[OldDog]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

It's so interesting you bring this up- I happened to go to a lecture on Monday about micro aggressions, and one of the things the lecturer, Dr. Wing Sue, talked about was that it's a very challenging thing to explain out of context. For example, this video, taken out of context, does seem like a student getting upset over nothing. However, you're seeing 80 seconds of reaction to a situation that's been building for a long time. It's not just about the email. Here's a piece written by a senior at Yale, which helps frame what you see in the video:

https://medium.com/@aaronzlewis/what...e-6bdbbeeb57a6

Dr. Sue talked about how television and mass media is one of the worst places to discuss it because everything has to be in 30 second soundbites, and he, for example, needs a good half hour to really be able to explain micro aggression. When you see a person really lose their sh*t like that, it's usually a case of the straw finally breaking the camel's back, not that they suddenly get upset out of nowhere. Him disagreeing with her was not what got her upset. The Yale administration repeatedly ignoring a culture of racism on campus is what got her upset. The guy in the video interrupting her (repeatedly) to tell her he disagreed (an example of gender based micro aggression, by the way) is just what finally pushed to her shout about it.

**Trigger warning**

I disagree.

Tell me where he interrupts her repeatedly.

The "guy in the video," Nicholas Christakis, listens to her, says "I did not..." before she raises a hand toward him and shouts, "Be quiet!" She lowers her tone, he stands silently and listens to her and when she pauses he calmly says, "No, I don't agree with that." From that point she erupts. If his was a "microaggression," hers was a macroaggression. She might as well have said, "Respect me! Apologize to me! And while you're at it, STFU!"

If you watched the previous two videos, you clearly see Christakis addressing other questions from the crowd in a calm, measured approach. One student demands he apologize. When he tells her (teaching moment) that just because a person asks for an apology doesn't mean that the other person instantly has to say yes, the crowd jeers and boos and shusses him. (But, but, what about his feelings?) BTW, what's up with the finger snapping? Is clapping now offensive?

No one needs to explain to me Jencey (f-bomb girl) Paz's viewpoint. I got it straight from her:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3357552/posts

They (Erika and Nicholas Christakis) have again and again shown that they are committed to an ideal of free speech, not to the Silliman community.

Feelings trump free speech.

When students tried to tell him about their painful personal experiences as students of color on campus, he responded by making more arguments for free speech. It's unacceptable when the Master of your college is dismissive of your experiences. The Silliman Master's role is not only to provide intellectual stimulation, but also to make Silliman a safe space that all students can come home to. His responsibility is to make it a place where your experiences are a valid concern to the administration and where you can feel free to talk with them about your pain without worrying that the conversation will turn into an argument every single time. We are supposed to feel encouraged to go to our Master and Associate Master with our concerns and feel that our opinions will be respected and heard.

Presenting an alternative viewpoint is "dismissive." Yes, provide intellectual stimulation as long as it agrees with my viewpoint. If it doesn't, apologize for your offense NOW. Make me feel safe, unthreatened by alternative ideas, such as the First Amendment.

He seems to lack the ability, quite frankly, to put aside his opinions long enough to listen to the very real hurt that the community feels.

He keeps throwing up that damn free speech stuff instead of agreeing with me.

He doesn't get it. And I don't want to debate. I want to talk about my pain.

Screaming obscenities at professors may be acceptable at institutions of "higher learning," but (potential trigger) Ms. Paz won't be well prepared for the real world in which such a rant at a workplace (trigger) superior will get her sent walking. Unless maybe she works for the government, in which case she'll get a bonus.