” behavior when according to the letter, “to someone who is charged to teach criminal law, it should be abundantly clear that all lives matter.”
But the professor was more than glad to respond, point by point, ripping every single argument apart. In a series of her skillful refutes to the student’s premises, Prof. Leary demonstrated just how easy it is to debunk those weak arguments.
This viral letter of complaint from concerned students on their law professor resurfaced from back in 2016
Prof. Leary issued an epic response ripping their arguments apart point after point
The professor’s viral response to the students’ letter appeared on Imgur back on April 26, 2016. The Insider Higher Ed has identified the law professor as Patricia Leary, a veteran teacher with 20+ years of experience at Whittier Law School.
According to her biography, Prof. Leary is “a Distinguished Teaching Professor. She sees her life’s work as student-centered, both inside and outside of the classroom.”
It also states that she is “deeply committed to teaching students to think clearly and critically about law, to helping students to refine the art of legal reasoning and analysis,” and in what we’ve seen so far, she has clearly given us a masterclass of thinking in this.
And this is what people had to say
I am a former competitive debater. Reading this is like porn for me. You go, professor Leary!
Haha, me too! But less like porn and more like a gourmet buffet. Finally, something to chew on! Nom nom nom. Am content now.
Load More Replies...@Bone Daddy - You stated the following, "the same thing has happened to many other people and we didn’t need tshirts or a movement to get it started." So are you saying that people should just shut up about police brutality? Also, have you not noticed that there are many races participating in the BLM protests? Maybe the other races have legitimate negative experiences with police and are, indeed, protesting. Then you commented below that you are black, yet you say "we" don't need t-shirts. Who's 'we?'
Ignoring Bonzed Daddy is probably best. A basement dweller at best.
Load More Replies...That student letter, whenever written, proves only one thing: The fastest way to find a secretly racist person is to tell them another race *matters*. Any bets the author(s) would have said, "We're not racists BUT..." ?
At no point did I specify the race. You have drawn your own conclusions on what I meant. The logic holds. The fact you dislike the logic speaks to your thought process, not mine. Peace.
Load More Replies..."When people are receiving messages from the culture in which they live that their lives are less important than other lives, it is a cruel distortion of reality to scold them for not being inclusive enough." That's a great sentence.
Damn, I wish lawyers like this ran for office. Instead of the lawyers we got...
Not too long ago a thoughtful, intelligent, well-written lawyer like that DID run for office, and was even elected to the highest office in the land.
Load More Replies...(1) “The statement you represented and endorsed is also highly offensive and extremely inflammatory… Furthermore, the ‘Black Lives Matter’ statement is racist…It is imperative that you utilize energy to actually teach law instead of continue to express hateful messages.” How is “Black Lives Matter” offensive, or extremely inflammatory, or hateful? And, I would be furious if I were a professor and students got too big for their britches and told me something is “imperative.” (2) “We are hopeful the new administration will rectify these abysmal failings and shortcomings.” In other words, these students are pushing for an infringement of Professor Leary’s First Amendment rights. (3) Southern California is large, and there are other law schools in the area. Perhaps these students should consider transferring to another law school.
That's what makes her such a good teacher and such a fine person. I'm with you. I'd be furious too. She saw it as an opportunity to further educate her students and does so brilliantly. (I just wish we could see the apoplectic reaction of the person (I'm skeptical of there being more) who wrote the original letter.
Load More Replies...I would LOVE to take a class from the this professor. I bet it would be hard as hell but so WELL taught...
Reminder to all who say that President Obama did not accomplished anything or too little: it is virtually impossible to do if the leader of the Senate announces that his only job will be to make sure that 'this president is the one-term president'. During the Obama administration the obstructionism was at its worth. Presidents do not make laws, the legislative branch of the government does....if both parties are able to co-operate that is.
Load More Replies...Only ones offended by black lives matter are racist. That’s the only conclusion I can come up with
Could also be misguided people, though. But generally, yes, you're right.
Load More Replies...Whomever submitted the complaint makes a lot of assumptions, including that THEY ARE VICTIMS, exhibited by their fear of signing the letter.
That was so satisfying to read. I've got chills! To see such skill, I love it and she is so many kinds of awesome.
Are you kidding me? I used to come to class with a T-Shirt that featured the crest of the Soviet Union on the front and a portion of the communist manifesto on the back. No complaints. It was 20 years ago though.
I own a tee shirt with chairman Mao as a cat and one with Lenin Marx and Engels partying on it and I have worn them to work in Russia. Students love them
Load More Replies...If she can wear a BLM T-shirt, then a student can wear a MAGA hat. She has a right to wear that shirt because people have a right to have different opinions. (Of course, I’m not saying thinking that the lives of black people is just an opinion, but supporting the BLM movement is)
Whittier Law School had some of the worst bar exam pass rates of ALL law schools in California... Professors like this with NO real world experience teaching lead to this closure. They were so bad they shut down their law program... Imagine being so bad at teaching that your students get a $150-200k debt, LESS than 25% pass the bar on first attempt and have a 40% chance of being unemployed... Real law schools have 1% unemployment rate and more than 70% of their students pass the bar on first attempt. www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/July2019-CBX-Statistics.pdf
Sooooo long! But worth it. Prof has nerve of steel trying to educate respectfully after such a childish self entitled letter
Excellent letter and response Prof Leary to an ignorant and racist attitude. You ate indeed a very accomplished educator.
A most sophisticated BURRRRNN. Those students are still smoking and don't even know it.
I was take aback by the title. Then i read the post and could not find this "Shutting down of ‘All Lives Matter’". Only thing i saw was shutting down the statement that "Black lives matter" is racist.
I would like to see the letter she writes when a student comes to class in a Trump or NRA shirt
Sooo...wearing a shirt promoting Black Lives Matter, a movement aiming to stop the killing of innocent black people, is somehow equivalent to wearing a shirt promoting the very objects (guns) that are frequently used to kill these innocent black people? Sure, Bruce.
Load More Replies...Green is a color......think about it. Green is a color. Does this make you angry? Are you offended? Did you want to scream at me that blue is a color too? And purple is a color too? Did you feel that I was saying that green is the only color?
Seems to me that if the Inventor of the phrase "Black Lives Matter, Too" would have included those last 3 letters. I doubt that's what he/she meant or anyone chanting this slogan afterwards.
The professor’s arguments have flaws. On the surface as a statement by itself, “Black Lives Matter” says that lives that are black matters. This includes, black cats, black sheep, black fish, black horses, black humans, etc. This does not discuss or reference other colors. She says this calls attention to black lives. Others say it excludes other colors. By calling attention to one color, you are automatically emphasizing one color over another, by having less emphasis on other colors.. A more inclusionary statement would be that all lives matter. This would include all living things of every color, without exclusion. She may understand law, but has failed at simple logic. She needs to be reprimanded.
Agree on the logic, and used to agree on the "ALM" alternative, but then discovered something. There legitimately are white supremacists using "ALM" as their new slogan, and are trying to co-opt it for their use. I would therefore suggest a minor alteration: "Black lives matter too", or "Black lives also matter". It is extremely clear, leaves no room for confusion, and can't be used against anyone.
Load More Replies...Wanting to believe someone's conclusion doesn't automatically make their logic correct. It stuns me the poor logic used by the professor in their response. While some of their points are relevant, they quickly drift to subjects unrelated to the student letter, and they get further from the letter the longer it goes on. This is referred to as "Pivot and Deflect" when intentional, and ADHD when not.
If the professor in question went on at length instead of teaching the course material, their complaint would be valid. That does not appear to be the case. That being said, the professor's attempt at logic is incredibly flawed. He makes large numbers of assumptions not supported by evidence, or relevant to the letter. The further he went, the further from the original letter he traveled. i.e. - there was no reference to words "before or after" Black Lives matter. Most of his comments were completely immaterial at hand. The only actual complaints were that (1), He spent time teaching non-class subject matter (appears to be invalid), and (2), that BLM protesters are criminals, and siding with them is siding against the law. This 2nd point is the one and only teaching moment he should have focused upon. TL;DR: Student points were invalid, and professor response was mostly irrelevant and proselytizing
Well, since it seems to have escaped you that the law professor is a woman and therefore the proper pronoun is "she", you will have to excuse me if I am skeptical about your argument.
Load More Replies...For a person who appreciates, desires, and lives her life teaching others how to communicate clearly, she should’ve anticipated the potential misconstruing of her message and added , “too.” That would’ve stopped whoever wrote the letter in their tracks. But I wonder how she would've respond to a letter that stated “adding ‘,too’ to Black Lives Matter minimizes the reality and struggle of Black people and you shouldn’t wear the shirt in class.”
For a person who clearly appreciates, desires, and lives her life teaching others how to communicate, she should’ve anticipated the potential misconstruing of her message and added , “too.” That would’ve stopped whoever wrote the letter in their tracks. But I wonder how she would respond to a letter that stated “adding ‘,too’ to Black Lives Matter minimizes the reality and struggle of Black people and you shouldn’t wear it.” Interesting thought.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I adore (good) lawyers. Intelligence, is so hot.
All lives matter, therefore the golden state killer's life matters. If your logic is valid, then this statement is true, as it uses the exact same logic and language.
Load More Replies...Law people think they’re so smart, argue all the time, have so much pride. That puts me off going into that field. It’s all about “I’m smarter than you”. It’s a spiritual fight of the egoes with these people, every single second of the day. If someone feels the need to correct you, say you’re wrong and give their version of the law, while sounding articulate and polished, it’s probably a law graduate. It’s all about the mental domination. If they took a good look at themselves in the mirror, they’d realize how dumb they actually are, getting riled up over a bruised ego
You're making a mistake by joining those who admire not only ignorance, but outright stupidity. Our society can't support too many more of those. Turn back. Think.
Load More Replies...If that happened then Black Lives Matter would have never been created. When people say all lives matter in response to black lives matter they are trying to sweep the issues under the rug by saying we all have problems.
Load More Replies...Or anyone trained to formulate a coherent argument like Pamela24, a former debater. Meaning middle and high school kids can do it too
Load More Replies...No, people are actually THAT clueless when it comes to their myopic rhetoric they rarely think roundly in their outlook on life which lands them right here: called out on their thinly veiled, perhaps racist mindset.
Load More Replies...I'm speculating here but I'm guessing you haven't been on a college campus in a long time, they are not neutral zones. Universities and college campuses are meant to expand your mind and question things in a critical manner and that's just on the educational side. Before quarantine happened my campus had anti-abortion protestors that had a 30 foot display of aborted fetuses in the middle of campus, that is definitely not neutral and is just one example I've seen in the years I've been in school.
Load More Replies...You're so obviously not black. We earn 90% less than whites as a group. Most of society's ill are visited upon us in disproportionate numbers...ah hell you don't care.
Load More Replies...I am a former competitive debater. Reading this is like porn for me. You go, professor Leary!
Haha, me too! But less like porn and more like a gourmet buffet. Finally, something to chew on! Nom nom nom. Am content now.
Load More Replies...@Bone Daddy - You stated the following, "the same thing has happened to many other people and we didn’t need tshirts or a movement to get it started." So are you saying that people should just shut up about police brutality? Also, have you not noticed that there are many races participating in the BLM protests? Maybe the other races have legitimate negative experiences with police and are, indeed, protesting. Then you commented below that you are black, yet you say "we" don't need t-shirts. Who's 'we?'
Ignoring Bonzed Daddy is probably best. A basement dweller at best.
Load More Replies...That student letter, whenever written, proves only one thing: The fastest way to find a secretly racist person is to tell them another race *matters*. Any bets the author(s) would have said, "We're not racists BUT..." ?
At no point did I specify the race. You have drawn your own conclusions on what I meant. The logic holds. The fact you dislike the logic speaks to your thought process, not mine. Peace.
Load More Replies..."When people are receiving messages from the culture in which they live that their lives are less important than other lives, it is a cruel distortion of reality to scold them for not being inclusive enough." That's a great sentence.
Damn, I wish lawyers like this ran for office. Instead of the lawyers we got...
Not too long ago a thoughtful, intelligent, well-written lawyer like that DID run for office, and was even elected to the highest office in the land.
Load More Replies...(1) “The statement you represented and endorsed is also highly offensive and extremely inflammatory… Furthermore, the ‘Black Lives Matter’ statement is racist…It is imperative that you utilize energy to actually teach law instead of continue to express hateful messages.” How is “Black Lives Matter” offensive, or extremely inflammatory, or hateful? And, I would be furious if I were a professor and students got too big for their britches and told me something is “imperative.” (2) “We are hopeful the new administration will rectify these abysmal failings and shortcomings.” In other words, these students are pushing for an infringement of Professor Leary’s First Amendment rights. (3) Southern California is large, and there are other law schools in the area. Perhaps these students should consider transferring to another law school.
That's what makes her such a good teacher and such a fine person. I'm with you. I'd be furious too. She saw it as an opportunity to further educate her students and does so brilliantly. (I just wish we could see the apoplectic reaction of the person (I'm skeptical of there being more) who wrote the original letter.
Load More Replies...I would LOVE to take a class from the this professor. I bet it would be hard as hell but so WELL taught...
Reminder to all who say that President Obama did not accomplished anything or too little: it is virtually impossible to do if the leader of the Senate announces that his only job will be to make sure that 'this president is the one-term president'. During the Obama administration the obstructionism was at its worth. Presidents do not make laws, the legislative branch of the government does....if both parties are able to co-operate that is.
Load More Replies...Only ones offended by black lives matter are racist. That’s the only conclusion I can come up with
Could also be misguided people, though. But generally, yes, you're right.
Load More Replies...Whomever submitted the complaint makes a lot of assumptions, including that THEY ARE VICTIMS, exhibited by their fear of signing the letter.
That was so satisfying to read. I've got chills! To see such skill, I love it and she is so many kinds of awesome.
Are you kidding me? I used to come to class with a T-Shirt that featured the crest of the Soviet Union on the front and a portion of the communist manifesto on the back. No complaints. It was 20 years ago though.
I own a tee shirt with chairman Mao as a cat and one with Lenin Marx and Engels partying on it and I have worn them to work in Russia. Students love them
Load More Replies...If she can wear a BLM T-shirt, then a student can wear a MAGA hat. She has a right to wear that shirt because people have a right to have different opinions. (Of course, I’m not saying thinking that the lives of black people is just an opinion, but supporting the BLM movement is)
Whittier Law School had some of the worst bar exam pass rates of ALL law schools in California... Professors like this with NO real world experience teaching lead to this closure. They were so bad they shut down their law program... Imagine being so bad at teaching that your students get a $150-200k debt, LESS than 25% pass the bar on first attempt and have a 40% chance of being unemployed... Real law schools have 1% unemployment rate and more than 70% of their students pass the bar on first attempt. www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/July2019-CBX-Statistics.pdf
Sooooo long! But worth it. Prof has nerve of steel trying to educate respectfully after such a childish self entitled letter
Excellent letter and response Prof Leary to an ignorant and racist attitude. You ate indeed a very accomplished educator.
A most sophisticated BURRRRNN. Those students are still smoking and don't even know it.
I was take aback by the title. Then i read the post and could not find this "Shutting down of ‘All Lives Matter’". Only thing i saw was shutting down the statement that "Black lives matter" is racist.
I would like to see the letter she writes when a student comes to class in a Trump or NRA shirt
Sooo...wearing a shirt promoting Black Lives Matter, a movement aiming to stop the killing of innocent black people, is somehow equivalent to wearing a shirt promoting the very objects (guns) that are frequently used to kill these innocent black people? Sure, Bruce.
Load More Replies...Green is a color......think about it. Green is a color. Does this make you angry? Are you offended? Did you want to scream at me that blue is a color too? And purple is a color too? Did you feel that I was saying that green is the only color?
Seems to me that if the Inventor of the phrase "Black Lives Matter, Too" would have included those last 3 letters. I doubt that's what he/she meant or anyone chanting this slogan afterwards.
The professor’s arguments have flaws. On the surface as a statement by itself, “Black Lives Matter” says that lives that are black matters. This includes, black cats, black sheep, black fish, black horses, black humans, etc. This does not discuss or reference other colors. She says this calls attention to black lives. Others say it excludes other colors. By calling attention to one color, you are automatically emphasizing one color over another, by having less emphasis on other colors.. A more inclusionary statement would be that all lives matter. This would include all living things of every color, without exclusion. She may understand law, but has failed at simple logic. She needs to be reprimanded.
Agree on the logic, and used to agree on the "ALM" alternative, but then discovered something. There legitimately are white supremacists using "ALM" as their new slogan, and are trying to co-opt it for their use. I would therefore suggest a minor alteration: "Black lives matter too", or "Black lives also matter". It is extremely clear, leaves no room for confusion, and can't be used against anyone.
Load More Replies...Wanting to believe someone's conclusion doesn't automatically make their logic correct. It stuns me the poor logic used by the professor in their response. While some of their points are relevant, they quickly drift to subjects unrelated to the student letter, and they get further from the letter the longer it goes on. This is referred to as "Pivot and Deflect" when intentional, and ADHD when not.
If the professor in question went on at length instead of teaching the course material, their complaint would be valid. That does not appear to be the case. That being said, the professor's attempt at logic is incredibly flawed. He makes large numbers of assumptions not supported by evidence, or relevant to the letter. The further he went, the further from the original letter he traveled. i.e. - there was no reference to words "before or after" Black Lives matter. Most of his comments were completely immaterial at hand. The only actual complaints were that (1), He spent time teaching non-class subject matter (appears to be invalid), and (2), that BLM protesters are criminals, and siding with them is siding against the law. This 2nd point is the one and only teaching moment he should have focused upon. TL;DR: Student points were invalid, and professor response was mostly irrelevant and proselytizing
Well, since it seems to have escaped you that the law professor is a woman and therefore the proper pronoun is "she", you will have to excuse me if I am skeptical about your argument.
Load More Replies...For a person who appreciates, desires, and lives her life teaching others how to communicate clearly, she should’ve anticipated the potential misconstruing of her message and added , “too.” That would’ve stopped whoever wrote the letter in their tracks. But I wonder how she would've respond to a letter that stated “adding ‘,too’ to Black Lives Matter minimizes the reality and struggle of Black people and you shouldn’t wear the shirt in class.”
For a person who clearly appreciates, desires, and lives her life teaching others how to communicate, she should’ve anticipated the potential misconstruing of her message and added , “too.” That would’ve stopped whoever wrote the letter in their tracks. But I wonder how she would respond to a letter that stated “adding ‘,too’ to Black Lives Matter minimizes the reality and struggle of Black people and you shouldn’t wear it.” Interesting thought.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I adore (good) lawyers. Intelligence, is so hot.
All lives matter, therefore the golden state killer's life matters. If your logic is valid, then this statement is true, as it uses the exact same logic and language.
Load More Replies...Law people think they’re so smart, argue all the time, have so much pride. That puts me off going into that field. It’s all about “I’m smarter than you”. It’s a spiritual fight of the egoes with these people, every single second of the day. If someone feels the need to correct you, say you’re wrong and give their version of the law, while sounding articulate and polished, it’s probably a law graduate. It’s all about the mental domination. If they took a good look at themselves in the mirror, they’d realize how dumb they actually are, getting riled up over a bruised ego
You're making a mistake by joining those who admire not only ignorance, but outright stupidity. Our society can't support too many more of those. Turn back. Think.
Load More Replies...If that happened then Black Lives Matter would have never been created. When people say all lives matter in response to black lives matter they are trying to sweep the issues under the rug by saying we all have problems.
Load More Replies...Or anyone trained to formulate a coherent argument like Pamela24, a former debater. Meaning middle and high school kids can do it too
Load More Replies...No, people are actually THAT clueless when it comes to their myopic rhetoric they rarely think roundly in their outlook on life which lands them right here: called out on their thinly veiled, perhaps racist mindset.
Load More Replies...I'm speculating here but I'm guessing you haven't been on a college campus in a long time, they are not neutral zones. Universities and college campuses are meant to expand your mind and question things in a critical manner and that's just on the educational side. Before quarantine happened my campus had anti-abortion protestors that had a 30 foot display of aborted fetuses in the middle of campus, that is definitely not neutral and is just one example I've seen in the years I've been in school.
Load More Replies...You're so obviously not black. We earn 90% less than whites as a group. Most of society's ill are visited upon us in disproportionate numbers...ah hell you don't care.
Load More Replies...
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