“I do this real moron thing, and it’s called thinking. And apparently I’m not a very good American because I like to form my own opinions.”

― George Carlin

I have intentionally chosen a quote from a comedian, because in this day and age it seems that the ONLY voice that does not get attacked from either the conservative right, or the over-reaching left, is the comic… whose job it is to walk an uncomfortable line where humour meets our cultural and moral biases.

Yet, everything we know about academia stems from not just the great thinkers, but the great questioners, who did not worry about having a dissenting voice, or about challenging the status quo.

We have come to a scary time when academics are asked to ‘adhere to' (and I can’t help but make this comparison) ‘Big Brother’.

I look forward to your next presentation, and hope that this experience does nothing less than strengthen your resolve not to have your right to open discourse silenced.