Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Blog Post 2
I want to talk a little bit about today's glass. Not only did I learn new issues happening around the university, I got to hear from different viewpoints that without this class I would not have gotten. Being able to digress from the usual agenda and use current events to tie into what we have been focusing on in class is amazing. After our discussion, I was left wondering about race related issues and, more so, censorship at the university. At my high school censorship was a big issue. People were very focused on being politically correct, which is a good thing I think. However, when community members were always on the attack and always assumed people had bad intentions, voices were silenced. Being new to Michigan, I am curious to know what censorship is like on campus. The most recent example: the posters including extreme racism, in my opinion, needed to be taken down. They were beyond offensive, scary, and dangerous. However, it made me wonder if there was a less extreme example and the university went back and fourth about whether they should censor what ever was being displayed. How did the university go about their decision? I truly hope to have more conversations like these in class. We almost started to talk about the presidential debate and I wished we got to it. I feel like there would be a wide range of options that would spark an amazing conversation. I hope we get to it next class!
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Emily, you make a great point; until reading this, I hadn't really thought about the drawing of lines. How does the University decide what should be censored and what should be left alone? In the past week, I saw other incendiary demonstrations (posters, etc.) that went untouched. Who makes the decision between what is offensive and what is not? Is there a certain threshold that something must cross to be deemed "offensive?" If so, how is that threshold measured? If something is offensive, but it doesn't offend enough people, does someone take action? When does the University see it as suitable to make an official statement? All of these questions run through my head after seeing and hearing of events that took place on campus this week. You mention a "less extreme" example, but I think, often, the degree of extremity is different for each person that views it. Of course, there are many scenarios that clearly merit action, but I am interested to see what takes place on campus in the next few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI, too, was glad that we were able to have this conversation in class because it is important to communicate about the racist posters situation in an intellectual setting. Also, I believe it was important to discuss issues that our society faces such as this one in an objective environment free of common opinions because, in attempting to understand every side, it can make us better global citizens in general. While we all undoubtedly agree that the posters promoting racism should not have been posted in public in the first place, I think you bring up a great point about censorship and what that means concerning this local controversy. Similar to you high school experience, I was raised in a very liberal environment in which I was surrounded by people who were always trying to be politically correct in the midst of a time of rapid social changes. Although I believe in political correctness, it can only be accomplished with censorship of individuals and their opinions. Thus people have taken political correctness to an extreme in a way that it has become increasingly difficult to have a rational and civilized debate in the United States especially. It is one thing to say "racism is bad," but why is it "bad" and why might people who disagree with this opinion think? Why are people racist to begin with? Why would somebody put up these posters stating facts that have been proven to be false around a campus that is known for being progressive? These and many other questions are questions we need to ask and evaluate, and I'm glad we touched upon it in class last week.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Emily's appreciation of our amazing university community. I love how even though the University of Michigan is a huge school with a huge campus and a diverse student body, there are many smaller communities within the larger community that I am a part of. I have my dorm community, my dance community, my friend community, my LHSP community, and many other close communities. My LHSP English class is just one of my many communities, one intimate sphere of my college life. However, it is a meaningful one. I am so grateful that this sect is full of people I trust and can connect with no matter how similar or dissimilar we all are. It is reassuring to know that there is always a group of people for me to discuss serious matters with, matters that not only affect myself as an individual but matters that affect our entire university as a whole. I feel comfort in knowing that I have groups of people, like this one, to support me, to give me advice, to just be there for me to talk to and create a plan with. It is also gratifying to know that our school finds hateful crimes, or just controversial issues in general, important. I am so glad that these topics call attention to the problems that infest our world and our university, spurring conversations and debates. These topics are not dismissed or shoved aside. They are adresed and analyzed. They set the stage for our future -- how we will react to new conflicts, how we will warn others about prominent issues, and how we will prevent further acts of hate from reoccurring.
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