Once again Jordan Peterson, the notable University of Toronto professor and social critic, is creating a stir on campus. On Wednesday afternoon, Peterson delivered a speech in which he protested the lexiconic label change of Portal to Quercus.
Portal, or Blackboard Portal, was the University of Toronto’s comprehensive academic organization tool for many years until being dropped and substituted for the newer, more modern Quercus.
While the name change provoked a generally apathetic response from staff and students, Peterson was steadfast in his fury. “It’s really about free speech,” Peterson said.
“I think everyone, websites included, should be allowed to identify how they want, but when it comes to telling me how to speak about it—well no—I am not willing to secede my entire linguistic domain to these bloody neo-Marxists. Where do we draw the line on this type of oppression?”
During the speech hundreds of students on both sides of the debate clashed, sometimes violently. A Peterson protestor was reportedly slapped across the face by a sign that read “QUERCUS? MORE LIKE CUCK-US!” but the individual sustained only minor injuries. Moreover, spirited chants chastising the professor for dead-naming the former academic organization tool were abundant.
More as the story develops.
Photo Credit: The Varsity