ANGRY ACADEMICS–THE RHETORIC OF “DERANGED KILLERS.”

ANGRY ACADEMICS—THE RHETORIC OF “DERANGED KILLERS.” My favorite example of the anger which can arise among academics comes from a dispute among classicists. I found it hard to find a link that explained what happened over ten years ago, but whatever happened gives a flavor of how heated academic disputes can become. It seems that one classicist felt strongly enough about the rhetoric in an adverse review to report him to the FBI as perhaps being the Unabomber. This article contains a correction that quotes the classicist as posting the following on a classics listserv: “My interaction with the FBI in this endeavor is pertinent because Hanson should, in the interests of fair disclosure, acknowledge that I voluntarily went to a law enforcement agency and likened his and his collaborator”s views to that of a deranged killer when he is asked to assess my work and my life.”]