NY Times tones down musicology racism row

The paper sits squarely on the fence of the ugly row that has soiled the teaching of music theory at universities for the past 18 months.

Briefly: It began when Philip Ewell, a Black music theory professor at Hunter College, New York, denounced the supreme theorist Heinrich Schenker as a racist. Tim Jackson, of the University of North Texas, called Ewell out for antisemitism. A mob of 900 music theory professors and students around the world was whipped up to demand Jackson’s dismissal. He is now taking legal action against his own employer.

There are major issues here of cancel culture, check-your-privilege and Afro-American antisemitism. Ewell refused to speak to the NY Times. The issue of Critical Race Theory that has invaded so many universities is barely touched upon. We have been reporting these important free-speech issues in Slipped Disc for a year and more.

The article as a whole is a fudge. I see the fingers of many editorial managers in the editing of this apple pie. The NY Times does not want to stray beyond the bounds of political correctness. It does ‘balanced’ journalism of barely readable blandness.

Read it here.