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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 jmorris on Saturday August 27 2016, @06:40PM
if you need trigger warnings, safe spaces ... You're just not grown up enough to handle what a college provides.
I think that gets right to the heart of the problem. That some people just aren't suited to a university, we admit far too many in general and then dumb the whole thing down so they can pass. But specifically, this trigger warning crap is not just letting marginal people slide through, it is about letting broken/defective people in.
Because it is such a large target, lets beat on Trigglypuff one more time before allowing it to fade into a richly deserved oblivion; What was that doing on a campus in the first place? What possible productive work is it capable of and what possible benefit is going to be derived from it spending four years on campus at taxpayer expense? Who would be crazy enough to hire it, wouldn't it set off alarms in even the most progressive HR dept that this is one to pass on?