At this point, I cannot hope to persuade anyone of anything. Views were cemented early on, and have only been further entrenched. Persuasion, however, is not my intention. I aim merely to introduce another perspective. I question the usefulness of this, when the quagmire of opinion is already neck deep. Yet, the community shows no sign of forgetting the past few weeks. And rightly so.
One could try to paint the film screening in a flattering light, but those efforts would be naively directed. It was a disaster, plain and simple; I would submit that all participants are responsible for this outcome. If any one conclusion can be drawn, it is that the community is not ready to discuss certain issues at their full strength, though it seems we are all prepared to insult each other at double strength.
This brings me to my comments on the campus atmosphere. There is no denying the censorship of thought that exists both in and outside the classroom. Trigger warnings are issued prior to potentially ‘offensive’ material, but the only offensive thing about this situation is the insinuation that emerging adults are incapable of digesting reality. What some perceive as considerate, I see as avoidance of the discomfort that comes with exposing certain ugly truths. I see it as submission to silence. It is so easy to look away, to remain insulated, but we cannot conquer what we allow to remain in the shadows of our thoughts. There is nothing comfortable about this process, and nothing useful about this stagnant bickering. All of us snowflakes and Nazis, going back and forth, while the real problems fester.
Upon the inception of Students for Free Thought, I did not imagine such controversy and discord. It was not the intention of anyone in the group to bring about the current environment. Here it is, nonetheless, not quite fully explainable, and far from a complete recovery. After all is said and done, I hope the community obtains a healthy outcome. Perhaps that is overly optimistic, but only time will tell.
Letters to the Editor: Snowflakes and Nazis: A Personal Commentary on Recent Events
At this point, I cannot hope to persuade anyone of anything. Views were cemented early on, and have only been further entrenched. Persuasion, however, is not my intention. I aim merely to introduce another perspective. I question the usefulness of this, when the quagmire of opinion is already neck deep. Yet, the community shows no sign of forgetting the past few weeks. And rightly so.
One could try to paint the film screening in a flattering light, but those efforts would be naively directed. It was a disaster, plain and simple; I would submit that all participants are responsible for this outcome. If any one conclusion can be drawn, it is that the community is not ready to discuss certain issues at their full strength, though it seems we are all prepared to insult each other at double strength.
This brings me to my comments on the campus atmosphere. There is no denying the censorship of thought that exists both in and outside the classroom. Trigger warnings are issued prior to potentially ‘offensive’ material, but the only offensive thing about this situation is the insinuation that emerging adults are incapable of digesting reality. What some perceive as considerate, I see as avoidance of the discomfort that comes with exposing certain ugly truths. I see it as submission to silence. It is so easy to look away, to remain insulated, but we cannot conquer what we allow to remain in the shadows of our thoughts. There is nothing comfortable about this process, and nothing useful about this stagnant bickering. All of us snowflakes and Nazis, going back and forth, while the real problems fester.
Upon the inception of Students for Free Thought, I did not imagine such controversy and discord. It was not the intention of anyone in the group to bring about the current environment. Here it is, nonetheless, not quite fully explainable, and far from a complete recovery. After all is said and done, I hope the community obtains a healthy outcome. Perhaps that is overly optimistic, but only time will tell.
—Mimi Padilla