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Importance of diversity in undergraduate education
Essays on censorship in schools
Introduction to diversity in college
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Within the spectrum of debate, no matter your political affiliation, the discussion can become heated but beneficial to society. There is a vast majority of emotional baggage that could come with specific topics such as White Supremacy and Radical Feminism. Though, with this type of discussion, an increase of censorship and political correctness seem to be on the rise–making these varieties of arguments difficult. Censorship is the suppression of speech, and political correctness merely described the avoidance of different forms of expression, go hand and hand to the difficulty of free discussion–especially on college campuses. Besides engaging in a debate with diverse individuals, students fear that they cannot speak their views without public …show more content…
backlash from other students with different beliefs. Thought-crime, which is simplified to be a controversial opinion that is considered a crime by society even if no physical activity has taken place, is a well-known term for many college students. Although many claims various views are deemed harmful to communities, such as white supremacy, college students should not ‘shut down’ these discussions. If students begin to discuss extreme views peacefully, society can agree and work toward a common goal for a change. Political correctness is fueling hate on college campuses by not allowing free discussion on taboo issues due to subjective interpretations of feelings. Topics within the spectrum of extreme ideas, supremacy or any other superiority of a group, prove to be beneficial for conversation because it could open the door to change –no matter the controversy.
Daryl Davis, a black man who is known for convincing many Ku Klux Klan (KKK) to leave their group, would prove this point. Davis managed, as stated in an interview by the National Public Radio, sat down with many members of this organization and discuss their different beliefs. This conversation, as he explains, managed to help 200 Klan members to discard their racist robes and open their eyes to true equality. If Daryl David can convince the KKK, known for their hatred of minorities, to leave hatred– so should we. Without this discussion, those members could still take part in that hate. Some may disagree with Davis, since white supremacy is active today and most likely aids the delay of full equality, but he is instructing change. By allowing people to express these types of feelings could, while helping others see different perspectives and dismissing their hateful views, could aid society to a more peaceful community. These beautiful changes cannot happen unless society begins to understand this discussion is needed. College campus should be the beginning of these conversations since college, besides the backlash that may occur, is a safe place where students should continue this challenge as they continue to adulthood. The change will not come overnight for the whole …show more content…
world, but maybe starting in college will help the future generation with tolerance. For years feminism has been the crutch for women across the world seeking equality but, for some, it has turned into a backdoor for female supremacy.
The view of equality for all may of not changed but the view of feminism has. The definition of feminism, which is the advocacy of women’s rights according to dictionary.com, has changed. Although, “there is strong public support for egalitarian gender roles [and] gender equality” this has changed to "only a small proportion of Americans identify themselves as ‘‘feminists’’ (Houvouras and Carter). For college students this change, “[ranges] from analyses of feminism as a social movement to studies of individuals’ identities, perceptions, and behaviors” (Houvouras and Carter). From this article Carter and Houvouras conclude that the reason for college students straying from feminism is because of different definitions. The authors express, “an individual’s definition of a feminist may serve as a mediating factor between beliefs and attitudes that support feminist principles,” but I disagree. I believe that people are leaving feminism due to the hysteria rising from the movement. As Christina Hoff Sommers explains, “[some] feminists out there [are] trying to get scientists to change the name of the Big Bang Theory,” which is the current explanation for how the universe began, “because [the theory] is sexist and frightening to young women”
(Landon).
There are countless examples of women standing up for themselves, protesting injustices, and empowering others. The idea also works the other way and influences behavior of people threatened by the idea of feminism. These people refer to themselves as either anti-feminists or meninists. A prime example of feminism in the real world is the protests at the early release of the Stanford rapist. This man raped an unconscious woman behind a dumpster and was sentenced to six months in jail. He served three of those months and is now on probation for a year. This is a classic example of how the justice system tends to blame the victim while favoring the attacker. Over one hundred women’s rights protestors gathered hours after his release demanding for the judge to be recalled. Because these women were calling for political reform, they would be considered liberal
In the editorial “Coddling of the American Mind,” Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt examine the political correctness on college campuses and how it may be hurting students’ mental health. They explain by allowing campuses to discuss words, ideas, and subjects that can cause discomfort or give offense can provide positive attributes like helping students to produce better arguments and more productive discussions over differences. Does Lukianoff and Haidt provide sufficient evidence about how college campuses should raise attention about the need to balance freedom of speech to help students in their future and education to lead the reader to agree with their argument? The answer is yes,
Everyone is capable of wanting equality for all people. Women are not the only people to strive for gender equality for woman. Many men want to see all people treated equally but do not feel confident enough to talk about it. Many women who call themselves feminists tend to blame men for the position woman are in today, excluding them, and essentially doing nothing to help us as a society progress to equality. This only feeds into the well known stereotype of feminism. When referring to men in this society, Serano say’s, “It is difficult for men to move through a world in which they are non-consensually viewed as predators” (417). Society takes this general view as men being t fault for how women are treated today and making it hard for many men to join women in the fight for equality. This is not to say all men are supportive of woman, unfortunately, there are still men in the world that believe women can not do a job as well or better than a man, but to believe all men are like this would be inequitable. When contemplating whether to include men in feminism we must remember the main reason for feminism, which Roxane Gay reminds us when she says, “So much responsibility keeps getting piled on the shoulders of a movement whose primary purpose is to achieve equality, in all realms, between men and woman” (173). So why not let men join the movement? Woman must move past this idea that men are to blame
Since this country was founded, we have had a set of unalienable rights that our constitution guarantees us to as Americans. One of the most important rights that is mentioned in our constitution is the right to free speech. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the
Political correctness may be a coined term that the general population does not necessarily know the definition of, but is relevant in every single person’s life. In today’s society one must be very careful when verbalizing opinions in order to prevent offending others around, or from disturbing the Politically Correct Puritans: those who strongly support censorship of politically incorrect labels (Suedfeld et al 1994). There are many different theories as to what makes political correctness important and why college campuses seem to be so heavily surrounded by political correcting activists, but oddly enough there has not been an extensive amount of research done on the topic.
According to “Freedom of Speech” by Gerald Leinwand, Abraham Lincoln once asked, “Must a government, of necessity, be too strong for the liberties of its people, or too weak to maintain its own existence (7)?” This question is particularly appropriate when considering what is perhaps the most sacred of all our Constitutionally guaranteed rights, freedom of expression. Lincoln knew well the potential dangers of expression, having steered the Union through the bitterly divisive Civil War, but he held the Constitution dear enough to protect its promises whenever possible (8).
Colleges and universities control their faculties and students’ actions by shaming and criticizing their faculties and students on social media when the faculty’s or student’s actions cause distresses to other college students. They also control their faculties’ or students’ actions by firing the faculty or suspending the student. In an article that is posted on the website Newsweek, Nina Burleigh states that “American college campuses are starting to resemble George Orwell’s Oceania with its Thought Police, or East Germany under the Stasi. College newspapers have been muzzled and trashed, and students are disciplined or suspended for “hate speech,” while exponentially more are being shamed and silenced on social media by their peers. Professors quake at the possibility of accidentally offending any student and are rethinking syllabi and restricting class discussions to only the most anodyne topics.” The idea American colleges and universities are compared to the Stasi, the secret police of East Germany, or a thought police shows how dangerous and restrictive college campuses have become. This quote also cites the fact colleges have tried to censor their own newspaper as one of the examples how dangerous campuses have become. The fact that colleges try to censor their own newspaper and to intimidate their professors is troubling because this fact indicates that American colleges and
Censorship in School Libraries The most debatable and controversial form of censorship today is the banning of books in school libraries. Banning books that educate students is wrong and selfish. Censorship of books in school libraries is neither uncommon nor an issue of the past. Books with artistic and cultural worth are still challenged constantly by those who want to control what others read. The roots of bigotry and illiteracy that fuel efforts to censor books and free expression are unacceptable and unconditional.
Walt Whitman once said, “The dirtiest book of all is the expurgated book.” Between the years 2000 and 2009 a total of 3200 books were challenged in school libraries in an attempt to expurgate, or censor, the content in books provided to students. Today the trend of censorship continues as popular novels such as The Hunger Games, The Fault in Our Stars, and Captain Underpants are censored from schools across the nation (Challenges by Reason).Censorship in regards to literature refers to the examination and suppressing of a book because of objectionable material. The process of censorship in school libraries often begins with an outspoken parent, teacher, student, or administrator and ends in the banning or abridgement of a novel deemed inadmissible. Censorship is protecting many students from controversial, immoral, and potentially unsuitable content; however, this is not always the case. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators with different backgrounds, beliefs, and morals are not creating a library pleasing to everyone because of the variety of opinion. Censorship in school is not justifiable, because it restricts discussion and knowledge of new, controversial, and necessary ideas, allows a handful of people to make decisions for a larger group based on opinion, and undermines democratic ideals.
Censorship is “the restriction or removal of information, or the prevention of free expression” (Taylor 8). There are many things that can be censored such as books, movies, TV shows, newspapers, and the way people dress. People censor things for a number of reasons- they do not agree with it, find it offensive, or think that it is just inappropriate in general. Different people consider different things inappropriate, so the content of what is censored varies. Anyone can censor, including parents, teachers, school officials, and board members (Taylor 8-10) Many things are censored in schools and places where children are present because parents do not want their kids to be exposed to inappropriate content (Taylor 10). Students are entitled to their First Amendment rights just as much as adults are, but schools still censor things like newspapers, books, and clothing.
Censorship in Schools There has recently been a renewed interest and passion in the issue of censorship. In the realm of the censorship of books in schools alone, several hundred cases have surfaced each year for nearly the past decade. Controversies over which books to include in the high school English curriculum present a clash of values between teachers, school systems, and parents over what is appropriate for and meaningful to students. It is important to strike a balance between English that is meaningful to students by relating to their lives and representing diversity and satisfying worries about the appropriateness of what is read.
Imagine for a moment a world where censorship reigned supreme in the schools of the USA. Where knowing both sides of an argument was against the law. Where in schools instead of teaching all the darker and more academic intriguing topics all they taught was the highlights of the greats. In this world, everyone was taught every figure in history was either absolutely good or evil, without any ability to question it. Instead of teaching the strangers of the oppressed all they covered was the triumphs and victories of the rich and important. Except not even all the important figures, only the ones that the government felt was worthy of being taught. Now think how in such an oppressive world how is one ever to be considered an individual? Censorship
The word feminism is sometimes misinterpreted and associated with female superiority and hatred of men, although most people probably agree that feminism can mean the desire for social and economic parity. There is so much baggage surrounding this term that clarification of what feminism is and is not, is essential. Indeed, the way feminism has developed has not been pretty. “Feminism over the years have [sic] evolved away from its noble purpose of creating awareness and defending women rights to creating new ridiculous ‘belief systems.’...feminism has become more like a medium for angry women to vent their hatred and frustration towards man”(“Feminism is Chauvinism”). This definition goes completely against the true meaning of what feminism entails. Feminism can be defined as a fundamental respect for others and the desire for equality between men and women.
Even though society has distorted the ideals feminism was founded upon, some of the remaining true roots still hold true. While women are gaining equal opportunities in society, they need to not diminish the importance of working together with men to form a functional society. The widespread idea of quotas needs to be analyzed. People should be accepted into college or hired for a job because they are the most qualified, not because of their sex. Society has demented feminism as a harmful dogma because it has been an excuse, almost a cop-out by women who do not want to work for their acceptance. Both men and women need to realize the necessity that exists for each other to make society work.
The term feminism has a lot of misunderstanding and confusion many people think that the term Feminism or being Feminist is only for women . what they don't know is that Feminism is the belief in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. So many people don't understand what feminism is and where the word originated form so they think of it as a stereotypes. As to where they believe that women want to take control of everything and push mens way. Which it not truth for any means and the word for Feminism is for everyone. Setting in my history class i remember my teacher going over feminism and tell us the people that called them self feminist. I remember that we didn't really get in depth about what being feminism is and what