During a September 15 class session, Carol Choksy, a senior lecturer at the IU Luddy School of Informatics, told students that she wishes “death to the Republican Party” and added that such a belief was simply “her bias.”
The lecture, which The Crimson Post has received exclusive video of, revolved around numerous topics including the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 6 riots at the capital, and general disaster management and intelligence gathering.
Choksy, after introducing the topic “what happened politically during the pandemic,” launched into a tirade against the Republican Party. She told the class that she grew up in a Republican household, but now “hate[s] the Republican Party” and wishes “death” to it.
She then referenced the January 6 riots and various books she had read surrounding certain events involving the Trump administration, telling the class that she “came away with a completely different understanding of what happened in 2020.”
She now believes that the issues are more complicated than simply blaming Trump for his inept leadership, stating “that it took hundreds and hundreds of people to kill the 650,000 who are now dead,” a likely reference to deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the U.S.
One Republican leader who Choksy seems to feel is at fault is Florida Governor Ron DeSenatis. She told the class that “what’s happening at the state level in Florida” is “wholesale murder.” Though, notably, recent death rates in Florida are far lower than in the vast majority other states.
After stating she hates the Republican Party and referring to Republican administrations as murderers, Choksy spoke about the necessity of “civility” in conversation and wished that the country could discuss social and political issues without so much “vitriol.”
The College Republicans at IU told The Crimson Post that Choksy’s comments were “disappointing.”
“It is disappointing that political discourse in this country has become so venomous that we now wish death to our fellow Americans for policy disagreements. It is also disappointing that an educator who should be opening minds to the complexity of political issues is instead closing them by espousing strongly partisan views. We hope Professor Choksy will take this opportunity to reflect, step outside the echo chambers that so many of us find ourselves in, and realize that we are all humans and all worthy of dignity and respect, regardless of political belief.”
Professor Choksy did not respond to The Crimson Post’s request for comment.
Why is someone in informatics making political comments? Further imagine if this “professor” made the same comments about Black Lives Matter. The outrage would be deafening. The bias of the press and students are obvious.