As an advocate of controversial discourse, i find these articles particularly rile me up. I would like a "trigger warning" whenever i read about trigger warnings.
In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas
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Re: In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas
#42ironic...this site hides my comments and the NY Times does the same...yet both sites are posting this article which scolds colleges for doing exactly what they themselves do
Re: In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas
#43I don't even know why I read this. I'm so tired of people debating people. Time to go do something creative instead.
Re: In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas
#44On the same theme, Bret Easton Ellis [BEE] has been a vocal critic of what he has termed "Generation Wuss" and "Outrage Culture"[1][2]. BEE is obviously trying to be provocative, which might get some people to dismiss him out of hand, but I really think he's onto something. One has to remember that BEE is an author of transgressive fiction, and has experienced attacks based on the content he featured in his books all his career (without his attackers bothering to analyze his intent).
[1] = http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/bret-easton-ellis-interview [2] = http://www.vanityfair.fr/culture/livre/articles/generation-w...
Re: In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
> "I had always trained myself to judge the producer of input by the intent of the producer, rather than by how it affected me" Then I applaud you, as that is a vital skill, rarely understood. So much miscommunication happens because content is easier to follow than intent, yet understanding intent is what really lets you get to know someone.
Great comments, yours and the "parent's". Very eloquently put. I have had problems with people thinking I'm arguing or attacking their ideas, when I am only looking for a debate and a more thorough view of their ideas and line of thinking. This forced me to rethink my communication skills and try to change my approach of conversing. I've found that people who understand those concepts can use them to their advantage…
I agree that the GP and GGP both are great points, and I aspire to that state of mind myself (not always reaching it, but trying to).
That said, it definitely bugs me when someone comes to be "looking for a debate", so that may be why people have reacted negatively. I can generally tell when someone's genuinely concerned with an issue, and when someone wants to provoke me into a debate. I prefer not to spend much time with people who do the latter.
However, I recognize that we may be understanding the term "debate" differently here. To me, the emphasis in a debate is on the debating prowess of the participants. Whereas in a discussion, the emphasis is on the issue to be solved. You may well be referring to what I think of as a discussion.
Re: In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
You used to hear American liberals saying things like "I disagree with your position, but I would defend to the death your right to express it." It was part of the creed that they thought defined them as "progressive". Funny, you don't hear that much any more.
The thing is, I don't think there are all that many liberals out there who want to use the force of law to prevent objectionable speech; They do want to use the force of law to prevent businesses from discriminating among their customers, though, which is an important distinction. Hate black people? Sure, put up a klan poster, but you've still gotta serve 'em a drink.
Dunno about many, but there are clearly some, and often in positions of power. Popehat has often unsettling stories about "censorious dipshits", from any political position: https://www.popehat.com/
Re: In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas
#47"Nowadays, it is true, we are made so sensitive by the raving crowd of flatterers that we cry out that we are stung as soon as we meet with disapproval. When we cannot ward off the truth with any other pretext, we flee from it by ascribing it to a fierce temper, impatience, and immodesty." - Martin Luther, 1520!
Maybe not such a new phenomenon?
Re: In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas
#48>>>Safe spaces are an expression of the conviction, increasingly prevalent among college students, that their schools should keep them from being “bombarded” by discomfiting or distressing viewpoints. Think of the safe space as the live-action version of the better-known trigger warning, a notice put on top of a syllabus or an assigned reading to alert students to the presence of potentially disturbing material.
The Church of Scientology had to create itself some safe spaces in order that its practitioners could feel comfortable learning new things in spite of the rampant counter-opinions on the subject of the mind, body and soul.
Does the idea that colleges and other social institutions need a safe space, away from all the 'counter-opinions' offend you? Maybe you should stop reading right now.
Unless daily protected from doing so, every safe space eventually becomes a prison. No institution is safe from authoritarian behaviour - even those who fight repression/oppression/suppression. In fact, it is a daily struggle to prevent these very human elements from impacting society - because fundamentally there is a desire in all of us, every single one of us - enlightened or otherwise - to repress those we do not agree with, suppress those we despise for whatever reason, and hate those for whom we cannot find anything to love about.
Re: In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas
#49Comedian, Chris Rock, no longer does campus shows for this reason [1].
[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/01/chris-rock-colleges...
Re: In College and Hiding from Scary Ideas
#50>The room was equipped with cookies, coloring books, bubbles, Play-Doh, calming music, pillows, blankets and a video of frolicking puppies
That is something you would expect to find in a young childs room. Is that really the state they are at?
And also, what is wrong with a real puppy?