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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: 2) by fritsd on Saturday August 27 2016, @10:09AM
I have to agree with you khallow, although I find it unpleasant to talk to people who try to insult me a lot.
In my experience, the academic environment is a subculture especially tailored for using language and logic.
You mention humiliation: where else can you meet unpleasant people at a party, who try to intellectually wipe the floor with you, and it all ends with some triumphant academics, some grumpy defeated academics, and *no blood on the floor*?
I'm not saying that it's good or bad that students don't murder each other anymore in duels, but it does create an environment where everything can be under discussion, where your languages skills are honed to ignore silly barbs and insults, and instead concentrate on the huge logical flaws that your "opponent" is trying to hide behind well-timed distractions and insults. And that while you only went to the party to have some fun and drink a few beers and chat a bit.
It is a great good to have the freedom to think, and also to have an environment where free exchange of ideas and/or insults doesn't lead to incarceration or worse, self-censorship.
And I believe that the worse a society gets, the more important it becomes that its ivory towers stay a beacon of light and reason, so that the flame of free thought doesn't get muffled by the fire blanket of "watch out what you say if you don't want to get hurt".
I have to say I find it unbelievable that USA universities now allow guns on campus. People are just people, and tired stressed & drunk people are just tired stressed & drunk people, and if you accidentally murder someone because they used the wrong insult at the wrong time, it cannot be un-done. Do you know if the goal is to re-instate those old-fashoned traditional student duels?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday August 27 2016, @03:06PM
I have to say I find it unbelievable that USA universities now allow guns on campus. People are just people, and tired stressed & drunk people are just tired stressed & drunk people, and if you accidentally murder someone because they used the wrong insult at the wrong time, it cannot be un-done. Do you know if the goal is to re-instate those old-fashoned traditional student duels?
Why the concern about guns? There aren't that many accidental deaths from firearms (cars kill a lot more people) and accidental murders are pretty damn rare (you have to have callous disregard for human life in order or similar extraordinary and somewhat heinous circumstances in order for an accidental death to count as murder, not merely be tired, stressed, and drunk). And reinstate student duels? Do you really think that's on the table?