-- Chef, from South ParkThere's a time and a place for everything, and it's called college
Never thought I'd find myself circle-dotting a South Park quote. Seriously, though, one of my main problems with a lot of educational tracks is the idea that young adults need to be protected somehow from the world around them. For a time I thought that I encountered widespread coddling mostly because I go to a K-12 school, so policies and procedures are going to be influenced by the young'uns' needs, but more and more I see it cropping up across the educational board. Aside from the article's reasoning, my main problem with this mentality is, essentially, that it fundamentally cannot continue past school. As an example: my school prohibits peanuts campus-wide since some of our students have fairly severe peanut allergies. I understand the desire to protect these children from bodily harm, but as people (not just children) with severe allergies, they're going to need to learn to deal with a world that contains, to some degree, the thing they're allergic to. Basically my contention is that although, yes, we have a duty to make our schools relatively safe spaces, we also have a duty to prepare students for the real world, and the real world is most definitely not a safe space. Coddling students like this, even through college, does a disservice to them and the communities that they will form.
Parents will do that. It comes naturally to them. The far more interesting thing here is the concept of "self-infantilization." You can't be free until you assert your own freedom. The world might not be a "safe space" in the sense that is used in the article, but it's safer than it's been at any time in history, in the objective sense. We seem to gloss that fact over all too often. Ideas move the world; none is so dangerous that it should be suppressed.Coddling students like this, even through college, does a disservice to them and the communities that they will form.
Reallly?? Peanuts are one of the most wonderful nuts on this planets (next to Cashew). Banning peanuts in Israel would mean that children are not allowed to eat Bamba, a snack that is so central to israeli culture like Hummus, Falafel, Cottage Cheese and security checks!my school prohibits peanuts campus-wide
I took a Black literature class in college. It was a great class, probably one of the best college classes I've had. Teacher was great, material was fantastic. There was a fair amount of reading out loud and lots of "negro" "nigger" and "colored" sprinkled throughout the literature. We had a class discussion early on about reading such words allowed and it was decided that we wouldn't say the word "nigger" when it came up in the literature but "negro" and "colored" would be just fine. Kinda blew my mind.
More college type reporting in general, or you think the two issues are linked? I don't really know what to think of these kinds of stories. I've been out of college long enough to not really know what goes on at college these days. Kids definitely seem whinier and less self sufficient to me these days, but we all look back and think that we were tougher when.
I think the issues are linked. I think that in an environment of oppression you get more acting out. I think that tweakball psychopath "PUA" fuckhead in Santa Barbara doesn't happen nearly as often in an environment where people can discuss sexuality, violence and gender relations without having to worry about "trigger language" and thoughtcrime.
I am pretty fresh out of college and I do not remember such articles or talks. Everyone is allowed to say what he/she wants. If you like it, good. If not, don't listen/leave. Of course, there are some rules. Hate speech and racist hitler calls are not welcome at uni. But anything else, is.