Perhaps she is, perhaps she isn't. But the core issue may not be free speech, or even education, but more enduring American fears about the dangers of conformism
Even if Emma’s accounts aren’t accurate doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. I work at a university. I’m not a student. I feel the same pressures to conform. I have some progressive views but most of my views aren’t. I’m not asking my coworkers or supervisors to conform to my ideas but I get grief when I express mine. I’m always open to dialogue and learning, but I can assure you I am shut down, criticized, ostracized and stifled by the responses of my coworkers. I have chosen to self censor to preserve my sanity and job security. This is a reality and it’s still going on and I find nothing wrong with her article bringing it to light again. I have children in college right now who are experiencing the same thing as me. It’s real.
I love this essay and I am sorry that Ms. Camp found herself in an atmosphere of such fear and loathing that real debate, conversation, and -- not least of all -- sincerity was lacking in her college experience. She deserved better. But our culture is set up for conformism: people now grow up in the world expecting to have to conform physically, mentally, and culturally to succeed. But, as you say, it has always been thus, it's just that before social media you got destroyed on a small-scale for disagreeing with the majority; now, thanks to technology, the most average person can be destroyed publicly, globally. Would I be accused of being an out-of-touch old (white) lady if I suggested that clear policies for both students and faculty emphasizing kindness, manners, and the ethical treatment of others in debate might begin to cure the deadening atmosphere of silent censorship on campus? Yes, probably. But I can take the heat. Courage, my children. Courage.
First, I think in all western societies that purport democracy and free speech the conflict is always between group think and individualized thinking. To be part of the culture there is always a pressure to fit in when we have capitalism that truly demands the vast majority of workers not be questioning challengers to the status quo. Thus, we find almost all educational institutions pushing people into a narrow range of thinking/behaving. I think this young writer is tapping into that powerful energy that demands conformity with very little range of variation. And I don't find left or right political tendencies to be much different from each other except for the delusion that liberals are more open minded and less censorious. Given my experience these past 2 yrs in particular that delusion appears quite strong and this writer seems to be trying to grapple with this.
Universities are right on board to meet the demands of capitalism's needs for compliant workers. It was this demand for conformity that resulted in the revolutionary efforts of the 1960-70's to take over these institutions and promote more independent and creative learning environments where students demanded more control in how and what they were studying. That was an exciting time if you were there but it was short lived as people were over confident in their power while ignoring the reality they were not that organized, were transient and grossly underestimated the organized power elite which destroyed these bold efforts in a very short number of years and sucking people even more deeply into the conformity of what became the dot.com generation.
It really takes a very strong person to withstand the assaults of the group who have no qualms about shutting someone out without seeing that as censorship; ie, an attack on freedom of speech.
HI Claire - I think it makes sense to be skeptical of the trope - brave defiance of campus conformity IS old news. Still I'm pretty sure it's way wrong to roll with the notion there's nothing new under the sun. The stories of P.C. madness that have come out of places like Smith College in the last couple of years are truly new and awful. My own 18 year old - college frosh, mixed - mom from Senegal, white pop - can handle the censoriousness of his peers - helps he's got the right phenotype etc. - steered clear of little Ivies in part because the thought-policing was part of class-bound narrowness that was unenlivening. You really don't want to be where the woke don't sleep. FWIW, I'm guessing Times columnist McWhorter makes a better and worse case than that student op-ed against the new dispensation in his new book Woke Racism. He deserves to get his head handed to him for his beamishness about America's "resplendent" progress on race, but he's also right to DARE to take on the new piety. I hope you'll consider Fred Smoler's angle on all that. He's not a kid - not an alarmist either. http://www.firstofthemonth.org/mcwhorters-rare-dare/ - There's a good full critique of McW's wack side above Smoler's.... http://www.firstofthemonth.org/nightmare-scenarios-and-beamish-projections/ Double truths?
Even if Emma’s accounts aren’t accurate doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. I work at a university. I’m not a student. I feel the same pressures to conform. I have some progressive views but most of my views aren’t. I’m not asking my coworkers or supervisors to conform to my ideas but I get grief when I express mine. I’m always open to dialogue and learning, but I can assure you I am shut down, criticized, ostracized and stifled by the responses of my coworkers. I have chosen to self censor to preserve my sanity and job security. This is a reality and it’s still going on and I find nothing wrong with her article bringing it to light again. I have children in college right now who are experiencing the same thing as me. It’s real.
Great piece Claire, very insightful
I love this essay and I am sorry that Ms. Camp found herself in an atmosphere of such fear and loathing that real debate, conversation, and -- not least of all -- sincerity was lacking in her college experience. She deserved better. But our culture is set up for conformism: people now grow up in the world expecting to have to conform physically, mentally, and culturally to succeed. But, as you say, it has always been thus, it's just that before social media you got destroyed on a small-scale for disagreeing with the majority; now, thanks to technology, the most average person can be destroyed publicly, globally. Would I be accused of being an out-of-touch old (white) lady if I suggested that clear policies for both students and faculty emphasizing kindness, manners, and the ethical treatment of others in debate might begin to cure the deadening atmosphere of silent censorship on campus? Yes, probably. But I can take the heat. Courage, my children. Courage.
First, I think in all western societies that purport democracy and free speech the conflict is always between group think and individualized thinking. To be part of the culture there is always a pressure to fit in when we have capitalism that truly demands the vast majority of workers not be questioning challengers to the status quo. Thus, we find almost all educational institutions pushing people into a narrow range of thinking/behaving. I think this young writer is tapping into that powerful energy that demands conformity with very little range of variation. And I don't find left or right political tendencies to be much different from each other except for the delusion that liberals are more open minded and less censorious. Given my experience these past 2 yrs in particular that delusion appears quite strong and this writer seems to be trying to grapple with this.
Universities are right on board to meet the demands of capitalism's needs for compliant workers. It was this demand for conformity that resulted in the revolutionary efforts of the 1960-70's to take over these institutions and promote more independent and creative learning environments where students demanded more control in how and what they were studying. That was an exciting time if you were there but it was short lived as people were over confident in their power while ignoring the reality they were not that organized, were transient and grossly underestimated the organized power elite which destroyed these bold efforts in a very short number of years and sucking people even more deeply into the conformity of what became the dot.com generation.
It really takes a very strong person to withstand the assaults of the group who have no qualms about shutting someone out without seeing that as censorship; ie, an attack on freedom of speech.
HI Claire - I think it makes sense to be skeptical of the trope - brave defiance of campus conformity IS old news. Still I'm pretty sure it's way wrong to roll with the notion there's nothing new under the sun. The stories of P.C. madness that have come out of places like Smith College in the last couple of years are truly new and awful. My own 18 year old - college frosh, mixed - mom from Senegal, white pop - can handle the censoriousness of his peers - helps he's got the right phenotype etc. - steered clear of little Ivies in part because the thought-policing was part of class-bound narrowness that was unenlivening. You really don't want to be where the woke don't sleep. FWIW, I'm guessing Times columnist McWhorter makes a better and worse case than that student op-ed against the new dispensation in his new book Woke Racism. He deserves to get his head handed to him for his beamishness about America's "resplendent" progress on race, but he's also right to DARE to take on the new piety. I hope you'll consider Fred Smoler's angle on all that. He's not a kid - not an alarmist either. http://www.firstofthemonth.org/mcwhorters-rare-dare/ - There's a good full critique of McW's wack side above Smoler's.... http://www.firstofthemonth.org/nightmare-scenarios-and-beamish-projections/ Double truths?
Helpful short thread by one of Camp's classmates in the course that discussed suttee: https://twitter.com/jacob_olander/status/1500838871336112130