The New York Times profiles obnoxious Brandeis grad Martin Peretz

The New York Times has an in-depth feature on Brandeis alumnus Martin Peretz, the former editor-in-chief of The New Republic magazine. It can be found here. The article is entitled “Martin Peretz is Not Sorry About Anything,” which is basically polite code for “Martin Peretz is a Tremendous Asshole,” which he most assuredly is. But it’s a good article, with plenty of Peretzian racism, sexism, and overall pompousness scattered throughout. And Brandeis does, perhaps embarrassingly, receive a brief mention.

Shame!

Marty Peretz, class of ’59, is kind of a big deal.

He’s the owner and editor-in-chief of The New Republic, a prominent magazine with a proud legacy. Brandeis certainly thinks highly of him: he keeps popping up on the website, and we just gave him the Alumni Achievement Award in 2009.

Problem is, he just wrote this:

But, frankly, Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims. And among those Muslims led by the Imam Rauf there is hardly one who has raised a fuss about the routine and random bloodshed that defines their brotherhood. So, yes, I wonder whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse.

Shame! What a horrible, cruel, ignorant thing to say.