The internet is full of creepy fetishists of one kind or another but taking to an academic journal to defend said fetish is a new one. Stephen Kershnar, a distinguished professor of philosophy at SUNY Fredonia, has published In Defense of Asian Romantic Preference in The International Journal of Applied Philosophy.
Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew
— Gail Shuck (@GailShuck) July 17, 2019
*deep breath*
ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew
Nooooooo why would someone publish this 🤯
— Frankie Huang 黄碧赤 (@ourobororoboruo) July 17, 2019
I can’t work out whether assuming he’s an edgelord troll will preserve my sanity better than thinking he’s sincere
— Darius Quebec 🏳️⚧️ (@ksej) July 17, 2019
https://twitter.com/XxYLeeXx/status/1151125611919712256
People were horrified to discover that Kershner is not only a real academic but also has tenure.
…Adult-Child Sex: A Philosophical Defense”????
— adwoa gyimah-brempong (@theonlyadwoa) July 17, 2019
*howls into the void* THIS PERSON HAS TENURE pic.twitter.com/VQ1iJjwiZ9
Damn, what is the definition of Philosophy at Fredonia? His work is a hot mess of fetishism, racism, politics and just batshit-crazy.
— Returned 🇵🇷 teacher. 🇺🇦 🇪🇭 🏳️🌈 (@tesstea) July 18, 2019
The bio from the very school he teaches at. I have…….concerns? pic.twitter.com/1YrxSuMGGq
— DC_Explorer (@DC_Explorer) July 17, 2019
Now in the interests of transparency, we should mention here that we don’t know if Kershnar shares that preference himself. As a philosopher, he’s written a number of similar and even more disturbing articles, including For Torture: a Right-Based Defense and Adult-Child Sex: a Philosophical Defense, and they may all be mere thought exercises designed to display his professional skills.
https://twitter.com/labuzamovies/status/1151484126903468033
So I googled and now I am traumatized pic.twitter.com/l3qlnPpqiI
— Chris Derps (@ChrisDerps) July 17, 2019
It’s like his entire CV is one long “just playing Devil’s advocate here . . . “ while in fact reifying utterly banal garden variety shitty views. So cringe.
— DREW DANIEL (@DDDrewDaniel) July 18, 2019
However, if that is the case, choosing these topics to illustrate his abilities is still a bad move, and the internet cannot stop howling about it.
…Adult-Child Sex: A Philosophical Defense”????
— adwoa gyimah-brempong (@theonlyadwoa) July 17, 2019
*howls into the void* THIS PERSON HAS TENURE pic.twitter.com/VQ1iJjwiZ9
https://twitter.com/adtenn/status/1151409936611627008
https://twitter.com/adtenn/status/1151409936611627008
Some users are trying to look on the bright side.
I cant process the fact that this 53 year old pasty man wrote this utter filth but it really helps alleviate my anxieties about getting my own work academically published
— 🐬Single💾Moms💿Against📼Vaping🐬 (@cargo_shorts69) July 17, 2019
Though others were more cynical about it.
https://twitter.com/phantasmaglo/status/1151421296611221504
With other academics commenting on the dire state of the discipline these days.
https://twitter.com/velocirobter/status/1151604629840519168
https://twitter.com/rachelvmckinnon/status/1151615856306032640
https://twitter.com/alen_irl/status/1151159521357774854
And one brave soul contacting the journal to demand an explanation.
https://twitter.com/TristanMWolfe/status/1151307049386631169
There’s some keen speculation on the man’s personal life.
https://twitter.com/litgenstein/status/1151271543516880896
I don’t know why some men confuse publications with their private journals.
— Dr. Elizabeth Holdsworth (@eaholdsworth) July 17, 2019
https://twitter.com/tyhigaki/status/1151599490421231616
“Consider heterosexual men’s preferences for women who are thin, feminine, normal height, symmetrical, and so on.” Really telling on yourself there, dude.
— Lillian M. (@McLillianCat) July 17, 2019
I hope you don’t mind, I’ve taken the time to construct a meme :P pic.twitter.com/Htec4w1IWf
— Amy (@AussieCatDoll) July 18, 2019
And quite a lot of women taking exception to the idea that any woman would fight over either him or his hypothetical Asian fetishist.
“Than her competitors” I am quite sure that no women have ever fought over this man
— Emily M (@emilynm41) July 17, 2019
Her competitors. Form an orderly queue, ladies.
— Kathleen Joy (@kathleen_joy) July 17, 2019
https://twitter.com/kixes/status/1151418518887256064
Twitter user Yen Rong-Wong is torn over whether she should engage academically or just write it off as irrelevant depravity.
I’m torn as to how many words I should use on pointing out why he’s wrong. On one hand it’s fuckin deplorable but on the other hand it’s important for people to know there are people like that who will use a veneer of rationality/academia to justify their fucked up views
— Yen-Rong Wong | 黃彥蓉 (@yenrongwong) July 16, 2019
All in all, the professor is being thoroughly dragged all over Twitter.
“Why I am not a pervert in 10,000 words”
— BambooEarpick (@BambooEarpick) July 18, 2019
https://twitter.com/dionnetology/status/1151655059442159616
This guy raises every red flag ever. pic.twitter.com/2OyCCNFzAl
— Shannon 📗 (@MetadataShannon) July 17, 2019
https://twitter.com/thetookyshark/status/1151681637614149632
This dude should be in jail imho
— Shannon 📗 (@MetadataShannon) July 17, 2019
The Daily Dot reached out to Kershnar for a comment, and we’ll update this article if we receive a response.
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