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How did universities evolve from spaces meant to evoke controversial and provocative thought (like the birth of the free speech movement at UC Berkeley) to the
by mankash666 10y ago
How did universities evolve from spaces meant to evoke controversial and provocative thought (like the birth of the free speech movement at UC Berkeley) to the "safe spaces" of today? If a university is meant to enrich you, one worthy lesson is the ability to "agree to disagree in a cordial fashion". If you disagree or feel threatened by a line of thought, make your voice heard. Receding into a safe space won't prepare you for the real world.
- weberc2 10y agoI'm guessing it started in the 90s when progressive social scientists edged out political dissenters from their departments, and began pushing their political orthodoxy as "science" to an already left-leaning campus who ate it up (confirmation bias and whatnot).
- dlandis 10y agoI think young adults oftentimes mature at a later age nowadays. A 17 year old nowadays may really need safe spaces and may be very traumatized from being confronted by provocative ideas, just as a child would be. It's not really fair to put the burden on the child to simply not be affected; it is the responsibility of the parents and university to teach them how to handle emotions and disagree without shutting down. (I'm not refuting anything you said btw. )
- icelancer 10y agoBecause the "free speech" advocates never were. They were counter-culturists who got their way and want to protect what is theirs. They were always authoritarians.