Academic freedom under threat

LadySybilVimes

I saw this thread today about the changing culture of universities where language around gender and sex is so tightly policed that it becomes almost impossible to talk about the reality of women’s lives. It’s really worrying that universities have become places where students are taught that women are an oppressor class who mustn’t be talked about and that the move to treating students as consumers of education has given them the power to demand academics be fired or silenced.

The website these are taken from is here: https://www.gcacademianetwork.org/#

MrsT

I can see this in action currently- my degree is basically lessons in woke speak. So much time and resources wasted on the issue when there are many other issues that need time and attention. It’s maddening.
I despair with what we are teaching our youngest- I thought university was supposed to encourage critical thinking.

WidowWyncke

What is it with the anime avatars? (it’s mentioned in the comments).

LadySybilVimes

Is it that whole furry community - ComicCon anime - nerdy world? Superwoke people seem to live their lives around the internet. They only see the world in black and white because they block everyone who disagrees with them and they have very few real-world friendships.

CassandraNORI

What, you mean like this?

LadySybilVimes

Oh God. Those pup people can get in the bin along with the adult babies and all the rest of the friendless incel adjacent nutbags.

Heyho2

I did a gender studies class about maybe 15 years ago? It would be fascinating to do it again now to compare…

WidowWyncke

Virus?

I have no problem with what adults do in their bedrooms as long as it is truly consensual and nobody is hurt.
However now that things are so public with the internet ,bad actors have infiltrated groups that were relatively harmless because they like the attention and to stalk victims.

Heyho2

Gawd, there’s some youngin on mumsnet trying to put the oldies in their place 😅 she’ll be an old woman condescended down to before she knows it… its the sad cycle of a woman’s life.

CassandraNORI

This is a really interesting article about how there is some activism developing in this area aiming to break the ‘spirals of silence’. Points out that it’s a very isolating experience to be cancelled but by dissenters speaking out the courage can be gained to speak up.

https://www.persuasion.community/p/fighting-back-at-last

CassandraNORI

Professor Donna Hughes is facing calls for her dismissal for arguing for women’s sex based rights - just another example among many.

https://www.thecollegefix.com/gender-studies-professor-who-criticized-trans-sex-fantasy-faces-backlash-but-shes-standing-firm/

CassandraNORI

CassandraNORI Professor Donna Hughes is facing calls for her dismissal for arguing for women’s sex based rights - just another example among many.

https://www.thecollegefix.com/gender-studies-professor-who-criticized-trans-sex-fantasy-faces-backlash-but-shes-standing-firm/

LGB Alliance has written a letter of support to the university Prof Donna Hughes works for. It’s a great outline of the issues being raised in her essay. Worth a read as it summarises the feminist and LGB concerns nicely.

https://lgballiance.org.uk/2021/04/11/donnahughesletter/

CassandraNORI

Holly Lawford Smith being hounded on campus by TRAs

Gum-boots

It really scares me that people are turning females as a class into mute observers. I feel like we are going backwards and yet men’s language remains. I don’t see those same people calling men “prostrate havers” or “penis owners”… no they are too busy screaming hate at women. To me the TRA agenda (not the trans agenda) seems to be a MRA/incel agenda that spews hatred against women. They ignore trans men at the same time. Funny that.

Camokat

Here’s a fairly minor example - an invite to Richard Dawkins to speak at a debating society on a uni campus rescinded because he has ‘controversial’ views on Islam.

http://www.universitytimes.ie/2020/09/the-hist-will-not-be-moving-ahead-with-richard-dawkins-address/

Camokat

Here’s a former Dean of Harvard Medical School criticising the treatment of Lisa Littman over her research into the phenomenon of ROGD.

https://quillette.com/2018/08/31/as-a-former-dean-of-harvard-medical-school-i-question-browns-failure-to-defend-lisa-littman/

LadySybilVimes

This thread from Kathleen Stock about how academic work is shut down seems relevant:

Morrigan

It’s under threat in every way - mostly because of this idea that young people, and now just people, must be protected from anything that offends them. I am heartily sick of it, across the board.

Gum-boots

So true Morrigon. A different opinion is not “literal violence”.

Sabrina

And your personal feelings shouldn’t be used as a weapon to constantly shut down dialogue; learning your own limits and how to take personal responsibility when hearing information you don’t necessarily agree with are valuable tools.

Screaming you don’t like something so it can’t be discussed anywhere doesn’t make the conversation go away, it just takes it somewhere else and you learn nothing about how different people think or view things. There’s no opportunities to find common ground or challenge your own perceptions.