What new freshmen truly need is guidance on how to engage in robust debate. They should be taught something about constitutionally protected free speech under the First Amendment. They need to be acquainted with the Board of Regents statement on academic freedom and freedom of expression.
Above all, they need to know how reasonable, educated people in a university setting converse and interact in a civilized way.
UW’s obsession with “bias” and “microaggressions” won’t help students learn that. Instead, it encourages a divisive mindset that encourages students to complain about each other when they should be learning how to reason with each other.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
What College Freshmen Need To Know
Instead of teaching freshmen how to walk on eggshells around each other, and instead of teaching them to segregate themselves by race, gender, sexuality, etc., maybe schools should take this advice:
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I think the middle paragraph is key: Learning how reasonable, educated people converse and interact in a civilized way. I've seem obnoxious college students call almost everyone and everything racist/sexist/homophobic/etc and basically have a moral panic attack over these supposed injustices instead of engaging in a healthy way. And it makes discourse from the other side unhealthy too. I've seen Republicans, unable to reason or engage in discourse because of the radical left, basically stoop to their level and just do name-calling and antagonizing them for a reaction, which doesn't help the more conservative students grow either. I think instead of focusing on micro-aggressions, teach general rules of respect and engagement and the students themselves can sort out the details of what is acceptable, hopefully reforming the radicals on both sides.
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