Reply to University of Chicago on Trigger Warnings

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The UofC sent a letter to its incoming first-years clarifying the College's stance against trigger warnings and intellectual safe spaces. Read the letter here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/08/25/dont-ask-us-for-trigger-warnings-or-safe-spaces-the-university-of-chicago-tells-freshmen/

FWIW, I'm a professor in the humanities, politically very liberal, and I am glad that the UofC is taking this stance. (Yes, I would not only support Donald Trump coming to speak to my university, but I would encourage all my students to listen to him speak with an open, yet critical, mind. I would also encourage them to ask challenging questions if such an opportunity arose.) [b]I firmly believe that all students ought to be exposed to different ideas and perspectives and learn to engage in civil discourse with people who hold those views and have had different life experiences[/b]. [/quote]I also am politically liberal and black, and I believe no one should be provided a "safe space" with crayons and coloring book if you're over 7.  Since we probably agree on many social issues, how would you address the issue of a student in a required sociology class denigrating and castigating African-Americans as being lazy, uneducated, and unproductive justifying it by altering historical fact and stating a First amendment right?  When I was told about this spring last semester, I thought that the student was probably echoing what he has heard politically and probably at home.

I would have given this student the mental finger as I quietly and respectfully listened because I've heard it before, been there and heard that.  Though I am significantly older and have a much different race related life experience, posters would probably state that I would want an safe space and should stay and debate.  Why would any student be forced to continue that kind of debate when years of history have proven otherwise?  Why is it those students' job is to debate and most likely unsuccessfully change the thinking of a student who probably has racist familial conditioning?

Professor, I tell you this story as told to me by the parent of one of the two African-American students in the course who left the class because the other student was allowed to give his ideas without rebuttal and the class was instructed to listen, a learning experience.  The two AA students returned to the next class and respectfully declined debate because they were unsure how a debate would affect their grade.

Where would you draw the line, OP?  I would love to hear your thoughts on this type of freedom of speech (or as the U of Chicago said "inquiry and expression") and the rights of the student speaker versus the rights of the classroom student listeners to not debate and "retreat" to a different environment of intellectual quiet or as some here would label as "safe space."

Your thoughts, OP, are definitely welcomed.[/quote]

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