University Professor Wants to be Fired and Humiliated

When your pattern of behavior is discourteous, disrespectful and arrogant, or in other words, out of control and unrestrained, and you act as if you are beyond consequences, you are in essence flipping off people, especially your enemies.

You can only defy the odds for so long. To turn your back on professional psychological care or coaching for a change in mindset and behavior is decision-making of a fool.

Mike Adams (pictured below), a sociology and criminology professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington is such a person, and it's difficult to watch.

He wants to be fired and humiliated.

Using speech considered mocking and offensive to human beings, especially those of color and following it up, not with humility, social awareness, empathy, respect and remorse but by instead with a decision to communicate that inferring complainers are a vulgar slang word for female anatomy, he puts his bosses in an increasingly difficult situation.

Now, professors have communicated in more ugly ways than Adams and somehow survived and kept their jobs yet this is different in that the culture is no longer tolerating this type of behavior and the "cancel culture" is "a thing." It's legitimate, power in today's culture and insatiable. If they want to force decision makers hands, it is loud and relentless and often, effective.

The clock is ticking on Adams' career, psychological safety and financial well-being.

Who knows, maybe he wants to be terminated and spend money suing the university, again.

He's daring his bosses and mocking his public critics, some of them reasonable and decent people and others, the dangerous, bloodthirsty mob and lovers of schadenfreude.

Here's the secret people like Adams don't know, yet: it's only a matter of time before the outcome they are daring to happen, does. Self sabotage hasn't yet caused a cataclysmic event in his career yet it will. It will materialize in a moment, shattering delusions of invincibility.

When reality sets in, the pain will be deep, crushing and long lasting when it comes to tangible losses and psychological ones when it comes to ego.

While it's respectable that his bosses have not been reactionary in the past, times, they are a changin' and yet, Adams is still being enabled.

With him lacking intrinsic motivation for seeking assistance for improvement, the university should strongly recommend it as part of his continued employment. If Adams rejects it, the university may have little choice but to ask for his resignation or express through termination that he's no longer wanted as a professor at their school.

The school has to conduct wise risk management if Adams won't for himself.

Will Adams have an a-ha moment and realize his belief system, attitudes, and behavior of weak impulse control is unbecoming and dangerous? Will he listen to those close to him who he trusts who might recommend he seek assistance in overcoming his blind spots?

If not, the end of his employment is sooner than future success.

Michael Toebe is a specialist for reputation, professional relationships communication and wiser crisis management, serving individuals and organizations. He writes the Red Diamonds Newsletter, published on the Medium platform, a weekly publication on communication, decision making, behavior, conflict, professional relationships, courage and resilience and reputation and crisis. He also hosts the Red Diamonds Podcast with Michael Toebe.