Jonatha Carr, a 24-year-old FAU student, was two courses shy of graduation when she suffered a nervous breakdown and threatened to kill her professor and classmates.
The university suspended Carr for at least the semester following her outburst on March 20. Carr’s family said her rant was because she suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The family isn’t convinced FAU handled the situation properly. Since then, Joyce and Nicole Carr say the family has been receiving death threats from strangers and they’re worried about Carr’s safety, as well as her future.
Carr has suffered from mental breakdowns before, three of which required her to be Baker Acted. Carr found out she was mentally ill when she was 13, according to her mother and sister. They say mental disorders run in the family. Carr’s grandmother was bipolar, and her aunt and sister also battle the condition.
Carr’s antidepressant medication masks her disorders and lets her be an active member in FAU’s community. She wanted to be a doctor but a nervous breakdown in 2009 ended her dream. Psychiatric specialists told Carr she couldn’t go through residency, since she needed sleep for her mental disabilities, according to Joyce and Nicole Carr.
When that didn’t work out, Carr decided to be a chemistry teacher. With a 3.8 GPA, her family says she was on her way, until she asked her professor, “How does evolution kill black people?”
“The professor had made a comment. ‘Evolution is final, it’s not up for discussion,’” Joyce Carr said. According to her family, Carr, who is a creationist, had a problem with her evolution class after the comment.
Evolution professor Stephen Kajiura said he doesn’t recall saying this. “She may have misinterpreted me,” Kajiura said. “You can’t ever say anything is absolute and final. We are biologists. We deal in statistics and probability.”
He also claims the class had not yet discussed evolution versus creationism.
An anonymous creationist in the class backed this up. “He doesn’t stop us from asking questions, but he’ll be prepared to argue from what he believes. Otherwise he wouldn’t be teaching the subject,” the student said.
The week before her outburst, Joyce Carr and her daughter grabbed lunch. Carr complained about Kajiura’s class. She had been enrolled in the class once before, but dropped it when her grandmother died. Her mother recommended she drop it again, but Carr needed it to graduate.
Once Carr’s breakdown began, the family thinks Kajiura should have realized something was wrong. “If someone would have acted differently, I wish it would have been the professor,” Joyce Carr said.
Kajiura said he realized the student was having a mental breakdown. “It was clearly a mental issue, which is why I wanted to not confront her,” he said. According to Kajiura, his teaching assistant had left to call police, so he wanted to keep Carr calm.
Joyce Carr mentioned evolution wasn’t the problem, it’s what Kajiura said about it. “When you say it’s been proven, she wanted to challenge it,” she said.
Nicole Carr said her sister researched how the theory of evolution was used to justify the Holocaust. She thinks that’s what led to her question. “She remembers what she said, but she says ‘I couldn’t control it,’” Joyce Carr said.
They say Carr couldn’t control her racist comments because of her condition. “When my sister is in her state, that’s where she goes,” Nicole Carr said.
They insist, however, Carr is not racist. “When she’s at home, her slurs were against black people,” Joyce Carr said “She’s called my mom names, a black b-i-t-c-h, a nigger,” Nicole Carr said.
“When you go in your manic phase, you go off. It may be sex, it may be race, it may be religion,” Nicole Carr said. “On a regular basis she wouldn’t say things like this.”
According to both women, this breakdown was Carr’s worst. “Have I seen it like that? No,” Joyce Carr said.
Nicole Carr, who says her sister has hit her and sworn at her during past breakdowns, agreed, “I hadn’t seen it with that much depth.”
Carr was released on March 23, three days after the breakdown. “We’re having a hard time having her not want to search everything being written about her,” Joyce Carr said.
Nicole added, “We’re trying to get her to watch TV, watch movies, but she’s been reading all this stuff.”
Carr’s family is also worried about the students. “Jonatha has a mental illness. It’s not their fault,” Joyce Carr said.
“We’re in an age when kids pull out their video cameras and their cell phones. It’s like the norm. […] As much as I don’t like [the video] out there, had it not been for it, I would have never known what went on in that classroom.”
The family says Jonatha will not try to receive secondary degrees from FAU. Still, they want to bring in a specialist to train students and faculty on how to deal with students with mental disorders.
Kurt Sligh • Jul 28, 2015 at 2:51 pm
I’m bipolar myself but have never ever touched anyone, although in the manic phase have been extremely angry. I understand and emphathize with this young lady. But she and her family definately know she can be dangerous when she gets like this. For that reason and that reason alone they are responsible…not the other students, not the professor…they are. I pray that she can finish her degree and get a job…but I’m not so sure she can deal with the presure of a job. She needs to stay close to family members and others who love her so that they can help her when she goes through another cycle…and they seem to be all to frequent.
democRATsBlow • Jul 28, 2015 at 2:00 pm
Of course it’s always someone else’s fault. They probably learned that from the *ssClown oBozo.
Bill Burns • Jul 28, 2015 at 1:07 pm
VICTIM DU JOUR.
CONGRATULATIONS
JONATHA CARR.
YOU IS FAMOUS.
GeneConnor • Nov 23, 2015 at 11:39 am
You /be/ famous.
otisrneedleman • Feb 24, 2015 at 2:10 pm
Was this bozo allowed back in school? I certainly hope not.
red2121 • Feb 23, 2015 at 7:26 pm
No excuses lady…psycho…pure and simple. You threatened people in that class…you should be permanently expelled! By by apple pie!
John Arabia • Feb 23, 2015 at 7:45 am
Lovely, she wants to be around our children. This woman should not be allowed sround anyone, she should be institutionalized because she is a danger to herself and others. Why isn’t she in special education classes? This was her second “breakdown”. Plain and simple she is a racist bullie and should be charged with hate crimes.
She is very lucky she didn’t attack someone who is willing to stand up for themselves.
DocReality • Feb 23, 2015 at 12:50 am
She’s responsible for her actions, regardless of the cause. If she’s schizophrenic or bipolar, then she needs to be on meds to control her behaviors and function in society. Mental illness is NEVER AN EXCUSE for bad or dangerous behaviors.
Nathan Ray • Feb 22, 2015 at 11:15 pm
NO Excuse. expel and permanent ban from institution .
damifinoone2 • Feb 22, 2015 at 2:09 pm
It was “whities” fault.
Anthony • Feb 22, 2015 at 10:59 am
GO AHEAD……PLAY THE RACE CARD!!!!
tired of BS • Jan 6, 2015 at 1:09 pm
If she and her parent knew she was having a problem, then it is their own fault not getting her help sooner not the schools or the professor. I am bipolar and schizophrenic and even a slip up with medication doesn’t cause that unless you are off them for a least a few days. Bipolar doesn’t make you act like a racist, you either are one or your not.
Donna L. Mumford-Stroup • Feb 22, 2015 at 3:32 pm
I totally agree “tired of bs” as I saw that racism come out in a family member when they had an episode..it was a matter that had to be handled by the police and my realtive was jailed..then given therapy and it was up to him to take his meds when released which does not happen on a regular basis,hence in and out of jail is what his life had become. He was going to a university to be a doctor,he had a very high g.p.a. It is sad because alot of metally ill people refuse to believe they have a problem. I have seen and heard it over and over again..trust me….
Donna L. Mumford-Stroup • Feb 22, 2015 at 3:35 pm
Have you all seen “A Beautiful Mind” starrring Russell Crowe or “Mr.Jones” starring Richard Gere?
Laffin'atcha • Jan 6, 2015 at 10:48 am
Does ANYONE want this person teaching their child…
Roger • Dec 19, 2014 at 1:44 pm
You lose ALL credibility when you start blaming others for her actions. You lost me right there! Personal responsibility like it or not! She was at fault! Period!
Steven DePriest • Dec 19, 2014 at 11:53 am
She has schizophrenia and wants to be a teacher? I certainly hope not. Also, the family isn’t convinced FAU handled the situation properly. Really? Is she still breathing? Was she tazzered into submission? Did the white student knock the “schizophrenia” out of her and get her attention? She is lucky, very lucky.
Mack0 • Dec 13, 2014 at 12:59 pm
The usual blame game. No one is ever responsible for their own behavior. If I had been the teacher or the student she attacked I would have filed charges. The professor and the student hold no blame and anyone assigning them blame is beyond delusional.
Yu Ou Munny • Dec 9, 2014 at 4:37 pm
bi polar my ass she suffers from the racist views taught to her by her parents, the same type of parents that dont teach their kids respect and wonder why they are in jail or dead and then blame it on the White folks bull shit this shit is getting old
ozarkat • Nov 30, 2014 at 10:42 am
Sorry—not accepting this as an excuse. Obviously, if this person has a mental condition and requires medication, she must have been off her meds. Her family is making the excuses for her. But tell me, has she (asked the school for permission and..) gone back to that class and apologized for her behavior? It would have gone a long way to preventing all this bad press from hitting the internet. I know it happened back in March, so too late now. But this is what an intelligent person would have done after realizing she went off the deep end and offended her classmates and verbally & physically attacked people.
NukeWaste • Nov 23, 2014 at 10:56 pm
Once again, everybody except those responsible for the problem are blamed. I doubt that much of this is real. Bipolar people don’t become doctors. They don’t qualify. She wasn’t going to be a chemistry teacher either. As soon as the kids would find out that she is bipolar, her life would be hell. Concerning college, It isn’t up the other students to give a shit about her, nor her problems. They are paying real money to get a degree. Her rants would be an obstruction. If I got a lower grade on a test because of what wasn’t accomplished because of her antics, her parents would find out what it feels like being on the other end of the stick. I would have sued the school, her parents, and the young lady in civil court. Colleges take in many students who don’t belong in advanced classes because the government pays them to babysit the kids. Forget the students who belong there. They aren’t important. Their acquiescence is!
Chere Mason Cook • Nov 23, 2014 at 8:15 pm
Typical family response to what their daughter or sister caused..mental illness or not she had no right doing what she did n saying she hated all white people n would kill her professor..so naturally they want to scream the mental card so she will not have to face just whaT she did.so glad she never got the chance to b a doctor..
Jack Ryder • Nov 21, 2014 at 1:14 am
Did the professor get an apology for her death threat? Did the young man who was assaulted get an apology for a hate-crime? Did the students get an apology from her or her family for disrupting the learning they’re paying for and the campus safety they are guaranteed? Does she not realize that over half of white Europeans that came to North America were slaves and a chunk of the other percent of whites were indentured servants for most of, if not there whole, life? Is she aware that Africans sold Africans to slave-traders? Is she unaware that the first slave-holder in the U.S was an African American? Did she also know that the largest U.S. slave holder in history was a black man? Did she realize that less than 1% of the U.S. back then were slaveholders? Did she realize the other 99%, mostly white, were against slavery for moral and economic reasons? Does she realize the term redneck is a racial term for a low-classed white person who worked the fields and gained sun burn? And that those “rednecks” were low-classed because slave-holders caused inflation due to their personal cheap labor via their slaves and took away jobs for those needing it? Does she realize the entire world was slave-trading people back and forth? Does she realize that the African slave was overwhelmingly more enslaved by northern Africa and the Middle East then any other part of the world? And yet there are so many black Muslims. Also, and this is a big one: DOES SHE REALIZE THAT THE ENTIRE WESTERN WORLD, A VERY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF WHITE POPULATED COUNTRIES, SPENT UNHEARD OF FORTUNES AND LITERALLY BATTLED IN WARS TO END SLAVERY? I’m Irish. During the Civil War, the Yankees would fodder the Irish-Americans, sometimes Irish fresh off the boats, to go to the frontlines and die for the causes of a better nation. Deceptive, and racist towards Irish, sure. But know the facts of who sacrificed what and who enslaved, raped and killed your people. Join the club. Every ethnicity has gone through inhumanity brought upon by bigotry. And you know, being mostly Irish, I don’t give a damn about the past. It wasn’t me. No one that exists no did those things to my distant family. I’m in the now.
And another thing: you not only insult African ethnicity, but those suffering from mental illness using that bullshit as your excuse. I suffer from GAD, SAD, and severe depression due to PTSD. I get angry, sure. But I would never do what she did to those innocent people. Bipolar disorder? It can cause agitation and anger, but it’s a copout. I know plenty of people, some of which I’ve seen on their worst days, who would never harm another person. I am aware that agitation and anger can spiral a mind for those suffering, but they still have control enough to not harm anyone or threaten their lives. Oh, and schizophrenia?! Look up factoids and statistics on the illness. Schizophrenics are very unlikely to be violent. Very.
Now, I will be fair with a guess here. She honestly could be misdiagnosed. She very well could be suffering from PPD (Paranoid Personality Disorder) which would coincide with her rantings or persecution because of her ethnicity and having a sudden outburst on a professor she already didn’t like (possibly distrusting from whatever reasoning her mind concocted) and that could be the source of this outburst.
Chere Mason Cook • Nov 23, 2014 at 8:27 pm
Bravo..I agree 1000%
CTtaxpayer • Nov 26, 2014 at 7:59 am
I understand people striving to cure mental illnesses, including those that often cause such ridiculous behavior as displayed by this colorful young lass, however, in this case, she’s just nuckin’ futs. And (truly) thank you for bringing up a view of history regarding enslaving others. Long before slavery was an issue in the New World, the entitled Feudalist English had Scots and Irish enslaved on their own home lands, using equally foul methods of torture and assaults (including rape and murder) as the A/M peoples shipped to North America and the Caribbean experienced….it’s simply time to let that all go and start taking responsibility for one’s own life/behavior.
Mary Curry • Dec 19, 2014 at 12:47 pm
No African country saw 2/3rds of their people killed or enslaved as the Irish did. By the time the English were done, Ireland’s population went from 1.5 million to 500,000 starving people. But then they were white and it did not count as ‘slavery’. They were just unpaid help.
Bob Papadazzio • May 31, 2015 at 12:58 am
When I first moved here, I was actually sent to principal’s office once because they were talking about Irish “indentured servants”. Growing up in Ireland, it was pretty common knowledge that the English enslaved a great quantity of Irish Catholics and deported them to the colonies as slaves. In fact, by the time the first African slaves arrived there were already some 1000 white Irish ones there to see them off the boat.
Well, while discussing this I raised my hand and asked the teacher why they were being called “indentured servants” when Africans in the same situation were called “slaves”, as the only clear difference I could see was skin color. The teacher called my question “distracting” and I was given a week’s detention for it.
Mary Curry • May 31, 2015 at 5:52 pm
My Irish ancestors came to this country in 1609 as part of the first group of Indentured (slaves) servants. They eventually settled in NY and SC. When I was in school, the books made it seem like they were volunteers that, after their 7 yr contract was done, would be released and paid a sum for each year. In truth, few were ever freed and Lincoln, in his wisdom, neglected to free the white slaves.
Bob Papadazzio • Jun 1, 2015 at 2:46 pm
Not to mention taking Irish immigrants right off the boat and forcing them into military service.
Mohammad Fuxpigs • Nov 19, 2014 at 6:42 pm
So basically all blacks have multiple nervous breakdowns, commonly, repeatedly, always in public- and often in groups- is what this article is saying? Smells like 100% BS.
Donna L. Mumford-Stroup • Feb 22, 2015 at 3:26 pm
No just people with mental disorders be they black,white hispanic,orientals..you are looking for a racist fight it seems…read the article again please….
Mohammad Fuxpigs • Feb 24, 2015 at 2:27 am
I don’t need an article to know that blacks are uncivilized.
tooslow1 • Nov 19, 2014 at 12:27 pm
if she has these types of problems, then online courses maybe much better for her AND the instructor/students. As a retired mental health professional and psychology professor I have worked as a therapist with bi-polar clients and I have had those who had “mental breakdowns” almost as bad as this in my class. The Individual Education Plan addresses the student’s needs, but those needs cannot hold the rest of the class hostage.
Rhett Willman • Nov 19, 2014 at 9:31 am
Glad she isn’t a doctor or chemistry teacher. Anyone trying to become a doctor would know evolution didn’t kill black people. What if she were a doctor and flipped on a patient?
John Johnson • Nov 19, 2014 at 7:52 am
There is no excuse for being an animal.
Imtoooldforthis • Nov 19, 2014 at 6:47 am
I’m convinced they handled the situation correctly. She obviously chose to go off her meds or doesn’t take them to start with and she’s responsible for her actions. I have 2 bipolar children and the Psychs told me from day 1 do not let them use this illness as an excuse for their behavior. They are successful adults who make sure their meds are properly adjusted and lead happy lives. I’m am thankful every day that we were lucky enough to get a doctor who knew what she was doing.
Anne-Marie • Nov 18, 2014 at 8:28 pm
well if you are going to blame it on “a mental illness that runs in the family” then I suggest you stop reproducing to save others from growing up and being told you can not pursue your dream because of your illness
Bill Strouse • Nov 18, 2014 at 7:25 pm
Somebody should have clocked the nutball….
MarxistMangler • Nov 16, 2014 at 3:26 pm
She beez a good girl, she dindunuffin!
Bonnie Domina • Nov 16, 2014 at 11:20 am
My daughter who is 11 years old is bipolar and schizophrenic but she takes her meds as prescribed and is also learning how to recognize her triggers and how to manage them as well as any outbursts. The meds are not a cure all and this is a life long ailment and the sooner the rest of society is educated about mental illnesses the better society will be. It is the uneducated that don’t understand the mentally ill, not the other way around. I try to treat her as “normal” and I won’t allow her to use her mental illness as a crutch and I don’t make excuses for her behavior either. Basically the school should have been informed of her mental condition so they could have alerted her professors to be on the lookout for “signals” that she was getting ready to have a “meltdown”. She will probably get away with assaulting her fellow students because of her mental condition but the courts could or should at least make her stay in a psychiatric facility for a 30 evaluation and to get her stabilized on meds and force the issue that someone needs to make sure she stays on her meds.
Joe Dickey • Nov 19, 2014 at 4:04 am
Bonnie, I’m sorry you also have a mental problem in your family, but you are wrong when suggesting that members of society are responsible for educating themselves about mental illness and learning to recognize the abnormal “signal” that someone is about to “go off” on them. It isn’t difficult for society to recognize someone with a mental illness, but it is not society’s responsibility to monitor the behavior patterns of the mentally ill. It makes sense, to me at least, why the college was not informed of this girl’s problem. Neither she nor her family wanted that information known; so they withheld it to protect her reputation. But even if they had told the school and all of her professors were alerted, what would you expect them to do in the way of handling one of her “meltdowns?” We often hear the statement from those in authority involved in an adversarial event gone awry that they “acted on the side of caution.” So exactly at what point would the professor have recognized she was “getting ready” to throw the fit we see in the video? Even more important, what should he have done about it? I offer there was nothing that could have been done to prevent her tantrum. The responsibility for controlling her meltdowns lies with the girl and her family, insuring she has the correct meds and that she is taking them without fail. She was extremely fortunate her acting out only caused her to be physically removed from the classroom, apparently from what we know, without physical harm. I have attended classes with individuals who would have savored the opportunity to immediately step in and control the situation by use of force at a level far above the amount necessary to end her rant. In a situation like that, she could have endured fractures at the minimum and at worst suffered permanent physical damage. You are quite correct in saying she should be hospitalized for evaluation in a psychiatric facility both for her safety and the safety of the public. It was stated she has had prior events during which she became violent and assaulted members of her own family; so it can be assumed there is no definitive method to insure she takes her meds on a regular program as prescribed. This suggests there is a definite potential for future incidents in which her volatility and propensity for violent outbursts could escalate. If such is found to be the case during evaluation, in the interest of public safety and “acting on the side of caution,” she should remain a patient indefinitely.
NukeWaste • Nov 23, 2014 at 11:04 pm
Hun, Most classes that I attended had 250 to 500 people in them. The instructor is not there to babysit an ADA. If the family knew that the problem existed, and they did, they should have gotten an aid to babysit her in class.
CTtaxpayer • Nov 16, 2014 at 8:13 am
Nut log. Folks like that….crutching on a condition that can be just as easily diagnosed as “spoiled mouthy brat”…are a huge component in the divide between the races today. Doesn’t surprise me that her family is trying to blame others for her ridiculous behavior. Sounds like it’s been a life-long excuse that they use in place of teaching her manners, or at a minimum, to sit down and shut the F up.
Vyper3000 • Nov 16, 2014 at 4:13 am
Sorry…. when she “breaks down” she is unrestrained by Her normal coping mechanisms and who she really is comes out. This person is not safe to be around sane and reasonable people.
Mohammad Fuxpigs • Nov 19, 2014 at 6:44 pm
This condition is most commonly referred to as being a nigger.
Norris Wayne Simmons • Nov 16, 2014 at 3:26 am
If she is prone to mental breakdowns and assaulting others then she needs to be kept away form others. What happens when she is near something which could be used with a weapon…the next school murder occurs is the answer. She does not belong in a society where her outrage and violent behavior cannot be controlled. Quit blaming society and blame the perpetrator of the violence. She is a psychotic violent individual who needs to either get her act together or be institutionalized where the rest of educated society can be protected from her.
Keith A Richey • Nov 16, 2014 at 2:26 am
there are mental issues and problems and there are DANGEROUS mental issues and problems. by her own families admittance she is dangerous. I did not see her confronted in the video. she is clearly violent and hostile. IF this is a true condition, and it is as bad as it appears, she does not need to be loose on an unsuspecting community.
chartman07 • Nov 16, 2014 at 1:50 am
Sounds like the entire family is stuck on stupid – trying to blame everyone else for their family member’s problem. Making “them” learn how to handle “her psych problems” She needs to be “AWAY” from people – not in a class. Can you imagine her as a chemistry teacher flipping out on kids or faculty members? She needs to be AWAY from people…..far AWAY. No one deserved the treatment that they got the day.
Darren Henderson • Jul 28, 2015 at 8:14 pm
Where is away? Is it a mental institution? I have severe Bipolar/Depression with psychotic episodes. Also to mention…I am white and married with 2 school aged children. I work full time thanks to my college degree. Please tell me, with out ignorance…where I should be chartman07?
Craig • Jul 29, 2015 at 3:08 pm
Dumbass
Kenny Amos • Nov 16, 2014 at 1:43 am
don’t be blaming anyone but the girl. and the family. they are suppose to monitor her and watch her for changes… stop trying to make the professor the problem or the school the problem. or the white kid she hit the problem either!!!. I bet they didn’t even tell the school she had a mental disorder.. Just be happy she didn’t have some sort of item that could of been used as a weapon. a bar, a club, a chair, scissors, ect.. glad no one was hurt, hurt..
Donna L. Mumford-Stroup • Feb 22, 2015 at 3:20 pm
I have several family members with mental issues and if they aren’t monitored this is what happens..it can be deadly.Anything can set them off,we can’t control what their mind is doing. They are a danger to society if left unchecked. The sad thing is they are usually very intelligent and loving people….
DocReality • Feb 23, 2015 at 12:49 am
You’re very right, Donna. A lot of family members are powerless/in denial/enabling. And unfortunately, we have very broken mental health system; on a national scale.
Bob Papadazzio • May 31, 2015 at 12:52 am
Agreed. She’s also lucky the people in the class were fairly calm and rational about it, as it could’ve been a lot worse. Some people have a very short fuse, especially in situations where a person could be perceived as a legitimate threat.
Had I been that fellow she struck, I probably would’ve swung back hard before I even knew what I was doing.
Paulita Gilberto • Nov 16, 2014 at 1:18 am
Most people that believe we were created try to do things to please the Creator. Her language didn’t help anything.
Craig • Nov 16, 2014 at 1:17 am
Act a fool over and over and hide behind a so-called condition
Darren Henderson • Jul 28, 2015 at 8:16 pm
Your as ignorant as the one above. I hope if you ever have a child diagnosed with a mental disorder they stumble across there dad’s statement.
Craig • Jul 29, 2015 at 3:08 pm
Your are a entitled prick who knows nothing about her condition, So let grown folks talk and stfu. Idiot
Aaron • Nov 16, 2014 at 12:35 am
GO TO JAIL WHERE YOU BELONG !
Hared Maher • Oct 19, 2014 at 6:06 pm
Crazy is Crazy any way you look at it.
NORA EARHART RN • Nov 16, 2014 at 3:14 am
and she wanted to become a Doctor? Lord Have Mercy. There is medicine for Bi-polar disorders and for schizophrenia……..strong medicine. WHY DIDN’T SHE TAKE HER MEDS, MOM?
Mohammad Fuxpigs • Nov 19, 2014 at 6:43 pm
fuck off kike
NukeWaste • Nov 23, 2014 at 10:58 pm
Snappy comeback! Now say something useful.
Preston Burke • Sep 24, 2012 at 11:25 am
“The family isn’t convinced FAU handled the situation properly.”
Does the family have suggestions which they are convinced would have led to a proper handling of the situation?
Based on the video, it appears the professor stayed very calm during the incident despite being subjected to a tirade of violent threats of death directly at him and other students in the class. It even escalated to the point where one student, the kid who sat motionless and did not engage her, was physically assaulted. In my opinion the professor stayed more calm than most people would have, certainly more than I could have. The video almost feels like a hostage situation. Who knows what she could have been carrying in her bag. A knife? Pepper spray? A gun? A bomb?
If the professor tried to restrain her, the situation would have escalated. If the professor had bolted out of the room, the situation would have escalated. If the professor told everyone to leave the room, the situation would have escalated. See a pattern here?
As a scientist he should not have said evolution wasn’t up for discussion. Having your beliefs disregarded would anger most people, but how could it justify her violent reaction? Even if you do not believe in Darwinism and natual selection, you can’t be surprised when it comes up in a college level biology class in the year 2012.
1rst amendment • Jul 15, 2012 at 12:38 am
I think many people have missed the point. This case wasn’t about evolution. It wasn’t about racism. It was about freedom of speech. Yes, even the mentally disabled have a right to freedom of speech. When the professor and FAU police Baker Acted, he and FAU violated Jonatha Carr’s right to have a voice. She was silenced for having a different perspective from the professor’s. A good professor will allow all his students a voice, will respect diverse opinions, and knows how to diffuse tensions in the classroom.
Really? • Jul 15, 2012 at 7:41 am
I think you missed the part about her having a mental breakdown in class, necessitating them to act.
1rst amendment • Jul 15, 2012 at 10:04 am
The “mental” breakdown was precipitated by a professor who did not respect Ms. Carr. or her creationist point of view. I think tensions between them had been building for some time and simply reached a culmination that day.
Really? • Jul 15, 2012 at 9:09 pm
While the teacher shouldn’t have used the term “final” to define evolution, her perspective was not why she was taken out. Her going out of control and threatening other students is what took her out of the class.
Triston • Jun 16, 2012 at 12:48 am
Blacks r embrrssd & hate their blck faces.PROOF. LOOK@RESEARCH DONE ON BLACK CHILDREN W DOLLS. They shout & scream whn beautiful ppl don’t acknwldge them, & when finally an inncnt angel mimics great leader by trying 2 look just like him, they cringe @ how ugly they really appear.PATHETIC!
Spider Web • Jun 17, 2012 at 11:10 pm
English please.
ivana • May 10, 2012 at 9:03 pm
The way the courts operate thise days I would not brag about being the expert witness:)Besides you are already calling her “Mentaly ill and delusional”and you didn’t even gather all the evidence.People are misdiagnosed and wrongly medicated more often then you think especialy in psychiatric field.And we treat those we brand with mental illness as half humans. Darwinism did not create selective extermination and Superiority feeling of one group or nation over the other, it exsists trough out our known human history!
A • Apr 18, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Todd, you’re proving Janet’s point.
“One aspect of this was the application of taxonomies to humans in order to differentiate different species of humans (races). Once taxonomized, they could then be ranked. Whites were superior and civilized, and non-whites inferior and uncivilized.”
If and when this happens, it happens independent of biological evolution. You’re mixing the wrong ideas.
Darwin didn’t invent the concept of organization. Evolutionary biologists taxonimize species specifically to trace and categorize genetic linkages. That is the ONLY point of it. Taxonomic clades do NOT evaluate the “worth” of a species to artificially support a racist’s views about the world.
You couldn’t rank whites over blacks even if you WANTED to because they’re both the same species regardless of where they came from or how different their culture is. A white man and a non-white woman (or vice versa) can successfully conceive a child, thus placing them in the same species designation, and therefore a human species cannot outrank itself.
Obviously that’s ridiculous.
Todd • Apr 18, 2012 at 7:41 pm
@A
1) You never state how I proved Janet’s point
2) With regard to your quotation from my comment, my point was that taxonimization allowed for human beings to be ranked (and they were; ref. Linnaeus’ notion of the four races). The significance of taxonimization is that it lended scientific legitimacy to the rankings. Once ranked, a motive had been produced for the intervention in the process of natural selection. This motive materialized in Francis Galton’s idea of eugenics. Eugenics was one of the ideological justifications for the Holocaust. So I’m not mixing the wrong ideas. I’m showing how taxonimization scientifically legitimated ranking races of people, and how it also served as the motive to attempt to control the process of natural selection.
3)No, in principle taxonomic clades do not evaluate worth in contemporary science…ANYMORE; but in the 18th- mid-20th centuries they were used to divide up humanity into separate races which were deemed to be scientifically inferior to white, European races. The concept of taxonomy and its common applications that you have is a post-Holocaust conception; after the scientific community came out and explicitly denied that there was any scientific basis for racial differences. For a good account of this history check out Stephen Jay Gould’s “The Mismeasure of Man.”
4)I think you should reflect on the distinction between truth-claims and the truth, or claims about reality and reality. When approaching scientific claims in the context of the history of science it is always necessary to treat them as claims about reality, rather than as representing reality itself. Taxonomies are not immutable truths about the divisions of life. Cladistics is not a monolithic practice. What you learn in an evolutionary biology classroom is not God-breathed truth.
5) With all that said, I’m an atheist who believes in Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection and phyletic gradualism. Just wanted to clarify that I’m not attacking evolutionary theory, just pointing out the dark past that science and evolution have had.
Dr Ann Blake Tracy • Apr 18, 2012 at 11:49 am
Excuse me but why is it you are arguing points made by Jonatha Carr in a delusional state of mind? Delusions have no basis in reality. They are mindless ramblings. Anything the professor said had NOTHING at all to do with the psychotic break this young woman experienced. But the antidepressant she has been given to “mask her symptoms” had EVERYTHING to do with it. Antidepressants are NOT a mask for manic outbursts but a trigger for them! Antidepressants are the biggest CAUSE of mania/bipolar on the planet! As these drugs skyrocketed in use among the youth the diagnosis for Bipolar Disorder increased by 4000% in that same age group! In fact antidepressants have been the trigger in every major school shooting in this country in the past two plus decades.
How would I know that?
Because I have been testifying as an expert witness in these cases for the past 20 years. Go to our database of cases posted at http://www.ssristories.com to see 1000’s more cases just like this. I was the expert for Miami attorney Ellis Rubin (EXCELLENT attorney by the way) in little 10 year old Timothy Becton’s case about two decades ago. Why did Florida not learn anything then about the dangers of these drugs – especially among those under 25 which the FDA now warns of? Look at the Florida cases on that database & see how many have died needlessly since then. LEARN something from this case to stop all the needless deaths & suffering from these deadly drugs!
Did you notice the ranting & uncontrolled cursing & rage & violence so common with the toxic reactions to these so called “medications” that are almost identical in action to PCP (Angel Dust). Why should we be surprised by the violence that continued to escalate as she was taken out of the school necessitating more than three police officers to hold her down? When have we ever viewed that type of strenghth coming from someone in a state like this? PCP! These drugs should be classed as “Dissociative Anesthetics” because that is what they are, NOT antidepressants. Read the package insert to learn that they produce as side effects depression, mania, anxiety, suicidal ideation & homicidal ideation, etc.
One word of warning though: If someone attempts to come off these drugs too rapidly they can cause exactly what you saw happen to Jonatha Carr. Antidepressant withdrawal can produce withdrawal mania rapidly. According to the FDA warnings any abrupt change in dose of an antidepressant can produce suicide, hostility or psychosis (generally a manic psychosis as you witnessed Jonatha suffer). For safe & successful discontinuation changes in dose must be EXTREMELY GRADUAL (taking months & often years) to avoid this withdrawal state!!!!!
FAU is a JOKE • Apr 18, 2012 at 8:22 am
Well, every single racist commenter from the previous article should be a damned shamed of themselves. But kids love playgrounds and roaming in sand is what they do. So God bless the little children. Especially the ones who were in the classroom that day who saw this as a ticket to a circus show. The professor is not to blame for any of this. He acted accordingly in my humble opinion. His TA called the police so in essence, something was done.
At least the family got to tell their side of the story. She has schizophrenia and as a result of a mental breakdown, she can’t graduate even with two classes left. If FAU’s Student affairs (COREY KING), yes I am talking to you….Is for the students, give this young girl her degree. Let her graduate. Come up with a solution as to how she can get her degree and stop being so quick to expel and suspend students without CONCRETE knowledge of the circumstances. But of course your goal is to keep your job and look damn good doing so in your blasphemous glory. I surely regret the day I studied at FAU and will never endorse any student attending this joke of an institution, no matter what platform I end up in, in my lifetime.
doug mclean • Apr 18, 2012 at 8:16 am
So she can come back to school at FAU, potentially next semester? Well that’s wonderful. Can’t wait to see the next breakdown and the danger those students will be in. Would we be having this conversation if a white student’s breakdown yielded racist comments against black people? Doubtful.
Todd • Apr 17, 2012 at 6:45 pm
@Janet Burkley. Social Darwinism is not a “sociological” construct. It is the idea that survival of the fittest ought to be allowed to play out in human social life, as it does in the natural (non-social) world. Evolution can be implicated in both the Holocaust and white-on-black racism. One of the legacies of the enlightenment was the rise of a scientific worldview that replaced the religious one in Europe. One aspect of the rise of scientific kowledge was the application of taxonomies to humanity in order to differentiate between different species of humans. This differentiation led to the ranking of races (or species), with white being the most civilized, superior, and evolved race and the darker “others” of this world being inferior, uncivilized, and unevolved. Francis Galton, the cousin of Charles Darwin, took the idea of evolution by natural selection and proposed that natural selection could be brought under human control. Thus, eugenics was born. Eugenics, or the idea that we ought to weed out genetically inferior humans (coincidentally these happened to be primarilly non-white, non-Europeans) by sterilization or forced abortion has played a part in both the U.S.’s racial past (forced sterilizations of blacks) and in Hitler’s plan for the purification of the German race in the Holocaust. So the progression goes like this:
Evolution by natural selection –> Eugenics –> Holocaust
Rich R • Aug 28, 2012 at 5:36 am
You can’t get from the is to the ought. Evolution is simply an explanation of what happens in the natural world. Eugenics is humans applying racist nonsense to what they think “should” happen. To conflate the two is ludicrous, un-scientific and borderline unstable.
Todd • Oct 4, 2012 at 12:33 pm
I completely agree. But wasn’t eugenics just such a conflation of is and ought? Eugenics was developed as a way of applying the principle of natural selection, artificially, to human societies. Galton, Darwin’s cousin, had exactly this in mind when he first came up with the idea. Purify the genetic code. Eu-genics = “Good Genes”
Jenny Fromdabloc • Apr 17, 2012 at 5:25 pm
So her family’s side of the story is that… it’s the professor’s fault? Nice.
Janet Burkley • Apr 17, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Evolution has nothing to do with the Holocaust! Social Darwinism, a sociological construct, MIGHT be implicated in the Holocaust (depending on the strength of your argument) but never evolution! The only specific link between evolution and black people is the predisposition of African-Americans to certain diseases making them less likely to have children and pass on their genes if they are affected by the illness.
Todd • Apr 17, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Evolution certainly has something to do with the Holocaust. It also has something to do with the systematic exploitation and oppression of black people. A legacy of the enlightenement was the replacement of the traditional, religious worldview with a scientific one. One aspect of this was the application of taxonomies to humans in order to differentiate different species of humans (races). Once taxonomized, they could then be ranked. Whites were superior and civilized, and non-whites inferior and uncivilized. Along comes Darwin positing that evolution occurs by natural selection. Francis Galton, Darwin’s cousin, takes the theory of evolution by natural selection, and wonders if we couldn’t artificially select for certain desirable traits. Eugenics was born. As it turns out, the U.S. experimented heavily with eugenics, mostly through forced sterilizations, and mostly on black women. The Holocaust was an effort to purify the German race of the Jewish blight, first through separation, then segregation, then extermination. Nazi doctors discussed eugenics, sterilization, forced abortion, and purification thoroughly. Neither of these types of racial purifications by eugenics would have been conceivable without the theory of evolution by natural selection. So, the progression goes:
evolution–>eugenics–>Holocaust
james • Jun 22, 2012 at 4:46 am
You’re a sick creationist lunatic. Evolution is a simple fact of nature, PERIOD. People killed and committed genocide throughout history, WAY before Darwin discovered evolution. Before evolution it was typically some invisible god that COMMANDED people to kill others. Is that an indictment on god or the crazy people who use god to justify their actions? Evolution is NOT “survival of the fittest.” We are ALL homo sapiens, we are all EQUALLY WELL ADAPTED for our environments. Again, a few twisted people using their own twisted version of evolution to BACKWARDS RATIONALIZE their ALREADY PRESENT racism and hatred towards others has NOTHING to do with the simple fact of nature, evolution; just like it has nothing to do with the simple fact of nature known as gravity.
Todd • Oct 4, 2012 at 12:53 pm
I’m not a creationist. As I said in a separate post on this article, I am an atheist and I believe in evolution by phyletic gradualism. It seems as though you recognize that, historically, people have used evolution to “backwards rationalize their already present racism.” Good, so we agree on this as well. I am saying two additional things that I don’t think you are understanding. First, I contend that had it not been for the publication and acceptance of the theory of evolution by the scientific community, eugenics would never have been created. I do not deny the possibility that genocides may still have occurred without the publication of ideas associated with evolution (taxonomies). However, I suspect that they would not have occurred on the same scale as they in fact have occurred. This is because, and this is my second point, scientists are authorities on subjects that the majority of people do not understand or know about. When a scientist speaks, people listen. When guys like Linnaeus came out with his taxonomy of the human races that ranked them all relative to each other in a hierarchical fashion, it created an impetus or rationale for genocide. Again, you can read all about this history in Stephen Jay Gould’s excellnt book “The Mismeasure of Man.”
Finally, I am not blaming evolution for the holocaust or for racial genocides. What I am doing is trying to piece together the rant that Jonatha Carr had. She was clearly emotionally upset and unstable. But that doesn’t mean that the things that she said were “delusional.” I am trying to show everyone that they have a pretty good grounding in history. Perhaps her question would have been better put like this: “Could you please explain how the study of cladistics hase changed over the years to make up for the previously accepted, erroneous notion that some clades/types are inherently better than others?” Or, she could have asked: “What are the links between the theory of evolution and eugenics? And what are the links between eugenics and forced sterilization projects in the early 20th century Southern United States?” Or she could have asked some other variant of these. In any case, the point is that just because someone is disturbed, or as many would call it, “crazy,” does not mean that their “delusions” do not have a basis in lived experience or in history. Jonatha was just not in the correct state of mind to organize her thoughts and formulate the question.
Mike • May 10, 2014 at 11:35 am
Oh my… idiots abound around here!