4 ms·

It was rude and incredibly offensive, but is it really newsworthy? What should the school do? Hunt down and reprimand these students? Prevent them from standing

• ledauphin 5y ago
  news is exactly what it is. News is in fact the appropriate alternative to "hunting down", "reprimanding", etc. Thankfully, there isn't a binary choice between "imprison for life" and "never speak publicly about bad behavior".
• 14 5y ago
  How about forcing them to sign a declaration acknowledging the genocide of their government or be expelled. We know it is happening we don’t need shitty people in our country if they want to deny it.
  • bko 5y ago
    Yeah, I would be against that as well. That sounds awful, kind of like a loyalty test. It reminds me of terrible stories after 9/11 from Middle Eastern American's getting eyed suspiciously and having their loyalties questioned. Imagine being an Arab and some school making you sign something like "9/11 was bad"?
    • 14 5y ago
      We already have companies cut ties with Russia I don’t see this as being any different. Cut ties with people with oppressive views. Screw them is my feelings.
      • simonh 5y ago
        Economic sanctions are a very, very different thing from coerced 'confessions' from individuals. There are governments that engage in such practices, but they have no place in a free society.
        • 14 5y ago
          Nothing is coerced and there is no confession. If you don’t agree with the statement then just don’t go to that school. You talk about a free society but Uyghur are being rounded up and put in re-education/concentration camps that also has no place in a free society. We do agree they are being rounded up unwillingly right? A university could have a declaration of values that each student must sign. If they don’t agree with that political stance then don’t attend.
          • infamouscow 5y ago
            Every cent of Cornell's federal grant money would be pulled for violating the 1A rights of these students.
          • simonh 5y ago
            Of course China is not a free society. The problem with what you suggest is, who gets to decide the political requirements on such institutions? Well, politicians will. So lovely, now we have bureaucrats and politicians deciding what must be taught, and what cannot be taught or even discussed in our educational institutions. What could possibly go wrong? The only way to prevent such dictatorial mandatory opinions in education is to have no dictated mandatory opinions. Free discourse is the only answer, and yes that means discussing abhorrent opinions and statements. The right answer to the darkness is to flood it with light.
  • ComradePhil 5y ago
    Or the university could ask the students to take a class on how the oil rich middle eastern countries have spread their sects bundled with separatist and anti-national ideology in various countries by funding mosques for decades... and have students debate whether they agree with how it's handled in China or France or Germany. - France: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6DLKjDlORo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6DLKjDlORo - Germany: https://www.dw.com/en/battling-salafism-on-germanys-streets/a-45898250 https://www.dw.com/en/battling-salafism-on-germanys-streets/... - China: https://thediplomat.com/2014/10/chinese-salafism-and-the-saudi-connection/ https://thediplomat.com/2014/10/chinese-salafism-and-the-sau...
  • simonh 5y ago
    I am for free speech, but also just as vehemently against compelled speech.
    • AnimalMuppet 5y ago
      That's consistent, because compelled speech is not free speech - more the opposite.
  • infamouscow 5y ago
    Cornell is a private university that _could_ do that, but they won't because every cent of their federal grant money would be pulled for violating 1A rights.
  • cholantesh 5y ago
    Given that the ICC doesn't acknowledge it, that would be a rather extreme step to take.
• tomrod 5y ago
  > I personally don't want my university to have a public stance on these issues For certain things there is no "not having a stance" -- existence forces a stance. To not be against genocide is to be a collaborator. I consider it newsworthy as it highlights a growing trend of denying reality and pretending to be a victim when a loyalist's pet topic is discussed. Fact: China is murdering Uyghurs. Claim: it is offensive to Chinese culture to point out that China is murdering Uyghurs. Conclusion: China doesn't want to be reminded that it is murdering Uyghurs.
  • bko 5y ago
    No one is claiming people shouldn't be allowed to talk about it. But that means allowing people to have opposing thoughts no matter how wrong-headed A lot of people are just uninterested in foreign affairs and want to go about living their lives. In that case you're not getting them to "take a stance", you're getting them to be obedient. And for what purpose? You want to argue there should be a draft and we should fight this injustice? I may disagree but fine. But if you want to argue that we need to force Chinese students to sign some paper that states a belief, then that sounds awful regardless of what that piece of paper says.
    • simonh 5y ago
      >But if you want to argue that we need to force Chinese students to sign some paper that states a belief... Where on earth did you pull that from? Nobody asked them to do or say anything, they chose to do and say things though. Surely that's on them? The stance referred to was that of Cornell University, given that one of their students exercised their right of free speech and was abused for it. They can't dodge their responsibilities on that.
      • zardo 5y ago
        > The stance referred to was that of Cornell University, given that one of their students exercised their right of free speech and was abused for it. They can't dodge their responsibilities on that. Does the 1st amendment come with responsibilities? Maybe that would have been a good idea, but I thought it was just rights.
• Supermancho 5y ago
  > It was rude and incredibly offensive, but is it really newsworthy? I think so. It's the first time I've heard of Chinese students in America, actively decrying the claim (regardless of the base reasoning).
• marcosdumay 5y ago
  Reprimand looks like exactly the thing to do to the people disrupting the event and putting the safety of the speaker into question. Preventing them from getting in Q&A sessions looks like something to do with repeat offenders.
  • bko 5y ago
    So shouting down speakers in college campuses should be reprimanded? Okay I'll remember that. Plus, the students left in protest. No one stopped the q&a
    • marcosdumay 5y ago
      Gathering the students and telling them that what they did was wrong is exactly the kind of thing to do here. But I am under the impression that some students left (no problem with that) while others stayed and kept disrupting the event. On retrospect the article isn't clear if they just voiced something and left or if they kept there voicing the complaints.
• cuteboy19 5y ago
  People are suspended for racist texts written years ago. This is no different
  • tomrod 5y ago
    This is quite different. Here, the Uyghur student is the one the mob (Chinese students) canceled. Should the Chinese students be reprimanded, it may likely be due to violation of an honor code of behavior if Cornell has such a policy (many universities due), which would be a contractual violation.