Got White Privilege? College Students Flunked for Using “Oppressive and Hateful Language”

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: bastion

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: bastion

OK, explain to me how you participate in a gender studies class and study gender if your teacher does not let you use gender terminology without it lowering your grade?

You use wit and vocabulary to find the appropriate terminology, if someone lacks the basic skills to do that or respect for their professor and university syllabus they clearly lack the basic skills, respect or personality for the profession.

So, you can study gender without using gender terminology?

Somehow, I doubt it, or are you going to contend that the problem is averted by using womyn?

That's where qualifiers come in - and without seeing the syllabus, I highly doubt there was blanket ban on male/female terminology, just a blanket ban on automatic pigeonholing (see post where someone says men have penis and women have 'verginas' as example - which is both scientifically and socially ignorant). I'm not claiming it's easy, but basic manners and keeping an open mind work wonders.

Qualifiers are terminology like trans, pans etc... or you have the decency to ask someone what they would like to be referred to as or what they identify as 'their self' to avoid automatic stereotyping. That's the approach I use as I'm a straight male so have little idea what goes on in others heads and it only takes a second to have the manners to avoid causing others discomfort.

See indonesia for various genders like Waria etc...when studying social culture you have to be open to what terminology and approach other cultures use instead of automatically assuming your own knows everything and is the correct approach - as if someone is doing the latter then they deserve to be failed as they're not taking part or learning anything in the course.
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As for the post on biological definitions, get your biological definitions correct - there's still several biological gender types based on prostate tissue mass in females, testosterone, progesterone, hermaphrodites etc... also this is a social studies class, not a scientific one.

Basically its an argument over biological vs social gender indentity and what's more important. Stupid ...depends on who you are. But in the end I don't see these issues in classes/degrees where likely hood of having value beyond a college setting taking place. Technology/engineering/finance etc.

Want to embrace these classes have at it. Don't want to don't. The problem is the crazy tends to expand and become required. That is an issue. Want to be referred to as male female, boy, girl, he she, pick one and be done with it.

originally posted by: Gryphon66

originally posted by: Teikiatsu

Boys have a penis. Girls have verginas.

Unless of course, they are intersex.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good, strong, seemingly black-and-white declaration though.

KISS

Oh yes, please. Bring up a percentage of the population that is a fraction of a fraction of a demographic. You know what those are called? Deviations from the norm.

HUGS

originally posted by: Gryphon66
a reply to: Glinda

I can tell you're troubled by certain aspects of modern academia. Don't feel rained on.

Oh, is that what they are calling circle jerk echo chambers of first world social self-flagellation and guilt these days?

So glad I went for a STEM degree and avoided all that leftist civics crap from progressive loons.

originally posted by: angeldoll
Multicultural courses are taught in most universities and require an understanding of other cultures and exclude racist views. Students who don't "get it" are asked to leave the class, and sometimes the actual field of study. This is not something new, but somebody making a big deal out of something old.

But who gets to define what is racist? The OP is talking about word choice such as male/female being frowned upon. This is a far cry to saying women are inferior (which would be sexist). Does that simple misuse of a word make you sexist?

What about deferring to students of color? I have a disagreement with a person of color about something and I must automatically concede or I am a racist?

Academia is entering a dangerous path. When certain arguments are taboo and not to be engaged in, when one is deemed more correct based on the color of their skin, we are not teaching people, we are indoctrinating them

originally posted by: angeldoll
a reply to: DelMarvel




I have known students who maintained racist views in a major which required working with people of different cultures,
to be "relocated" to another field of study. Which is how it should be. For example, a racist should not be a social worker or a psychologist, and those disciplines don't want those people having their degrees. It doesn't speak well for the university.

Can people of color be racist, or must we defer to them?

originally posted by: Grambler
What about deferring to students of color? I have a disagreement with a person of color about something and I must automatically concede or I am a racist?

Academia is entering a dangerous path. When certain arguments are taboo and not to be engaged in, when one is deemed more correct based on the color of their skin, we are not teaching people, we are indoctrinating them

No, it'd be automatically racist to concede purely based on skin colour - nowhere are the debates banned, it's just calling for students to allow other the time to air their own personal experiences, which everone benefits from.

The fact a class has to call for basic manners is the real scandal here, not the grossly over exaggerated article source. Have a read of the comments section below it to see what kind of people are 'outraged' by this; pretty much every post is based on or outright mentions white supremacy - not including the OP in that comment as they haven't aired any of those views in here.

originally posted by: Gryphon66
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

The quote from Dr. Streamas' syllabus that you're referring to actually says "Reflect your grasp of history and social relations by respecting shy and quiet classmates, and by deferring to the experiences of people of color."

Introduction to Multicultural Literature

I certainly wouldn't have stated it that way, but it seems the point would not be to challenge the presentation of injustice by people of color merely on the basis that such things "don't happen."

Also, notice a few statements above in the "community rules" the professor says: "Feel free to disagree, respectfully."

Now again, I wouldn't take this class (or most any other, as I find most all modern academia to be fascist personally), this is their class, they design it, and students sign up for it, and they have a choice in the matter.

The wording is, to my mind, more divisive than anything else. How would such a professor take it if a white student stood up and described racist treatment and attitudes they had experienced? That does happen. I have seen some personally. he way that is set up, it assumes that only non-whites can be targets or racism, and nothing could be further from the truth.

I won't argue on that final point! Learning should be that way, and I wonder what many actually learn in such an environment.