Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger words and safe spaces

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by wturner on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @04:44AM (#11478041)

Every generation takes what the previous generation set in motion and expounds on it. This is obvious when looking at things like extreme sports and technology. The irony is that the "infantile" behavior he is complaining about is just the cultural neoteny of the last generation being adopted by the next and extended a bit. There is a trend on shows like Dave Rubins to blame liberals for this. I think it has nothing to do with political affiliation and is just a side effect of modernity. Just complaining about trigger warnings shows a lack of priority and is a bit infantile. There is global warming and nukes to worry about. :/ see....irony.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by jelly on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @05:12AM (#11478143)

It is very easy as a young person to convince yourself that everyone in your age group is a liberal, because you only really hear political opinions from your peers that fit with modern liberal issues. Personally I am a right-leaning moderate but to reveal my political beliefs to my friends would be social suicide, at least until more articles like this come to light. Currently it is cool to be a liberal and show it, and anything else gets you shut out.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by zkjones on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @05:00AM (#11478096)

Infantilization continued from Gen-X, but that is only half the story.

Gen-X though was verbally harsh, sarcastic and IMO more idealistic than Gen-Y. Gen-Y (as a whole) begins to show a strange mixture of extreme political correctness, anti-individuality, self-promotion and right-wing and business values when it suits them.

The Orwellian thing Fry mentions is not so far off.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by ljk on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @04:51AM (#11478067)

imo it's basically kids starting at a young age getting told how special of a snowflake they are and always getting what they want.... and once they grow up they still want to have their ways

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by otaviokzuk on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @04:56AM (#11478080)

I believe the core of the problem is as you described. But then there's a lot of political gain being made on top of it. Universities are at risk of seeing their education throughput diminished.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by alex_hitchins on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @06:58AM (#11478486)

I wonder what the best way to tackle it is? At some point surely these folks will have to accept the real world around them that everyone else lives in.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by ljk on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @04:57AM (#11478083)

funny you mentioned that - http://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article7113446...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by NietTim on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @04:53AM (#11478071)

And because of that, a serious lack of personal accountability and introspection and having the feeling that they are not the issue here

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by cm2187 on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @04:58AM (#11478087)

I don't think students are necessary worse than previous generation. Throw a stone at the French or Italian parliament and you are almost certain to hit a politician who supported Stalin or Mao in his youth. In comparison this "safe place" melodrama is rather cute.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by vidarh on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @07:09AM (#11478525)

Not necessarily worse, but bad in a different way. Current children seems to be cocooned off from dealing with tough issues to a level far more extreme than before.

I have a 7 year old son, and the level of shielding from the outside world is a constant factor of conflict with my ex. When I see the level of freedom he has vs. what I had as a child, it's really quite depressing, and frankly most of his class mates have it worse, as most of them don't have anyone that's trying to moderate it.

It scares me to think of people growing up with that kind of filtered, blinkered view of the world, because sooner or later that filter is taken away, and they will be unprepared.

[ Parent | on HN ]