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This Is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

okwu.edu

191–200 of 707 posts

Re: This Is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

#191

Yet another post for HN to one-up each other decrying the "PC culture" with plenty of "kids these days" rants, while completely avoiding taking the charitable position and putting ourselves in their shoes. The amount of hypocrisy that comes with the claims that these students should "learn to cope with uncomfortable ideas" is staggering. Guess what: these students are presenting us with an "uncomfortable idea" and th…

> completely avoiding taking the charitable position and putting ourselves in their shoes

No. I, or the world will not be taking a "charitable position". As any other human being living in society I'm often confronted with things that I'm not comfortable with. Would you like to know what I do about them? I step away because it's none of my business judging other people's beliefs and the integrity of my feelings is not their responsibility.

So, to reiterate: no, sir. I will not yield something that I do not ask for myself. I will also not be shamed into whatever you're trying to shame us for and I laugh at the notion that you believe you would be successful in that attempt.

Re: This Is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

#192
post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just to add some more info; it was the student union that was running the yoga class and cancelled it, the university administration had no part in its cancellation. This was wholly done by students.

That doesn't seem to change how ridiculous it sounds, does it?

Nope, it's more ridiculous, I think. I'm used to misguided administrations; that's par for the course. But students policing themselves, and it's worse than any misguided administration could do? Unbelievable.

Re: This Is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

#193
post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just to add some more info; it was the student union that was running the yoga class and cancelled it, the university administration had no part in its cancellation. This was wholly done by students.

That doesn't seem to change how ridiculous it sounds, does it?

[deleted]

Re: This Is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

#194

Yet another post for HN to one-up each other decrying the "PC culture" with plenty of "kids these days" rants, while completely avoiding taking the charitable position and putting ourselves in their shoes. The amount of hypocrisy that comes with the claims that these students should "learn to cope with uncomfortable ideas" is staggering. Guess what: these students are presenting us with an "uncomfortable idea" and th…

I can't tell/understand this PC meme. I have heard older generations talk about minorities in a way I wouldn't. It was a different time, women there are people (very old) alive born before women could vote.

Maybe it is societal conditioning, but I think that is wrong and look back on older generations and think they must also have known.

I can not say the same thing for much of these PC causes. I find it iritating and bad for society, much like I am sure racists in the south found the gradual acceptance of interracial dating and increased equity irritating.

I find many of the causes championed, or at least incedents in the news, to be a mockery of a free society but I can't help wonder if I am the same as Jim Crow. I suspect he felt quite vindicated as well.

Re: This Is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

#195
post #6

I think the world would be better if, before you're allowed to respond to someone being wrong, you have to first be able to express their position in a way that they agree represents their view. Because 'political correctness' isn't the cancer at the heart of social politics, it is straw-manning. On both sides of every issue. I'd be surprised, perhaps even amazed, if Dr Piper had represented the complaint in any way…

Along those lines, I think formal debate should be required in secondary education, and students should be required to defend the position they disagree with.

That would be nice, but is "formal debate" taught anymore? What I've seen lately (finished grad school 5 years ago) that is called "debate" at a university is far from what I remember when I did undergrad in the '80's.

Re: This Is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

#196
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I sympathize with your viewpoint, perhaps I can shed some clarity on the other side. The concern is not feelings getting hurt, but rather physical security as a person of minority status. This is something that a white heterosexual middle-class male (such as myself) can probably never fully appreciate, but I try to sympathize. Imagine what it is like to be black in a country where just a few generations back yo…

Actually white heterosexual middle class males can totally appreciate these things. Imagine what it is like to be white/asian in a country where a disproportionate number of crimes are committed by black men and where black on white crimes are 5.6 times more common than white on black crimes [1]. Imagine what it is like to be Christian when a disproportionate number of terror attacks are committed by Islamic types. M…

You just cited a blog which has this on their About Us page: "If whites permit themselves to become a minority population, they will lose their civilization, their heritage, and even their existence as a distinct people."

Instead of allowing your father to fear for his and your safety based on his irrational and bigoted views, perhaps you could educate him not to accept data from fringe sources. Your reproduction of these titilating facts, completely removed from context, taken from a blog which has a White Power political agenda, is a curious tactic. Do you use this "evidence" to lend credence to your father's views? Do you think this justifies his ignorance? If you truly recognize his views as irrational, then you should not be dredging up wingnut blogs which are merely trying to incite hatred and divisiveness.

Please, educate your father so that his ignorance and bigotry do not permeate through to the next generation.

Re: This Is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

#197
post #6

I think the world would be better if, before you're allowed to respond to someone being wrong, you have to first be able to express their position in a way that they agree represents their view. Because 'political correctness' isn't the cancer at the heart of social politics, it is straw-manning. On both sides of every issue. I'd be surprised, perhaps even amazed, if Dr Piper had represented the complaint in any way…

You're being generous to the author. I'd be amazed if anyone at all had complained to the university president about their sermon. "The complaining student" is now a trope along the lines of the cab driver who always speaks to New York Times columnists in a way that is convenient for their column.

Don't forget that time that Navy SEAL punched a professor for saying God didn't exist.

That Navy SEAL was Albert Einstein.

Re: This Is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

#198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could also be related to the person. A prof who's being racist will receive more criticism for being racist, and will have more cause to complain of "political correctness".

I gotta say, anecdotally, this is what I often find ... the people complaining about political correctness, are those that have in the past been openly racist, or at a minimum, fond of racially charged jokes (ie. "black people are great, everyone should own one"). They are chafing against a cultural change that no longer appreciates and/or tolerates behavior like that.

Yeah. As a white guy, I get that our current loss of privilege feels like a loss. Change is always uncomfortable, so I can see why people would be inclined to push back. And I get that we all learned to express privilege partly through behaviors that conveniently just happen to maintain privilege (behaviors like those racist jokes).

But still, it's frustrating how many people who supposedly pride themselves on their incisive intellects refuse to even consider that there might be something going on besides "political correctness". This Wondermark cartoon captures the dynamic for me:

http://wondermark.com/1k71/

Re: This Is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

#199
I have a friend who attended OKWU a few years ago. She shared this piece on Facebook in approval. From what I know from her education there, this place is essentially a "safe-space" for Christians. If you say anything negative about the religion or its teachings, you are kicked out. If you don't follow its rules, you are kicked out. If you drink, smoke, have premarital sex, are lgbtq, don't follow their strict ethics code you are kicked out. Their philosophy classes are all Biblical, if you question them you are kicked out. Until a few years ago, you could major in something that amounted to being a 'preacher's wife' (I can't remember the name of the major, but that was its goal).

Isn't this just an extreme safe-space for Christianity? It's exactly what they're arguing against, but backs up their worldview so it's not an issue.

It's honestly baffling because I am sure there are hundreds of very smart people there who must realize this, including the professors and administration.

Re: This Is Not a Day Care. It’s a University

#200
post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That doesn't seem to change how ridiculous it sounds, does it?

Nope, it's more ridiculous, I think. I'm used to misguided administrations; that's par for the course. But students policing themselves, and it's worse than any misguided administration could do? Unbelievable.

For some reason I am strongly reminded of the book "Interesting Times"

“The Empire's got something worse than whips all right. It's got obedience. Whips in the soul. They obey anyone who tells them what to do. Freedom just means being told what to do by someone different.”

― Terry Pratchett, Interesting Times

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