Discriminatory words to be tossed out.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Professors throughout the University of California system are being strongly urged not to use a number of phrases that could allegedly offend or discriminate against some students as part of an effort to minimize micro-aggressions — “brief, subtle verbal or non-verbal exchanges that send denigrating messages to the recipient because of his or her group membership (such as race, gender, age or socio-economic status).”
Describing the U.S. as a “melting pot” or the “land of opportunity” have been included on a list of micro-aggressions faculty members have been advised not to use for fear they could be interpreted as sexist or racist.
It also condemns many other statements including “gender plays no part in who we hire” and “I don’t believe in race,” the College Fix revealed.
While the request for faculty to quit proliferating micro-aggressions is not doctrine, the fact that the advisory notes come directly from the desk of UC President Janet Napolitano certainly lends the prerogative some weight.
The university has been accused of curtailing free speech with its micro-aggression policy, but a statement the UC Office of the President said the sessions were not intended to be a form a censorship:
To suggest that the University of California is censoring classroom discussions on our campuses is wrong and irresponsible. No such censorship exists. UC is committed to upholding, encouraging, and preserving academic freedom and the free flow of ideas throughout the University. As such, the media characterization of voluntary seminars for UC deans and department heads about campus climate issues — similar to seminars at university campuses throughout the country — is inaccurate.
Contrary to what has been reported, no one at the University of California is prohibited from making statements such as “America is a melting pot,” “America is the land of opportunity,” or any other such statement. Given the diverse backgrounds of our students, faculty and staff, UC offered these seminars to make people aware of how their words or actions may be interpreted when used in certain contexts. Deans and department heads were invited, but not required, to attend the seminars.
Other experts defended the guidelines, saying it was correct and that the phrases could cause offense, according to the Daily Mail.
Meanwhile, Tim Groseclose, a former professor at UCLA who is now an economics professor at George Mason University, said the guide had become “crazy.”
“According to that document, Martin Luther King, Jr. would be guilty of micro-aggressions,” he told Fox News.
1 Comment
This is what happens when you run out of actual grievances. Declare victory and go home? Hardly — that would miss out on the fun of grievance mongering. So they invent grievances from thin air.