Reply to Leaked Docs: [St. Albans] Poised To Crack Down on ‘Harmful’ Humor

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Actually, it may be possible to persuade me to have some sort of general policy but I’m not sure as a practical matter it will make much difference to what I suspect all schools have now under some other name.

Specificity is good if there is consensus on it.  And if St Albans can figure out some model as you say, great! I am just very skeptical that can be done with anything more than probably exists today in most schools’ conduct codes.

And yes, the trap house invitation may be dumb to us but evidently not unusual speech among younger folks.  But look at the reaction — and the expectation of school involvement so quickly.  Yes, law students are not high school students, and they aren’t middle school kids either.  Standards probably need to be different - at least as to punishments.  But within a couple of days an administrator decided that email was so racist it warranted official condemnation in an email to the entire class.  No due process, no sense of proportionality , etc..

I am concerned that —

1) use of terms like “hate speech” and even “racism” that are undefined (or defined in manners on which there is no consensus) can become more divisive, and can have spillover effects in the judicial arena;

2) I appreciate policies in theory can help predictability/ reign in extremism etc, but they also often create heightened expectations of swift and intemperate actions.  As the Yale case illustrates, the DEi executive was concerned a private solution there would make his office look ineffective.  I understand the reference to one joke potentially leading to expulsion doesn’t require it, but in the real world the parents whose kid is the target of that joke will likely press the school for the harshest possible sanction because of it. What about self-deprecating humor?

3). The effect on the hearer standard really isn’t workable.  There must be some degree of reasonableness as a measure. I can think of romantic break ups in which very hateful language is used and not forgiven by a teenager.  Or where a teenager feigns hurt as a grudge against another student.   Will you draft guidance on transphobic statements?   I personally know some trans people who think language demanded by major LGBTQ groups embracing the non-binary can be hostile to real trans people and the other way around too.
 
4) the draft SA policy is reported as expecting students, parents faculty report on of others’ behaviors.  Will there be discipline if they fail to do so?

What if someone shows a Dave Chapelle video at s party? Is that violence?

There was a time when a parent would call a parent and say, “I need to talk to you,  do you know what your child did today?”  My mother did that in the late  1960s when my sister (white) was dating a black guy snd some other kid harassed her.  And you know what? That kids harassment stopped.  Maybe that was not a soft,teachy  moment - but it worked. And I have several such stories.  Sure, a threat of expulsion should be a greater deterrent - and that’s fine in general.  But anyone who thinks this is easy and you know it when you see it is probably capturing only a fraction of the universe of what will be alleged as harm.

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Can you answer an honest question? Are you actually a parent of a current STA student? I believe you are not and that you have latched onto this argument for the sense of arguing it. [/quote]

What does "for the sense of arguing it" even mean?[/quote]

They don’t have kids at STA but found this issue on the internet or on Free Beacon and decided to come and further their right wing agenda which wants to allow anti Semitic and racist jokes to be allowed. Get over it and teach your kid to keep their mouth shut and don’t offend others and you won’t have a problem. [/quote]

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