The Death Of Free Speech Starts On Campus
Harvey Silverglate in the WSJ:
On campuses across the country, hostility toward unpopular ideas has become so irrational that many students, and some faculty members, now openly oppose freedom of speech. The hypersensitive consider the mere discussion of the topic of censorship to be potentially traumatic. Those who try to protect academic freedom and the ability of the academy to discuss the world as it is are swimming against the current. In such an atmosphere, liberal-arts education can't survive.
A recent absurdity he mentions in the piece: The president of Smith College wrote a letter to the Smith community "to students and faculty who were "hurt" and made to feel "unsafe" by campus panelist Wendy Kaminer's comments...in defense of free speech!
Silverglate continues:
On Oct. 27, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology circulated a survey questionnaire to its entire student body on the issue of sexual assault--a so-called "climate survey" to try to determine and expose the extent of the problem at the school. Remarkably enough, the survey itself came accompanied by, guess what:"TRIGGER WARNING: Some of the questions in this survey use explicit language, including anatomical names of body parts and specific behaviors to ask about sexual situations. This survey also asks about sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence which may be upsetting. Resources for support will be available on every page of the survey, should you need them."
Hypersensitivity to the trauma allegedly inflicted by listening to controversial ideas approaches a strange form of derangement--a disorder whose lethal spread in academia grows by the day. What should be the object of derision, a focus for satire, is instead the subject of serious faux academic discussion and precautionary warnings. For this disorder there is no effective quarantine. A whole generation of students soon will have imbibed the warped notions of justice and entitlement now handed down as dogma in the universities.
the art of asking for the unreasonable thing, in a reasonable way...
"but I won't feel safe, and the safe, nurturing environment will be destroyed, if you say those 'things'!"
So, either you shut up, or be accused of being a jerk, for being so unreasonable and making someone feel 'unsafe'. When it isn't actually YOU who is being such...
SwissArmyD at November 13, 2014 9:30 AM
A nation indoctrinated to be wimps will not long survive. But, then, perhaps the meek will not inherit the reigns of power. After all, from a social darwinism perspective, they will just be grist in the more-tough-minded "thought criminals'" mill. If universities want to make their graduates less competitive, I'll be happy to pick their sinews and ligaments from between my teeth.
David at November 13, 2014 11:49 AM
A modest proposal: Let's re-charter the infected "universities" as insane asylums. Don't tell the inmates, though -- just don't let them leave.
jdgalt at November 13, 2014 12:14 PM
*Sigh* A further sign that we have a whole bunch of people in college now who have no business being there.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at November 13, 2014 1:28 PM
But don't you know? It's "progressive" to save young minds from thoughts and ideas that might be upsetting (i.e., contrary to the everyone-but-white males-are-victims-who-deserve-special-treatment dogma).
Jay R at November 13, 2014 1:39 PM
This isn't new. Berkeley has been shouting down people they don't like for years.
Radwaste at November 16, 2014 5:32 PM
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