According to a threatening email my company received today, Ray Hammond thinks I should “burn in hell” for starting this site and hopes that I “choke on [my] money.” This message was sent from his official email account at the New York Quarterly, a non-profit and poetry publication.
Instead of responding to this highly unpoetic message in kind, I am choosing to be the bigger person in this situation and I therefore made a gift to your organization.
I began Unemployed Professors to help out both struggling students in a credential-oriented, capitalist educational system, as well as under-employed academics who may be struggling to pay for food, medical bills, or childcare.
Mr. Hammond, I respect the work you do and hold your own organization in high regard. You don’t need to respect mine, but veiled threats and evocations of eternal damnation are uncalled for. After taxes, this is the largest donation I can afford to make this holiday season.
Unlike NYQ, my organization would never under any circumstances wish death, violence, or eternal damnation on anyone. I hope you will use this gift to reflect on the true goals and values of your organization, as well as how you use its official communication channels.
