University of Pennsylvania law professor Amy Wax has once again found herself in hot water.
In a letter, Penn Law School Dean Ted Ruger condemned recent comments made by current Wax at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C., last weekend, saying, “At worst, they are racist.”
Wax made the remarks while giving her defense of “cultural-difference nationalism,” which assumes that immigrants from certain countries and cultural backgrounds are not as desired as immigrants from other countries.
“Embracing cultural-distance nationalism means, in effect, taking the position that our country will be better off with more whites and fewer nonwhites,” she said.
Since then, the Latinx Law Students Association released a statement calling on Penn to condemn the statements and for Wax to be fired.
In the statement, the association said that while intellectual diversity is important, her comments “are hateful and perpetuate dangerous, false stereotypes about our communities, our families and us.” Another petition circulating online currently has more than 2,000 signatures.
Wax’s remarks have also received criticism from columnists and reporters online.
Amy Wax’s views are gross and obviously racist, and if the shoe were on the other foot she would be the lead of every Fox News show all the time. https://t.co/4wY05k4ru8
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 17, 2019
Related question: Why is Amy Wax still a University of Pennsylvania law professor? I’m all for academic freedom but there’s no scholarship here, only unvarnished racism https://t.co/32hCuuSJT4
— Will Bunch (@Will_Bunch) July 17, 2019
This is not the first time Wax has faced scrutiny over comments she has made.
In a 2017 op-ed for the Philadelphia Inquirer, she argued for the return of bourgeoisie culture. In a subsequent interview, she argued that “everyone wants to go to countries ruled by white Europeans.” Additionally, 33 Penn Law faculty members wrote a piece condemning her idea that “all cultures are not equal.”
Wax has yet to comment on the latest controversy and will be on sabbatical next year.
