The idea of a university as a free space rather than a safe space is vanishing
blogs.spectator.co.uk
The idea of a university as a free space rather than a safe space is vanishing
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Re: The idea of a university as a free space rather than a safe space is vanishing
#2It is indeed a sad day when people, that is, students, are censored by their own. It's astounding that this would happen being that through disagreement and argument is how we find our better ways. My sentiment is that here is the one place where we should feel free to share our ideas no matter how immature or adolescent they are. This should be the place where we get to open up and explore. But, as they say, the left and the right have conspired to silence discussion and only received opinion is welcome.
Here's the relevant quote: "In other words, and not for the first time in history, the far left is allied with the far right, and drags the soggy centre along whimpering behind it."
Re: The idea of a university as a free space rather than a safe space is vanishing
#3When moral relativism is your religion, anyone with moral conviction is your enemy and must be silenced.
What's most pitiful is the cowardice displayed by all who should know better. University trustees and professors, business leaders, entertainers, and every last one of us who has ever surrendered to this tyranny in our schools, our jobs, or our communities. Instead of fighting back, we capitulate and cower in fear for our reputations and livelihoods. Seeing this in my own country, America, especially disgusts me. How many good men have put down their lives to secure for us the blessings of liberty. Today, we lack the confidence and courage to even raise a word in their defense.
Re: The idea of a university as a free space rather than a safe space is vanishing
#4
Is it just me or is education being slowly but steadily subverted in many countries at once?
Re: The idea of a university as a free space rather than a safe space is vanishing
#5When moral relativism is your religion, anyone with moral conviction is your enemy and must be silenced. What's most pitiful is the cowardice displayed by all who should know better. University trustees and professors, business leaders, entertainers, and every last one of us who has ever surrendered to this tyranny in our schools, our jobs, or our communities. Instead of fighting back, we capitulate and cower in fear…
You left out an important dimension. The modern trend is to run everything "more like a business." The heads of universities come decreasingly from academia, and re instead MBA and politically connected people. This is justified by the need to bring in more money, because the states no longer want to fully fund the university.
My belief is that businesses don't like controversy unless it brings profit. Free speech at a university rarely brings profit. So people who want to run a university like a business are not likely to fight against calls to reduce free speech on campus.
And there have always been calls to reduce free speech on campus.
Or to repurpose your phrase, "When business and profits are your religion, anyone with moral conviction is your enemy and must be silenced."
"How many good men have put down"
See, that's the sort of sexist language that encourages knee-jerk reactions, and gets people like me labeled "PC". My wife deployed twice to Iraq. Don't you dare leave out all those women who have died for the US, including nearly 200 in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Re: The idea of a university as a free space rather than a safe space is vanishing
#6I'm not British, so it's hard to judge, but I'm not entirely certain the interpretation he gives of the events cited are completely accurate.
This is a man who supported the Iraq invasion and accused protesters of harming the civil rights of the citizens of Iraq.
Re: The idea of a university as a free space rather than a safe space is vanishing
#7When moral relativism is your religion, anyone with moral conviction is your enemy and must be silenced. What's most pitiful is the cowardice displayed by all who should know better. University trustees and professors, business leaders, entertainers, and every last one of us who has ever surrendered to this tyranny in our schools, our jobs, or our communities. Instead of fighting back, we capitulate and cower in fear…
You left out an important dimension. The modern trend is to run everything "more like a business." The heads of universities come decreasingly from academia, and re instead MBA and politically connected people. This is justified by the need to bring in more money, because the states no longer want to fully fund the university. My belief is that businesses don't like controversy unless it brings profit. Free speech at…
I'm inclined to agree that "running things like a business" is part of the reason why no one wants to make a stand. But I have to disagree with this:
>Or to repurpose your phrase, "When business and profits are your religion, anyone with moral conviction is your enemy and must be silenced."
It's not the businessmen who are trying to shut down free speech and debate on college campuses.
>See, that's the sort of sexist language that encourages knee-jerk reactions, and gets people like me labeled "PC". My wife deployed twice to Iraq. Don't you dare leave out all those women who have died for the US, including nearly 200 in Iraq and Afghanistan.
You're totally right, so while we're at it, I've gone back and fixed an old quote: "One small step for a man or a womyn, one giant leap for man- and womyn-kind". I think I could get that one through even toughest SJW language police. What do you think?
Seriously though, I didn't mean to refer to only men. (edit: Perhaps "good people", as suggested below, would have worked too.) I used the term in the broad sense, referring to human beings in general. The modern trend is toward politically correct phrasing that makes a butchery of the English language. I don't see how the phrasing is any more sexist than "mailman", "fireman", or "salesman", which are commonly used in the gender-generic sense. Interestingly, there are many female chairman who insist on being called "chairman", not "chairwoman" or "chair".
Re: The idea of a university as a free space rather than a safe space is vanishing
#8Popehat, a blog of free-speech lawyers, is a great source for in-depth articles on this kind of thing. Two recent examples: [1] [2]
[1] https://popehat.com/2016/02/19/williams-college-our-students...
[2] https://popehat.com/2016/03/08/marc-randazza-something-doesn...
Re: The idea of a university as a free space rather than a safe space is vanishing
#9The real tragedy is that university used to be a place where you could be convinced that some of the ideas you had going in might be wrong. Now the only thing that's being taught is that certain people just aren't allowed to speak at all.
People who used to have their ways of thinking changed at university are now leaving silent, angry, and still wrong.
Re: The idea of a university as a free space rather than a safe space is vanishing
#10Is it just me or is education being slowly but steadily subverted in many countries at once?
Sort of. But it's more pernicious than that.
What is the purpose of going to a University/College?
The purpose SHOULD be education and enlightenment. The purpose has BECOME vocational training for a job.