News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by SolaceQuantum on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @07:40AM (#11478648)
>Maybe we shouldn't be surprised to see safe spaces / micro-aggressions as a strategy to shut down unpleasant situations (ideas) rather than confronting them as ideas

Is it not confronting to refuse it in your presence because you find the behavior unacceptable? What would you prefer the confrontation to be like?

I don't agree with the extreme measures often taken by university kids but I also think criticism of it should be accurate to its state. That is, it is a form of confronting the idea of a social issue by creating a space where certain behaviors are unacceptable to facilitate more productive conversation without someone's ignorance shouting it down, taken too far with too many subjects because it's practiced mostly among young college kids who are really not experienced at all.

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by golemotron on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @07:45AM (#11478674)
Except these strategies are not really about behaviors in many cases, they are about ideas. There have been a number of cases of safe spaces being set up as alternatives for on-campus events where 'unpleasant' ideas are discussed. University professors routinely have to censor material that is 'triggering' merely because of the ideas it presents.
Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by SolaceQuantum on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @07:59AM (#11478749)
> University professors routinely have to censor material that is 'triggering' merely because of the ideas it presents.

Source? Is there a wide academic study on this? I know current college kids who sre studying genocide in literature class and rape in societal context. Most of the studies academia has on rape and microagression and so on are from professors on college campuses who presumably teach similar stuff. I find it highly improbable that this safe space issue in universities just sprung out of an aether of the internet into unsuspecting professors. Especially when, as I understand it, it started in universities.

To be fair, these are also young adults floundering about with these new ideas. Presumably there's always been kids who complained about the professor in one way or another. Is the 'too hard' criticism of the modern ratemyprofessor.com any different than another young person complaining about a useless perceived microaggression? They're both probably going to be ignored in the greater context of things.

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by SolaceQuantum on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @08:38AM (#11478949)
I apologize.

I asked if there are any widespread studies on professors routinely (I would assume a casual 1 in 4 or 1 in 10 correlation would be routine?) being forced to edit and change their syllabus.

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by ihavedna on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @11:18AM (#11480299)
I'd like to share with you a response to article 3.

https://chroniclevitae.com/news/1030-dear-liberal-professor-...

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by ihavedna on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @01:04PM (#11481318)
A note - this isn't the article I was originally looking for. There was a response to this article I recall specifically discussing colleges becoming more profit or money-minded and that it effects how it treats or protects its professors. It was a very useful perspective and I will do my best to find the article.
Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by DanBC on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @09:41AM (#11479452)
Suicide dropped by sociology exam board: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/jun/15/suicide-dro...

A law professor saying it's becoming harder to teach laws relating to rape: http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/trouble-teaching-rap...

> To be fair, these are also young adults floundering about with these new ideas. Presumably there's always been kids who complained about the professor in one way or another. Is the 'too hard' criticism of the modern ratemyprofessor.com any different than another young person complaining about a useless perceived microaggression? They're both probably going to be ignored in the greater context of things.

I'm not trying to stop them complaining. I am trying to stop them having their professors sacked and having speakers no-platformed.

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by return0 on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @09:44AM (#11479479)
Does putting your head in the sand and ignoring people pass as conforntation nowadays? You confront ideas with other ideas. You think Stephen Fry would be happier if he was a hidden- or silent- homosexual ?
Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by barry-cotter on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @08:15AM (#11478834)
> Is it not confronting to refuse it in your presence because you find the behavior unacceptable? What would you prefer the confrontation to be like?

I would prefer it violent. I would prefer the illiberal left exposed as bullies than universities just caving. The more people see that they're currently the fiercest opponents of a free society the better. I would prefer universities not caving and the no platformers shouting people down, rioting and assaulting people.

> I don't agree with the extreme measures often taken by university kids but I also think criticism of it should be accurate to its state. That is, it is a form of confronting the idea of a social issue by creating a space where certain behaviors are unacceptable to facilitate more productive conversation without someone's ignorance shouting it down, taken too far with too many subjects because it's practiced mostly among young college kids who are really not experienced at all.

Fine. A university is not a safe space. The public square is not a safe space. Let them have their safe spaces where they organise them. Their own clubs and societies for example.

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by SolaceQuantum on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @08:35AM (#11478928)
> I would prefer it violent.

Dude, why? This comes off to be as a gut based, emotional viewpoint rather than a rational one.

Re:Stephen Fry hits out at ‘infantile’ culture of trigger wo... by daveqr on Tuesday April 12, 2016 @09:12AM (#11479212)
"The more people see that they're currently the fiercest opponents of a free society the better."