A University of Pennsylvania law professor is facing a fierce backlash after slamming non-White Americans on a talk show last week.
Amy Wax, who has taught at Penn Law since 2001, attracted national attention for making racist comments about Asian and Black people on a Fox News show.
“There is just a tremendous amount of resentment and shame of non-western peoples against western peoples for western peoples’ outsized achievements and contributions,” Wax told political commentator Tucker Carlson on Fox News.
Penn Law professor Amy Wax tells Tucker Carlson that "Blacks" and other "non-western" groups harbor "resentment, shame, and envy" against western people for their "outsized achievements and contributions." pic.twitter.com/jpQmOU554C
— nikki mccann ramírez (@NikkiMcR) April 11, 2022
Speaking about Indian Americans, the 69-year-old professor said, “They climb the ladder, they get the best education, we give them every opportunity, and they turn around and lead the charge on ‘we’re racist, we’re an awful country.’ On some level, their country is a s–thole.”
During the episode, Wax also lambasted Asian doctors at Penn Medicine, who she said: “are on the ramparts for the antiracism initiative for dump on America.”
Known for her history of racist remarks, Wax commented earlier this year that the US would benefit from having fewer Asian immigrants. In 2006, she was condemned for her stance on same-sex marriage, and in 2017 she was in the hot seat again for saying she had never seen a Black graduate in the top quarter of their class.
The university condemned her speech in 2018 and barred her from teaching mandatory courses. However, Wax still holds her tenured position at the Ivy League school.
Social Media Outrage
People were swift to call out Wax’s inflammatory comments. Social commentators protested against her stereotyping, calling her views “racist idiocy.”
Aseem Shukla, a pediatrician and professor at Penn, wrote: “Hey Amy Wax, some of us Indian American docs do our part to make America the great healthcare system you describe. So, yeah, we have the right to criticize it too.”
The latest comments by Wax come as the school undergoes a faculty review that could lead to sanctions against her.
A Penn spokesperson said the professor’s views do not reflect those of the university, and it is evaluating her “escalating conduct.”