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Recent reporting and discussions here about "trolls" and the "culture of hate" (both con and pro) have repeatedly broached the topic of what appropriate limits to free expression might be.
Dean of Students John Ellison at the University of Chicago has taken a stand on the issue in a letter welcoming new students. He writes:
Once here you will discover that one of the University of Chicago's defining characteristics is our commitment to freedom of inquiry and expression. [...] Members of our community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn, without fear of censorship. Civility and mutual respect are vital to all of us, and freedom of expression does not mean the freedom to harass or threaten others. You will find that we expect members of our community to be engaged in rigorous debate, discussion, and even disagreement. At times this may challenge you and even cause discomfort.
Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so called 'trigger warnings,' we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual 'safe spaces' where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.
While some have voiced support for Ellison's commitment to free expression (with Robby Soave at Reason encouraging readers to give the dean "a round of applause"), others are concerned about the implications of his message. L.V. Anderson at Slate agrees with much of the letter's content promoting "civility and mutual respect," but finds the last paragraph quoted above to be "weird" and unsettling:
By deriding "safe spaces" and "trigger warnings" before students arrive on campus, the University of Chicago is inadvertently sending a message that certain students—the ones who have never been traumatized, and the ones who have historically felt welcome on college campuses (i.e., white men)—are more welcome than others, and that students who feel marginalized are unlikely to have their claims taken seriously. Adults who decry "the coddling of the American mind" will likely celebrate U. Chicago's preemptive strike against political correctness, but students who have experienced violence, LGBTQ students, and students of color likely will not.
(Score: 1) by invis on Saturday August 27 2016, @01:06AM
Absolutely - life *always* gives you a warning so you're *never* blindsided.
"What is there to fear from such a regular world?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 27 2016, @01:16AM
> Absolutely - life *always* gives you a warning so you're *never* blindsided.
Its weird how college kids are simultaneously infantilized and expected to be adults. As if there is no room for a middle-ground. Steeling yourself for exposure to something disturbing is how someone with PTSD learns to cope.
(Score: 1) by invis on Saturday August 27 2016, @01:49AM
I'm having a hard time understanding your point - are you suggesting all college students have PTSD? Or should be treated as if they do?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 27 2016, @01:57AM
Well, obviously only if they have survived an American High School, with Football.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 27 2016, @02:13AM
> are you suggesting all college students have PTSD? Or should be treated as if they do?
Do you honestly think trigger warnings are there for all college students?
I'm having a hard time taking your question at face value.
Trigger warnings are there for the people who might have a PTSD reaction to the content.
The people who have not been injured ignore them, just like people not in a wheelchair typically ignore wheelchair ramps.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 27 2016, @08:11AM
Surprisingly people who have gone through traumatic experiences, you know soldiers and the like, generally have little need for trigger warnings.
Such a shame that growing up in a western democracy carries such tremendous scars on the psyche of some people.