To the PP who lived in the group house with the SJW: what kind of job did she have? Genuinely curious as to what kind of work these kids do post-college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, does anyone else remember receiving directives WHILE IN UNIVERSITY about what your Halloween costume could/could not be? Are adult students in university (Yale University for crissakes) not capable of making adult decisions?

Yale has been PC central for a long time. I remember visiting in the mid-80s when college-shopping, and being completely turned off by how PC it was. Separate floors/housing for each conceivable ethnic/racial/sexual identity group. I wanted to go to college to be with a mix of people - the main purpose that colleges are residential in my opinion! To expose yourself to other points of view and experiences, not hunker down in groups of people who are the same as you are. 30 years later and Yale's PC policies seem to have achieved nothing - still segregated, still resorting to uncivil discourse.

Exactly! Allowing, if not tacitly encouraging this type of self-segregation under the guise of creating "identity" and "safe space" basically guts the central reason for valuing diversity in college admissions, to be exposed to other viewpoints, experiences and backgrounds.

I'm a recently grad, probably at least 20 years younger than you and agree 100%. Sadly, my slac and just about all colleges have caved in to having theme and "community" housing for blacks, hardcore feminists, devout Jews, Muslims etc...just about every "marginalized" group that supposedly "needs" their own space. It's PC to bash frats and how they manage their spaces but I find this trend concerning too.

On one hand, some of these them houses are very well run with a purpose, like the environmental studies house I ended up in because my friend/roommate had to withdraw. It's a LEED certified building and residents work together on the college's organic farm on the weekends to grow food served in the dining hall. Not to mention that quality of the living space is more homey and comfortable than living in a crappy cinderblock dorm. Cool and purposeful, no?

However, you can imagine the types who want to hunker down with other SJWs, Feminazis (yeah, I said it) and zealots from other groups and cloister themselves in a them house with 10-40 people just like them! Seriously, these kids attend a school with world class facilities and a fairly diverse student body yet choose to live in a bubble and throw their own parties and sit together in the dining hall everyday. Yet they call themselves "victims" just because they saw a poster or something they didn't like on campus!??!

When I shared a group house in DC just after graduation we had a roommate like this. Let's just say she had no idea how to navigate the world outside her victim bubble and college failed her as far as I'm concerned. She's smart on paper, but when you choose to live with other radical women instead of better grounded people with hobbies other than being perpetually offended I can only imagine what that does to your mind. She made a conscious decision to live with 3 other young men and women flipped shit over everything that wasn't in her control, even when she had no business telling us what to do. She would condescend us about our white privilege and one time while trying to teach her how to put furniture together she snapped "you don't have to mansplain it to me!" She didn't last long...

This is a problem money won't fix. If only more parents and teachers had the balls to stand up to these kids and tell them NO.

Rush Limbaugh said it first. Sounds like you've been listening to him more than just a few times.

But to each his own. It's a free country. Just remember that when other posters respond to your post.

Uh, right. Because there's zero truth in the stereotype? And no schools of feminism that thrive on bashing and shitting on men in the name of making women more equal? Keep telling yourself that champ.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what to say anymore. If these kids feel that the conditions at Yale are intolerably racist and offensive, I seriously do not know where they will feel "safe" once they leave the cocooned environment of academia. I read the email and am appalled that the author's words are being twisted and mischaracterized the way they are, and that both she and her husband are so completely under fire. Of course Yale, as all universities it seems these days, are cowering and buckling under the emotion-based screaming and ranting and accusations of "RACISM!!!!" I am a liberal - never voted for a republican and never will (unless they miraculously turn around from the insane path they're currently on), but this trend in academia scares the crap out out of me. Maybe Univ of Chicago is the last bastion of sanity. We'll see how long they last tho.

And I'm sure you feel that nooses hanging from college trees, nigger scrawled on college walls, swastikas drawn on dorm room doors at othet colleges is simply free expression. Though, I think much of the email was mischaracterized.

And if you think UChicago would stand for one second for the aforementioned in the name of free expression, you haven't a clue what Chixago stands for.

Big differences between nooses and swasitkas, and a college kid wearing an Indian headdress on Halloween. If you can't see the nuance, I think that Chicago's education has failed you.

-A UofC Alum

And many native Americans would think your Chicago education has conveniently failed you.

The cavalier comment about the Indian headdress was meant to be harmless, I assume. While wearing a headdress may be meaningless to the PP, it probably carries more seriousness to someone native American/Indian. Years ago, I took my kids to a pow-wow in Maryland and during the performance, an eagle feather from the headdress fell to the ground. The whole ceremony came to a halt while the feather was retrieved and some type of respectful, quiet, interaction on the field took place. I didn't see the "importance" but the tribe did. Should I feel that it was an unnecessary, emotional-based response or show respect for something I didn't understand and make some attempt to understand and engage without being labeled politically correct. My new found knowledge of the feather event gave me incredible insight, understanding AND appreciation.

There are those who always shout political correctness but that isn't always the case and times when we have to realize that respect would go a long way to resolving social problems. Just as I put my hand over my heart when I say the pledge, I would expect others who are unfamiliar with the practice or prefer not to engage in the practice to respect those that do.

As a descendant of California gold rush miners, I resent it when others, especially Native American, wear denim.

Silly rabbit. Trix are for kids.

OP asks if Yale has become a joke? Never. And there will continue to be significant applicants of all races and creeds. That includes all the other top tier colleges also.

So, folks can say they would never attend Yale or the like and say they will never hire anyone from Yale. But there will be tons of companies that will hire them, and there will be tons of students applying to Yale, etc.

I doubt the unfortunate Yale incident will impact admission because Yale still offers an excellent education. And that's the bottom line.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what to say anymore. If these kids feel that the conditions at Yale are intolerably racist and offensive, I seriously do not know where they will feel "safe" once they leave the cocooned environment of academia. I read the email and am appalled that the author's words are being twisted and mischaracterized the way they are, and that both she and her husband are so completely under fire. Of course Yale, as all universities it seems these days, are cowering and buckling under the emotion-based screaming and ranting and accusations of "RACISM!!!!" I am a liberal - never voted for a republican and never will (unless they miraculously turn around from the insane path they're currently on), but this trend in academia scares the crap out out of me. Maybe Univ of Chicago is the last bastion of sanity. We'll see how long they last tho.

And I'm sure you feel that nooses hanging from college trees, nigger scrawled on college walls, swastikas drawn on dorm room doors at othet colleges is simply free expression. Though, I think much of the email was mischaracterized.

And if you think UChicago would stand for one second for the aforementioned in the name of free expression, you haven't a clue what Chixago stands for.

Big differences between nooses and swasitkas, and a college kid wearing an Indian headdress on Halloween. If you can't see the nuance, I think that Chicago's education has failed you.

-A UofC Alum

And many native Americans would think your Chicago education has conveniently failed you.

The cavalier comment about the Indian headdress was meant to be harmless, I assume. While wearing a headdress may be meaningless to the PP, it probably carries more seriousness to someone native American/Indian. Years ago, I took my kids to a pow-wow in Maryland and during the performance, an eagle feather from the headdress fell to the ground. The whole ceremony came to a halt while the feather was retrieved and some type of respectful, quiet, interaction on the field took place. I didn't see the "importance" but the tribe did. Should I feel that it was an unnecessary, emotional-based response or show respect for something I didn't understand and make some attempt to understand and engage without being labeled politically correct. My new found knowledge of the feather event gave me incredible insight, understanding AND appreciation.

There are those who always shout political correctness but that isn't always the case and times when we have to realize that respect would go a long way to resolving social problems. Just as I put my hand over my heart when I say the pledge, I would expect others who are unfamiliar with the practice or prefer not to engage in the practice to respect those that do.

As a descendant of California gold rush miners, I resent it when others, especially Native American, wear denim.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To answer OP's question. Only to right-wing commentators and the sheeple who buy what they're selling?

What the incident really shows is that a significant number of students who came to Yale expecting a racially inclusive environment feel profoundly disappointed in what they found there.

You are self-deluded.

Signed,

Independent who think the whole thing was a bad joke and reflected poorly on Yale

Not self-deluded. Just very aware of how pack journalism works and how willing people on the Internet are to voice strong opinions based on very limited information.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, does anyone else remember receiving directives WHILE IN UNIVERSITY about what your Halloween costume could/could not be? Are adult students in university (Yale University for crissakes) not capable of making adult decisions?

Yale has been PC central for a long time. I remember visiting in the mid-80s when college-shopping, and being completely turned off by how PC it was. Separate floors/housing for each conceivable ethnic/racial/sexual identity group. I wanted to go to college to be with a mix of people - the main purpose that colleges are residential in my opinion! To expose yourself to other points of view and experiences, not hunker down in groups of people who are the same as you are. 30 years later and Yale's PC policies seem to have achieved nothing - still segregated, still resorting to uncivil discourse.

Exactly! Allowing, if not tacitly encouraging this type of self-segregation under the guise of creating "identity" and "safe space" basically guts the central reason for valuing diversity in college admissions, to be exposed to other viewpoints, experiences and backgrounds.

I'm a recently grad, probably at least 20 years younger than you and agree 100%. Sadly, my slac and just about all colleges have caved in to having theme and "community" housing for blacks, hardcore feminists, devout Jews, Muslims etc...just about every "marginalized" group that supposedly "needs" their own space. It's PC to bash frats and how they manage their spaces but I find this trend concerning too.

On one hand, some of these them houses are very well run with a purpose, like the environmental studies house I ended up in because my friend/roommate had to withdraw. It's a LEED certified building and residents work together on the college's organic farm on the weekends to grow food served in the dining hall. Not to mention that quality of the living space is more homey and comfortable than living in a crappy cinderblock dorm. Cool and purposeful, no?

However, you can imagine the types who want to hunker down with other SJWs, Feminazis (yeah, I said it) and zealots from other groups and cloister themselves in a them house with 10-40 people just like them! Seriously, these kids attend a school with world class facilities and a fairly diverse student body yet choose to live in a bubble and throw their own parties and sit together in the dining hall everyday. Yet they call themselves "victims" just because they saw a poster or something they didn't like on campus!??!

When I shared a group house in DC just after graduation we had a roommate like this. Let's just say she had no idea how to navigate the world outside her victim bubble and college failed her as far as I'm concerned. She's smart on paper, but when you choose to live with other radical women instead of better grounded people with hobbies other than being perpetually offended I can only imagine what that does to your mind. She made a conscious decision to live with 3 other young men and women flipped shit over everything that wasn't in her control, even when she had no business telling us what to do. She would condescend us about our white privilege and one time while trying to teach her how to put furniture together she snapped "you don't have to mansplain it to me!" She didn't last long...

This is a problem money won't fix. If only more parents and teachers had the balls to stand up to these kids and tell them NO.

Rush Limbaugh said it first. Sounds like you've been listening to him more than just a few times.

But to each his own. It's a free country. Just remember that when other posters respond to your post.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what to say anymore. If these kids feel that the conditions at Yale are intolerably racist and offensive, I seriously do not know where they will feel "safe" once they leave the cocooned environment of academia. I read the email and am appalled that the author's words are being twisted and mischaracterized the way they are, and that both she and her husband are so completely under fire. Of course Yale, as all universities it seems these days, are cowering and buckling under the emotion-based screaming and ranting and accusations of "RACISM!!!!" I am a liberal - never voted for a republican and never will (unless they miraculously turn around from the insane path they're currently on), but this trend in academia scares the crap out out of me. Maybe Univ of Chicago is the last bastion of sanity. We'll see how long they last tho.

And I'm sure you feel that nooses hanging from college trees, nigger scrawled on college walls, swastikas drawn on dorm room doors at othet colleges is simply free expression. Though, I think much of the email was mischaracterized.

And if you think UChicago would stand for one second for the aforementioned in the name of free expression, you haven't a clue what Chixago stands for.

Big differences between nooses and swasitkas, and a college kid wearing an Indian headdress on Halloween. If you can't see the nuance, I think that Chicago's education has failed you.

-A UofC Alum

And many native Americans would think your Chicago education has conveniently failed you.

The cavalier comment about the Indian headdress was meant to be harmless, I assume. While wearing a headdress may be meaningless to the PP, it probably carries more seriousness to someone native American/Indian. Years ago, I took my kids to a pow-wow in Maryland and during the performance, an eagle feather from the headdress fell to the ground. The whole ceremony came to a halt while the feather was retrieved and some type of respectful, quiet, interaction on the field took place. I didn't see the "importance" but the tribe did. Should I feel that it was an unnecessary, emotional-based response or show respect for something I didn't understand and make some attempt to understand and engage without being labeled politically correct. My new found knowledge of the feather event gave me incredible insight, understanding AND appreciation.

There are those who always shout political correctness but that isn't always the case and times when we have to realize that respect would go a long way to resolving social problems. Just as I put my hand over my heart when I say the pledge, I would expect others who are unfamiliar with the practice or prefer not to engage in the practice to respect those that do.

This is the kind of response that the Halloween costume might initiate. You are not invalidating the points made by the Yale administration. My comment about the Indian headdress was not cavalier, but rather an example about a not-uncommon costume that some people find offensive. Someone wearing that costume might not be aware that it is offensive. Some might not care. But, students must learn to navigate this world and weather these sorts of disruptions to one's ideal existence. It's not like having a burning cross on your front lawn.

We navigate the world and MINIMIZE disruptions by our appreciation of differences and if college students and even younger people learn that early, things would be different. Then again, adults haven't even mastered it. In the 21st century and all the previous centuries, that lesson just doesn't seem to find its place in our hearts.

No, it's not like having a burning cross on your lawn but you and I are NOT the ones to determine what is and what isn't painful, disruptive, and its importance. While cross burning may seem horrible to you, that same action may seem horrible and frightening to someone else.

We will respectfully agree to disagree on the need for appreciation of differences. Same book, different pages. We have given each other food for thought. I'm done here.

The end result is paralysis. Everyone's so afraid of offending each other, that people don't have discussions or make provocative statements. This kind of bubble may be absolutely appropriate for very young children, but we are talking about adults here.

And yes, we do have to ask hard questions about what is and isn't "painful" or "disruptive." Because we live in a world where we do have to make those kinds of decisions. We can't live in a world where everyone's suffering is the same because it's not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, does anyone else remember receiving directives WHILE IN UNIVERSITY about what your Halloween costume could/could not be? Are adult students in university (Yale University for crissakes) not capable of making adult decisions?

Yale has been PC central for a long time. I remember visiting in the mid-80s when college-shopping, and being completely turned off by how PC it was. Separate floors/housing for each conceivable ethnic/racial/sexual identity group. I wanted to go to college to be with a mix of people - the main purpose that colleges are residential in my opinion! To expose yourself to other points of view and experiences, not hunker down in groups of people who are the same as you are. 30 years later and Yale's PC policies seem to have achieved nothing - still segregated, still resorting to uncivil discourse.

Exactly! Allowing, if not tacitly encouraging this type of self-segregation under the guise of creating "identity" and "safe space" basically guts the central reason for valuing diversity in college admissions, to be exposed to other viewpoints, experiences and backgrounds.

I'm a recently grad, probably at least 20 years younger than you and agree 100%. Sadly, my slac and just about all colleges have caved in to having theme and "community" housing for blacks, hardcore feminists, devout Jews, Muslims etc...just about every "marginalized" group that supposedly "needs" their own space. It's PC to bash frats and how they manage their spaces but I find this trend concerning too.

On one hand, some of these them houses are very well run with a purpose, like the environmental studies house I ended up in because my friend/roommate had to withdraw. It's a LEED certified building and residents work together on the college's organic farm on the weekends to grow food served in the dining hall. Not to mention that quality of the living space is more homey and comfortable than living in a crappy cinderblock dorm. Cool and purposeful, no?

However, you can imagine the types who want to hunker down with other SJWs, Feminazis (yeah, I said it) and zealots from other groups and cloister themselves in a them house with 10-40 people just like them! Seriously, these kids attend a school with world class facilities and a fairly diverse student body yet choose to live in a bubble and throw their own parties and sit together in the dining hall everyday. Yet they call themselves "victims" just because they saw a poster or something they didn't like on campus!??!

When I shared a group house in DC just after graduation we had a roommate like this. Let's just say she had no idea how to navigate the world outside her victim bubble and college failed her as far as I'm concerned. She's smart on paper, but when you choose to live with other radical women instead of better grounded people with hobbies other than being perpetually offended I can only imagine what that does to your mind. She made a conscious decision to live with 3 other young men and women flipped shit over everything that wasn't in her control, even when she had no business telling us what to do. She would condescend us about our white privilege and one time while trying to teach her how to put furniture together she snapped "you don't have to mansplain it to me!" She didn't last long...

This is a problem money won't fix. If only more parents and teachers had the balls to stand up to these kids and tell them NO.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what to say anymore. If these kids feel that the conditions at Yale are intolerably racist and offensive, I seriously do not know where they will feel "safe" once they leave the cocooned environment of academia. I read the email and am appalled that the author's words are being twisted and mischaracterized the way they are, and that both she and her husband are so completely under fire. Of course Yale, as all universities it seems these days, are cowering and buckling under the emotion-based screaming and ranting and accusations of "RACISM!!!!" I am a liberal - never voted for a republican and never will (unless they miraculously turn around from the insane path they're currently on), but this trend in academia scares the crap out out of me. Maybe Univ of Chicago is the last bastion of sanity. We'll see how long they last tho.

And I'm sure you feel that nooses hanging from college trees, nigger scrawled on college walls, swastikas drawn on dorm room doors at othet colleges is simply free expression. Though, I think much of the email was mischaracterized.

And if you think UChicago would stand for one second for the aforementioned in the name of free expression, you haven't a clue what Chixago stands for.

Big differences between nooses and swasitkas, and a college kid wearing an Indian headdress on Halloween. If you can't see the nuance, I think that Chicago's education has failed you.

-A UofC Alum

And many native Americans would think your Chicago education has conveniently failed you.

The cavalier comment about the Indian headdress was meant to be harmless, I assume. While wearing a headdress may be meaningless to the PP, it probably carries more seriousness to someone native American/Indian. Years ago, I took my kids to a pow-wow in Maryland and during the performance, an eagle feather from the headdress fell to the ground. The whole ceremony came to a halt while the feather was retrieved and some type of respectful, quiet, interaction on the field took place. I didn't see the "importance" but the tribe did. Should I feel that it was an unnecessary, emotional-based response or show respect for something I didn't understand and make some attempt to understand and engage without being labeled politically correct. My new found knowledge of the feather event gave me incredible insight, understanding AND appreciation.

There are those who always shout political correctness but that isn't always the case and times when we have to realize that respect would go a long way to resolving social problems. Just as I put my hand over my heart when I say the pledge, I would expect others who are unfamiliar with the practice or prefer not to engage in the practice to respect those that do.

This is the kind of response that the Halloween costume might initiate. You are not invalidating the points made by the Yale administration. My comment about the Indian headdress was not cavalier, but rather an example about a not-uncommon costume that some people find offensive. Someone wearing that costume might not be aware that it is offensive. Some might not care. But, students must learn to navigate this world and weather these sorts of disruptions to one's ideal existence. It's not like having a burning cross on your front lawn.

We navigate the world and MINIMIZE disruptions by our appreciation of differences and if college students and even younger people learn that early, things would be different. Then again, adults haven't even mastered it. In the 21st century and all the previous centuries, that lesson just doesn't seem to find its place in our hearts.

No, it's not like having a burning cross on your lawn but you and I are NOT the ones to determine what is and what isn't painful, disruptive, and its importance. While cross burning may seem horrible to you, that same action may seem horrible and frightening to someone else.

We will respectfully agree to disagree on the need for appreciation of differences. Same book, different pages. We have given each other food for thought. I'm done here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what to say anymore. If these kids feel that the conditions at Yale are intolerably racist and offensive, I seriously do not know where they will feel "safe" once they leave the cocooned environment of academia. I read the email and am appalled that the author's words are being twisted and mischaracterized the way they are, and that both she and her husband are so completely under fire. Of course Yale, as all universities it seems these days, are cowering and buckling under the emotion-based screaming and ranting and accusations of "RACISM!!!!" I am a liberal - never voted for a republican and never will (unless they miraculously turn around from the insane path they're currently on), but this trend in academia scares the crap out out of me. Maybe Univ of Chicago is the last bastion of sanity. We'll see how long they last tho.

And I'm sure you feel that nooses hanging from college trees, nigger scrawled on college walls, swastikas drawn on dorm room doors at othet colleges is simply free expression. Though, I think much of the email was mischaracterized.

And if you think UChicago would stand for one second for the aforementioned in the name of free expression, you haven't a clue what Chixago stands for.

Big differences between nooses and swasitkas, and a college kid wearing an Indian headdress on Halloween. If you can't see the nuance, I think that Chicago's education has failed you.

-A UofC Alum

And many native Americans would think your Chicago education has conveniently failed you.

The cavalier comment about the Indian headdress was meant to be harmless, I assume. While wearing a headdress may be meaningless to the PP, it probably carries more seriousness to someone native American/Indian. Years ago, I took my kids to a pow-wow in Maryland and during the performance, an eagle feather from the headdress fell to the ground. The whole ceremony came to a halt while the feather was retrieved and some type of respectful, quiet, interaction on the field took place. I didn't see the "importance" but the tribe did. Should I feel that it was an unnecessary, emotional-based response or show respect for something I didn't understand and make some attempt to understand and engage without being labeled politically correct. My new found knowledge of the feather event gave me incredible insight, understanding AND appreciation.

There are those who always shout political correctness but that isn't always the case and times when we have to realize that respect would go a long way to resolving social problems. Just as I put my hand over my heart when I say the pledge, I would expect others who are unfamiliar with the practice or prefer not to engage in the practice to respect those that do.

This is the kind of response that the Halloween costume might initiate. You are not invalidating the points made by the Yale administration. My comment about the Indian headdress was not cavalier, but rather an example about a not-uncommon costume that some people find offensive. Someone wearing that costume might not be aware that it is offensive. Some might not care. But, students must learn to navigate this world and weather these sorts of disruptions to one's ideal existence. It's not like having a burning cross on your front lawn.

Anonymous wrote:And at least U of C would give them the chance to explain that, rather than prohibit discussion.

The point is more than the chance to explain. It's what you do AFTER the explanation.

Discussion, should never be prohibited and that goes for both sides.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what to say anymore. If these kids feel that the conditions at Yale are intolerably racist and offensive, I seriously do not know where they will feel "safe" once they leave the cocooned environment of academia. I read the email and am appalled that the author's words are being twisted and mischaracterized the way they are, and that both she and her husband are so completely under fire. Of course Yale, as all universities it seems these days, are cowering and buckling under the emotion-based screaming and ranting and accusations of "RACISM!!!!" I am a liberal - never voted for a republican and never will (unless they miraculously turn around from the insane path they're currently on), but this trend in academia scares the crap out out of me. Maybe Univ of Chicago is the last bastion of sanity. We'll see how long they last tho.

And I'm sure you feel that nooses hanging from college trees, nigger scrawled on college walls, swastikas drawn on dorm room doors at othet colleges is simply free expression. Though, I think much of the email was mischaracterized.

And if you think UChicago would stand for one second for the aforementioned in the name of free expression, you haven't a clue what Chixago stands for.

Big differences between nooses and swasitkas, and a college kid wearing an Indian headdress on Halloween. If you can't see the nuance, I think that Chicago's education has failed you.

-A UofC Alum

And many native Americans would think your Chicago education has conveniently failed you.

The cavalier comment about the Indian headdress was meant to be harmless, I assume. While wearing a headdress may be meaningless to the PP, it probably carries more seriousness to someone native American/Indian. Years ago, I took my kids to a pow-wow in Maryland and during the performance, an eagle feather from the headdress fell to the ground. The whole ceremony came to a halt while the feather was retrieved and some type of respectful, quiet, interaction on the field took place. I didn't see the "importance" but the tribe did. Should I feel that it was an unnecessary, emotional-based response or show respect for something I didn't understand and make some attempt to understand and engage without being labeled politically correct. My new found knowledge of the feather event gave me incredible insight, understanding AND appreciation.

There are those who always shout political correctness but that isn't always the case and times when we have to realize that respect would go a long way to resolving social problems. Just as I put my hand over my heart when I say the pledge, I would expect others who are unfamiliar with the practice or prefer not to engage in the practice to respect those that do.

And at least U of C would give them the chance to explain that, rather than prohibit discussion.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what to say anymore. If these kids feel that the conditions at Yale are intolerably racist and offensive, I seriously do not know where they will feel "safe" once they leave the cocooned environment of academia. I read the email and am appalled that the author's words are being twisted and mischaracterized the way they are, and that both she and her husband are so completely under fire. Of course Yale, as all universities it seems these days, are cowering and buckling under the emotion-based screaming and ranting and accusations of "RACISM!!!!" I am a liberal - never voted for a republican and never will (unless they miraculously turn around from the insane path they're currently on), but this trend in academia scares the crap out out of me. Maybe Univ of Chicago is the last bastion of sanity. We'll see how long they last tho.

And I'm sure you feel that nooses hanging from college trees, nigger scrawled on college walls, swastikas drawn on dorm room doors at othet colleges is simply free expression. Though, I think much of the email was mischaracterized.

And if you think UChicago would stand for one second for the aforementioned in the name of free expression, you haven't a clue what Chixago stands for.

What are you even talking about? Who is defending that stuff? This is exactly the kind of emotion-based, fact-free race-baiting crap that people who can still reason and think are objecting to. I'm sorry you are incapable of rational discourse and can only respond with straw man arguments involving nooses and dog-whistling. As for UofC, read the administration's statement of freedom of expression from last year. It was specifically issued as a preemptive defense of debate, inquiry and exchange of ideas - the statement expressly noted the administration felt the need to emphasize these ideals in light of recent developments on campuses around the country and the shutting down of discourse in the name of comfort and not causing offense.

I'm not the previous poster but I am curious at your response. These "straw man" arguments involving reprehensible acts are the underlying reasons (in some cases) that cause unreasonable responses like the one at Yale. The proverbial tip of the iceberg so to speak. I strongly feel the Yale student's response was unreasonable but I wonder if there was more underlying issues that pushed to the limit?

I am a strong proponent of debate to resolve problems. But if there isn't any resolution after significant debate, how would you recommend resolving problems? Though I think the types of ethnic problems causing dissension on most campuses due to callous, ignorant behavior by individuals. That is an internal and spiritual problem, in my opinion, closer to upbringing. That said, like the University of Chicago who has engaged federal assistance in some cases, the administration should seek out resolution. Just as the Columbia University student who carried a bed on her back to RIGHTFULLY bring awareness to rape, there are times when some measures (which one might deem unreasonable) must and should be undertaken to insist that administration be immediately attentive and active in resolving problems.

History is (especially college war protesters and college civil rights activists) full of dissenting students whose views were seen as straw man arguments, emotion-based, and "incapable of rational discourse." But there actions changed the course of history for the better even if some felt it was for their own comfort or emotional behavior.