Student Accused of Violating 'Safe Space' by... raising her hand? HOW DARE SHE!!!!

[Parasondox]

I am feeling so sexy and free. Now where the hell are my Soho city rent boys.

How *beep*ing dare she do that? She's opposing an opinion silently and causing choas and mayhem. The triggers I feel. Triggers!!! TRIGGGGGGERED!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/03/student-accused-of-violating-university-safe-space-by-raising-he/

Errr... last time I did a similar thread like this, things blew up. Good thing for me, I have a fetish for chaos and mayhem. Somebody stop me!!

But really, really? This is just getting a tad bit silly now. I mean, yeah, ban who you want from speaking, but to accuse someone of violating safe spaces but doing a hand gesture, well body gesture, then... then are people so afraid of opposing opinion or is their more to this, again. I read the article further and some of the members in the council meeting, because she was shaking her head. ANARCHY!!

Is this getting out of hand or is everything still in perfect order in Universities. Well, you know, University is the be all and end all of life and death.

Deny it and you will be crushed. Defy it and you will be erased from history.

MODS please Lock this thread dead. No longer needed

 

[Erttheking]

I remember when life on the Escapist wasn't a chore. I remember when there was more to it than feeding the outrage machine.

I miss those days.

 

[Parasondox]

I remember when life on the Escapist wasn't a chore. I remember when there was more to it than feeding the outrage machine.

I miss those days.

What days? Those days never happened. We have an animated butt causing issues and arguments in come gaming news feeds discussion. A butt. AN ASS!!

Anything on the internet can divide an entire nation and bring it to its locked knees.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I remember when life on the Escapist wasn't a chore. I remember when there was more to it than feeding the outrage machine.

I miss those days.

Don't worry, it looks to me like life on the Escapist is gurgling its way to a messy climax.

Yeah, the temptation is always there to drag it out for another season, but if the material isn't there, it just doesn't work. Go out on a strong finale, salvage what you can.

(I'd recommend a dramatic ending with all the characters getting killed off, but as a poster I guess I'm one of the characters so I might vote for us all pairing off in the last five minutes and living happily ever after)

 

[MysticSlayer]

Well, at least she wasn't actually kicked out, so apparently most people still have some sense. Even then, I doubt most of the votes against her had to do with the gesture so much as disagreement. That said, it is sort of concerning that they'd try to silence someone they disagree with and pick something so stupid as a hand (and later head) gesture.

But this is a university. Most of those people are probably 18-22. They're still mostly immature, stupid "kids" living the last (possibly only) point in their lives when they won't be punished for their immaturity and stupidity. Those 18 that voted against her will likely (hopefully) not be the same a few years from now.

Is this getting out of hand...

Yes, your puns are getting out of hand. I vote to remove you from the safe space that is The Escapist.

 

[Zhukov]

Okay, okay, okay.

Usually I'm of the opinion that the people incoherently screeching about the horror of safe spaces are leagues worse than the folks making safe spaces.

But this time I guess I'm with the screechers. Well, y'know, "with" them in a sort of I-don't-know-these-people-I'm-just-here-for-the-drinks kind of way.

I'm all for laying down a few rules to keep a debate civil, otherwise it turns into people talking over one another. But trying to disallow gestures is pretty damn goofy.

 

[Metalix Knightmare]

Okay, okay, okay.

Usually I'm of the opinion that the people incoherently screeching about the horror of safe spaces are leagues worse than the folks making safe spaces.

But this time I guess I'm with the screechers. Well, y'know, "with" them in a sort of I-don't-know-these-people-I'm-just-here-for-the-drinks kind of way.

I'm all for laying down a few rules to keep a debate civil, otherwise it turns into people talking over one another. But trying to disallow gestures is pretty damn goofy.

Man, that ain't even the worst of it.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/24/feminist-conference-says-clapping-triggers-anxiety/

 

[Breakdown]

Okay, okay, okay.

Usually I'm of the opinion that the people incoherently screeching about the horror of safe spaces are leagues worse than the folks making safe spaces.

But this time I guess I'm with the screechers. Well, y'know, "with" them in a sort of I-don't-know-these-people-I'm-just-here-for-the-drinks kind of way.

I'm all for laying down a few rules to keep a debate civil, otherwise it turns into people talking over one another. But trying to disallow gestures is pretty damn goofy.

I dunno, read it again.

She got her work ethic questioned as the vice-president failing to respond to an open letter. She also made a long speech about how a boycott of "products, companies and institutions that ?profit from or are implicated in the violation of Palestinian rights? is somehow anti-Semitic.

Then in the completely one-sided story, she's being victimised? We're not getting the whole picture.

Well, the article does say she attempted to contact the authors of the open letter, and it does seem likely that a movement boycotting Israel has the potential to encourage anti-Semitism. It's a point worth discussing at the least.

 

[Zhukov]

I dunno, read it again.

She got her work ethic questioned as the vice-president failing to respond to an open letter. She also made a long speech about how a boycott of "products, companies and institutions that ?profit from or are implicated in the violation of Palestinian rights? is somehow anti-Semitic.

Then in the completely one-sided story, she's being victimised? We're not getting the whole picture.

Oh sure, it's one-sided as all fuck.

But trying to kick someone out of a meeting over a hand gesture is still silly. Y'know, unless she was furiously dancing up and down while giving one-fingered salutes so close that her middle digits were in danger of being lodged up her target's nostrils. Or something. If there were other issues at play then kick her out for those, not for what her hands were doing.

As for the anti-Semitic thing... look, I say this as someone who is anti-Israel (sorta, the few actual Israelis I've met were very nice folks and generally agreed with me) but not anti-Jew. Anti-Israeli sentiment does have a nasty habit of getting tangled together with anti-Semitism. I don't know if she had a point in this particular case, I wasn't there and I don't really care, but I'm familiar enough with the general conversation that I'm not going to dismiss her point out of hand.

Man, that ain't even the worst of it.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/24/feminist-conference-says-clapping-triggers-anxiety/

Yeah, see, this is the kind of thing that sends me swinging straight on back to my standard position that folks that get their knickers in a twist over safe spaces are a whole lot sillier than the people who want safe spaces.

So someone running a conference asked that attendees jazz-hands instead of clapping? So fucking what?

Yeah, it's goofy and silly, but it's also utterly harmless.

Hell, if nothing else they've given me the amusing mental image of a whole crowd of people silently jazz-handing in unison. Which is a whole lot more than the people getting outraged on the internet about it are offering me.

So I say jazz-hands to your heart's content you crazy kids.

 

[Superbeast]

So, the lass in question: "Ms Wilson said she raised her arms in disagreement..." Is that even a thing? Other than as an exasperated way of telling someone to fuck off, I can't think of a body-language motion involving the arms that is a signifier of disagreement.

""According to the association?s rules...prohibition of discriminatory language and actions". This includes "refraining from hand gestures which denote disagreement", or "in any other way indicating disagreement with a point or points being made".

To me the principle of the rules sound ridiculous, but she agreed to them (doubly-so as "vice-president for academic affairs at Edinburgh University Student's Association") and violated them.

 

[Superbeast]

Then she gave a "long and passionate speech" (in her words) about how boycotting products or companies that are "implicated in the violation of Palestinian rights" is anti-Semitic? That makes about as much sense as saying boycotting products or companies that are implicated in the violation of American rights is racist.

She wrote a newspaper article summarising her arguments: http://www.studentnewspaper.org/bds-promotes-anti-semitism-and-is-harmful-to-jewish-students/

Her argument is: "The main speeches naturally focused on injustices faced by Palestinian people, but did this by attacking Israel?s economy and society, and by extension, the people of Israel, rather than the government. The motion also delegitimises Israel?s fundamental right to exist by calling it the ?declared State of Israel,? an anti-Semitic statement by nature."

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

Well, I suppose it can be distracting or possibly a bit daunting if people start making such gestures while you're speaking. I guess maybe the idea is to let people speak without not very useful judgement (as disagreement is limited to only during debate where it would be useful)?

I mean it sounds kind of ridiculous, but reflecting on it, it sounds like it would make it easier on the speaker possibly, and I'm not seeing a downside since gestures while someone else speaks doesn't accomplish anything. Not sure it would have much value but don't see the big problem.

Also I don't take the complainer seriously here. 'Hard left' and the old 'You're anti-semites!' accusation used to deflect criticism off Israel without addressing it

 

[aba1]

I remember when life on the Escapist wasn't a chore. I remember when there was more to it than feeding the outrage machine.

I miss those days.

What days? Those days never happened.

I have to agree I have been coming here to argue over stupid shit like this stuff for at least 7-8 years now hahaha. It has always been like this

 

[Fox12]

I remember when life on the Escapist wasn't a chore. I remember when there was more to it than feeding the outrage machine.

I miss those days.

Don't worry, it looks to me like life on the Escapist is gurgling its way to a messy climax.

Sadly, the glory days are over. I really thought this sight might make it.