Author Topic: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia  (Read 21864 times)

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Even Then

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #15 on: November 29, 2015, 02:14:52 am »
I still think a university going "we've got a limited number of books that we can cover during the course, and this book is pretty gross and rapey, let's cover something else and maybe broach the topic of 'the quality of the work being detached from its hatefulness' or whatever we could accomplish by covering this book some other way", or something similar isn't censorship. But eh, this is one of those topics that I can disagree with and still respect the person I'm disagreeing with, so let's just agree to disagree.

Offline rageaholic

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #16 on: November 29, 2015, 02:58:51 am »
I don't think the OP example is censorship.  It's only changing the syllabus, ie what has to read to pass the class.  There's a difference between saying "don't read this" and "don't require me to read this".  Of course, there are plenty of examples of the former.  In which students petition to cancel the appearances of speakers or performers they deem problematic.  Whether it's censorship or not, it's still a dick move.  Why not just not go to the event?

Offline guizonde

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #17 on: November 29, 2015, 07:15:20 am »
I still think a university going "we've got a limited number of books that we can cover during the course, and this book is pretty gross and rapey, let's cover something else and maybe broach the topic of 'the quality of the work being detached from its hatefulness' or whatever we could accomplish by covering this book some other way", or something similar isn't censorship. But eh, this is one of those topics that I can disagree with and still respect the person I'm disagreeing with, so let's just agree to disagree.

if it's only that, i've got no problem accepting it. hell, around here, university school years are barely six months, holidays and exams included. by all means aim for efficiency. what i don't want is for the university banning something based on public opinion. for instance, i can't imagine a course on right wing propaganda if it didn't speak of the turner diaries and mein kampf, both very hateful books. featuring those two books outside of the course would be tangential at best, so unnecessary outside a "further reading" mention.
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Even Then

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #18 on: November 30, 2015, 04:51:15 am »
True, true, but a course on poetry isn't necessarily a course on "poetry by ancient Romans that's also rapey", so in this particular instance it's not necessary to include that particular poetry book.

Offline guizonde

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #19 on: November 30, 2015, 12:21:11 pm »
True, true, but a course on poetry isn't necessarily a course on "poetry by ancient Romans that's also rapey", so in this particular instance it's not necessary to include that particular poetry book.

i dunno, the metamorphoses did have quite the impact on litterature and art, at least in the old world. that said, if you're studying XXth century poetry, then it might be necessary background reading to understand some references, or it might not. for authors like sylvia plath, it's unlikely. authors influenced by classicism, good bet. i had it as required reading in high school litterature class, and a friend of mine learned his latin conjugation thanks to that book in latin class.

for anyone studying poetry at a university level, i'd say it's required reading beforehand (but studying it in its entirety could take a semester), and it should be too for people studying art history. then again, a history of christianism should be a required course for anyone studying art history from the Xth century onwards.

personally, i didn't enjoy it much, but i'm not too keen on poetry outside of songs and plays. i find greco-roman mythology to be pretty boring, as well. what? only rape, incest, and cannibalism? booooooooring.

and don't get me started on sade. that guy couldn't write a compelling story to save his life. i read better smut on litterotica.

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Offline Ultimate Paragon

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #20 on: January 01, 2016, 04:03:06 pm »
I just stumbled across this and I wasn't sure where else to put it:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/293326897/Oberlin-College-Black-Student-Union-Institutional-Demands

Certain Oberlin students are demanding racially segregated "safe spaces," payment for protesting, immediate tenure for black professors, and the firing of faculty they don't like.  Fucking surreal.

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #21 on: January 01, 2016, 05:25:56 pm »
Oh wow.  That's....holy....wow.

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #22 on: January 01, 2016, 07:06:58 pm »
I just stumbled across this and I wasn't sure where else to put it:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/293326897/Oberlin-College-Black-Student-Union-Institutional-Demands

Certain Oberlin students are demanding racially segregated "safe spaces," payment for protesting, immediate tenure for black professors, and the firing of faculty they don't like.  Fucking surreal.

You missed the part where they demanded quotas, free healthcare and meals for all workers on the campus, and the DEMAND that they hire a black woman for the position of head of the Jazz Vocal department, which I presume is already held by someone. Really, the list is absolutely absurd...

I hope it passes. I want to see what happens when it does, and it's not like it'll affect me. The fallout would be glorious.
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Offline Søren

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #23 on: January 02, 2016, 03:52:32 am »
How to completely fuck the funding of a college lesson one.
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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #24 on: January 02, 2016, 09:22:50 am »
I'm down with those demands. My only qualm is that they didn't go far enough. Personally, I would've added rules to require that all white people wear clown outfits, a Thomas Jefferson statue is to be erected for the purposes of pelting with rotten vegetables, and white men must wear shirts (over their clown outfits) every Friday conceding that black men have bigger doodles.

Now that is change that we can believe in.
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Offline Ultimate Paragon

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #25 on: January 03, 2016, 11:50:25 am »
It's funny.  Back in the day, a common pro-segregation argument was that blacks couldn't handle an integrated America.  Never thought I'd see self-proclaimed "anti-racists" agreeing with Orval Faubus.

Offline TheUnknown

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #26 on: January 03, 2016, 09:02:24 pm »
The argument that's used is that it's only a tool of oppression and racism if implemented by oppressors.  If it's implemented by a marginalized group, then it's fine because they're creating safe spaces free from oppression they face everywhere else in society.

Offline guizonde

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #27 on: January 03, 2016, 09:11:07 pm »
The argument that's used is that it's only a tool of oppression and racism if implemented by oppressors.  If it's implemented by a marginalized group, then it's fine because they're creating safe spaces free from oppression they face everywhere else in society.

so if the majority wants to separate from the minority, it's segregation. if it's the opposite it's safe-spaces?

... i've been back from a three-day bender and i still feel i need a drink for that one.
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Art Vandelay

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #28 on: January 03, 2016, 09:15:54 pm »
Can we make a safe space free from those people's idiocy? I could really go for one of those.

Offline TheUnknown

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Re: Suppression of Free Speech in Academia
« Reply #29 on: January 03, 2016, 10:19:30 pm »
Looking through the tumblr tag, everyone seems to only be mentioning "cultural appropriation" due to food being "not authentic enough", though some claim that the food in question (one was General Tso's chicken, I believe) isn't "authentic" to begin with and are products of colonialism.  I get the impression that neither side has actually read the entire list demands.