Marxist Penn State associate professor wished for the deaths of Donald Trump, Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, and more



A Penn State associate professor allegedly hoped for the deaths of prominent conservative voices, including former President Donald Trump, Jordan Peterson, and Ben Shapiro.

The Post Millennial editor-at-large Andy Ngo shared alleged screenshots of alarming tweets sent by Zack Furness – a Penn State University associate professor of communications at the Greater Allegheny campus. Furness reportedly replied to a popular Twitter account that posts unusual moments from American politics.

On March 26, the Twitter account shared a photo from 2017 of then-President Trump tossing out paper towels to Puerto Ricans who were ravaged by Hurricane Maria.

According to screenshots posted by Ngo, Furness replied to the tweet of Trump by writing, "Should've been Lincoln’d five minutes later." Furness is referencing the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, who was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth in 1865.

Ngo also shared a screenshot of an alleged tweet from Furness written in September 2020, in which he hoped that several conservative commentators, as well as centrist and left-leaning figures, be killed.

"I'd like to build an arc and fill it with, Michael Tracey, Andrew Sullivan, Bari Weiss, Andy Ngo, Ian Miles Cheong, Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, and Fox & Friends. And then launch it toward the sun," Furness wrote on Sept. 9, 2020.

Tracey is a journalist and political commentator who was a member of the progressive The Young Turks network and is known for his anti-war ideology. Sullivan is a British author and writer who has written for New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Time, and Newsweek. Weiss is a left-leaning writer who previously covered culture and politics at the New York Times until she resigned and later said the "newspaper of record" attempts to "satisfy the narrowest of audiences." Cheong is an online commentator who has written for several media outlets about gaming, culture, and politics. Peterson is a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. Shapiro is a conservative commentator and founder of the Daily Wire.

Furness has since deleted his account with the handle "@punkademic."

.@penn_state associate communications professor Zack Furness tweeted today that former President Trump should have been assassinated by gunfire. His academic work is influenced by Marxism & critical pedagogy. He previously made a list of people he wanted dead.pic.twitter.com/phmevlSymY
— Andy Ng\u00f4 \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Andy Ng\u00f4 \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1648330284

On the Penn State University website, Furness wrote a description of himself.

"My name is Zack Furness and I am Associate Professor of Communications at Penn State University’s Greater Allegheny campus, where I also serve as the Communications Program Coordinator and the WMKP Radio General Manager," Furness said.

"My work as both a researcher and a teacher draws upon a web of influences that include communication and cultural studies, cultural geography, feminist and Marxist theory, anarchism, environmentalism, critical pedagogy, history and philosophy of technology, and punk rock," he added.

Furness also said that he has "performed in punk bands and other musical projects since 1997, most recently in Barons, and my current research is all related to music in some way."

"During the 2018-2019 academic year, I began that work as a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Music at the University of Pittsburgh, while on sabbatical from Penn State," he noted.

The Post Millenial reported, "One particular communications class, titled 'Gender, Diversity & the Media,' explores the cultural, socioeconomic, historical, and political implications of media content, media practices, and media literacy."

The course syllabus stated, "Course readings and assignments are designed to help students build deeper understandings of gender, race, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation and class diversity in media. Communication theory helps explain how media representations impact human construction of meaning in social relationships, in both the US and throughout the world."

Prof compares mask mandate opponents to drunk drivers: 'Maybe ppl wearing masks should just drive drunk and speed thru the neighborhoods of pro-covid parents'



Pennsylvania State University Professor Edward Fuller on Sunday suggested that masked, drunk drivers consider speeding through what he calls "pro-COVID" neighborhoods, according to the College Fix.

What are the details?

In a widely criticized — and since-deleted — tweet, Fuller wrote, "Why is it a parent's right to endanger the lives of other people's kids and of teachers? Maybe ppl wearing masks should just drive drunk and speed thru the neighborhoods of pro-covid parents as a way to exercise their freedom and rights."

Fuller, an associate professor education as well as director of the school's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, is said to have switched his Twitter account to private following immense backlash.

In a statement on the remarks, Penn State spokesperson Lisa Powers said, "Penn State does not condone the tweet, and we can share that the faculty member regrets his poor choice of words — which do not represent the views of the University nor the College of Education."

Powers did not state whether Fuller would face any type of disciplinary action with regard to his head-scratching social media statement.

The College Fix reported that Powers did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.

According to the report, the professor's outraged remark came in response to a tweet praising Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) for his order to allow families to decide whether their children wear masks in schools.

The outlet also pointed out that according to a report from Education Week, at least 422 active teachers died during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Given that there are over 3 million public school teachers in the United States, plus 500,000 in private schools, 'so many' deaths equates to a 0.012 percent death rate," the report concluded.

The Education Week report also documented personal information of those teachers lost during the pandemic, such as their names, schools in which they taught, and ages.

You can view the full list here.

Penn State professor just deleted this tweet:pic.twitter.com/as5ipv2nBy
— Corey A. DeAngelis (@Corey A. DeAngelis) 1642374142

Professor makes ‘average white’ student stand up in lecture, explains he has inherent 'benefit’ over black student no 'matter what he does'



A professor at Penn State University recently made an "average white" student stand up in front of a 700-person lecture hall and explained that he has an inherent "benefit" over any black student, regardless of his behavior.

What happened?

Dr. Sam Richards, a popular sociology professor at the Pennsylvania school, was attempting to demonstrate the effects of systemic racism last month when he executed the unusual classroom illustration.

"I just take the average white guy in class, whoever it is, it doesn't really matter," Richards said as he approached a section of students.

"Dude, this guy here. Stand up, bro. What's your name, bro?" the professor then asked telling a student named Russell to stand up and face the class.

"Look at Russell, right here, it doesn't matter what he does," Richards continued. "If I match him up with a black guy in class, or a brown guy, even ... who's just like him, has the same GPA, looks like him, walks like him, talks like him, acts in a similar way, has been involved in the same groups on campus, takes the same leadership positions, whatever it is ... and we send them into the same jobs ... Russell has a benefit of having white skin."

Penn State Professor pulls an “average white student” from the lecture audience and explains that he has an inheren… https://t.co/knoPMRglvG

— Mythinformed MKE (@MythinformedMKE) 1626109245.0

What else?

Only moments earlier, the professor brought a black student and a white student up in front of class before point-blank asking the white student what he thinks about his privilege.

"Bro, how does it feel knowing that [when] push comes to shove your skin's kind of nice?" Richards asked the student, putting him on the spot.

Penn State Professor brings a white and black student to the front of the lecture and asks the white student how he… https://t.co/43GWuXpLRl

— Mythinformed MKE (@MythinformedMKE) 1626093595.0

"I don't know, it makes me feel sad," the student answered.

The nonprofit group that posted clips of the lecture on Twitter, Mythinformed MKE, noted that "critical race theory pedagogy divides people and assigns worth based solely on race" and that while this lecture was given to a college class, similar teaching has entered into elementary school curricula.

The full lecture, which took place on June 30, can be viewed on YouTube.

Anything else?

Richards, who often discusses race relations at the university, is well known for his unorthodox teaching style. His classroom antics have resulted in a WPSU-Penn State television production known as "You Can't Say That."

Based on clips used in the show's trailer, Richards is well accustomed to espousing controversial views in outlandish ways. The ones highlighted in this article are only the tip of the iceberg.

In an interview last year with Onward State, Richards alleged that "people are not getting all the stories of people who are really peacefully assembling and just getting the s**t beat out of them by the police for no reason whatsoever."

"If that happens once it's a problem, but it's happening again and again. It should be disturbing to people," he added.

Penn State professor blasts conservative student group for 'racism,' 'sexism', suggests they bear 'responsibility' for Capitol riot



A self-described "distinguished" professor at Penn State University recently rebuffed a conservative student group's request that he serve as an adviser, slamming the group for supporting "racism" and "sexism" and suggesting that they bear "some responsibility" for the riots in the U.S. Capitol last week.

Pete Hatemi, a political science professor at the university, told the Young America's Foundation group that "in order to be an unbiased instructor" he does not take part in an political movement or organization, but that even if he did, he would never align himself with a conservative group.

"But in your case, under no condition, would I support any group that has an implied or explicit support for [President] Trump, racism, sexism, or indifference to democratic values, including peace, liberty, freedom, and justice for all peoples," he wrote in an email obtained by the organization.

He then went on to bizarrely blame the organization for inciting a pro-Trump mob to breach security perimeters and storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, an incident that has resulted in the deaths of at least five people and injuries to many more.

"I question if your national organization has some responsibility for recent actions," he wrote before slamming the timing of the group's request as "offensive."

"I suggest taking a moment, and a serious look at the political situation, and given that many members of the Republican [sic] party supported an act of insurrection and violence ... now might not be the time to solicit for new members or advisors for your organization," he added.

John Stafford, the Penn State student who submitted the request near the start of the spring semester, reportedly told the Federalist in an interview that the professor's response caught him off guard.

"Through his research, I thought he would be a very tolerant person," he said.

Hatemi's research at the school focuses on the intersection of genetics and political ideology.

In a response email, Stafford told the professor that he found his response to be "insulting, not only towards YAF, but the entirety of the conservative movement," noting he fears that "asking conservative students to quiet down will only ensure more intolerance among my peers."

Stafford also defended the conservative organization against Hatemi's "unsubstantiated" claims that YAF had a role in the violence at the Capitol.

"YAF has never advocated for violence, and to assert such a claim with no evidence or research is dishonorable," he wrote.