Sociology chair ruffles feathers with anti-Trump office display

Some feel that the chair of the University of South Carolina’s Department of Sociology created an inhospitable work environment for Trump supporters by displaying virulently anti-Trump posters.

An anonymous source at USC sent Campus Reform pictures of Anti-Trump political cartoons adorning the door of Dr. Douglas Anderton’s office, one of which depicts a smug Russian Dictator Vladimir Putin holding a child with the head of President Donald Trump.

Another shows a grotesquely fat caricature of Trump on a toilet alongside a roll of toilet paper with an “Earth” pattern, stating, “I’m pulling out of the Paris agreement,” while a third depicts “Donald Nixon,” complete with a hammer and sickle, stating, “I’m not a crook, either.”

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One cartoon, titled “Angrywhitemenistan,” features a guard in a red hat on top of a large wall with an American flag yelling “It’s gonna be paradise” to a group labelled “the world,” who eye a list of prohibited items that includies “Muslims,” “Mexicans,” “Refugees,” “Homos,” and “Speakin’ Foreign.”

A final cartoon is titled, “How to Join the Master Race,” and displays a neo-Nazi complete with a tiki torch, swastika-covered American flag, and a book titled “Mein Kampf for Dummies.”

Requirements for joining include “an Aryan haircut,” “An assortment of insane ideas,” and “A white guy’s white polo shirt,” while a “Trump Cap” is listed as optional neo-Nazi attire.

“I find this very unprofessional to say the least because it is the official office of the Sociology Department Chair in the University,” the anonymous source told Campus Reform.

“I am mainly worried about the implications towards students. They walk past his office all the time,” the source added, speculating that “If a student voted Trump or is a Republican, I think they may feel they have to hide their ideas, because the Chair has a position of power.”

Anderton, however, told Campus Reform that “I believe in Freedom of Speech on all sides and in the exposure of college students to a lively debate regarding policy positions and political platforms,” offering to post a “clarifying message” that would give “context” to the posters.

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Just two days after Campus Reform’s inquiries, the anonymous source sent pictures of Dr. Anderton’s door revealing substantive changes.

The “Trump toilet,” “Donald Nixon,” and “How to join the Master Race,” cartoons had disappeared, and were replaced with a new flyer titled, “Political and Policy Commentary Zone.”

The new flyer tells readers not to “take personal offense at these editorial cartoons,” saying, “they are not meant to attack your personal political sentiments” but rather reflect “major political and policy concerns,” adding that Trump’s election has created an “unconventional situation.”

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Also featured on the office door now is the Carolinian Creed, USC’s code of civilized conduct that encourages students and faculty to “demonstrate concern for others.”

The source argues that the posts are “not meant to begin a debate and instead only advocate the Chair’s anti-Trump political position,” adding that the recent revisions have done little to change the perception created by the display.

“The inclusion of the Carolinian Creed is also horrendously offensive to everybody in the Gamecock community. It totally violates the spirit of the Creed to post it as if it is a weapon in defense of the Chair’s political position and his unprofessional conduct,” the source concluded. “One-sided political posters simply do not belong on the door of a Department Chair. It’s an embarrassment to the University!”

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @rMitchellGunter