The Delegate Assembly of the Modern Language Association has rejected a proposed academic boycott of Israel by a vote of 113-79.
The M.L.A.’s departing president, the philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah, has remained neutral during his term, but he said after the vote that he was “strongly opposed to all cultural boycotts.”
"Governments do terrible things all the time," he said. "Our own government does terrible things. But that's not a reason for people not to visit American institutions and talk to American scholars."
In a separate vote, the Delegate Assembly more narrowly approved a resolution opposing the academic boycott of Israel because it “contradicts the MLA’s purpose to promote teaching and research on language and literature” and therefore may “curtail debates with representatives of Israeli universities, such as faculty members, department chairs and deans, thereby blocking possible dialogue and general scholarly exchange.” If the anti-boycott resolution is approved by the MLA's Executive Council, it will then be submitted to the organization's full membership for a vote.
In a related development, the council of the American Historical Association also rejected an anti-Israel resolution (for the third time in the last three years).
So, this fellow here rejects the boycott which is a good thing and then turns around to bash America as really horrible? Theodore Roosevelt once said, "The government is us, we are the government." So this do nothing, not work a day in his life philosopher calls me terrible? A philosopher sits around and thinks all day—and this is what he came up with? America is great because he can say crap like this and go home at night and not end up in jail.