tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post2403834815784557112..comments2024-03-27T19:58:17.387-05:00Comments on Computational Complexity: The LetterLance Fortnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752030912874378610noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-75095869081637297952016-09-06T08:21:22.085-05:002016-09-06T08:21:22.085-05:00The Dean's letter begs the question, whose voi...The Dean's letter begs the question, whose voice is it that is speaking?<br /><br />• Dean Ellison's personal opinion?<br />• Consensus opinion of the Faculty Senate?<br />• Poll of students and faculty?<br /><br />Because the Dean's letter begs the question "Who speaks for the University of Chicago?", the letter effectively closes the door to any substantial <i>changes</i> in the answer to that question.<br /><br />So does the Dean's letter communicate anything more than "The Dean says it and that settles it"?<br /><br />It's not a satisfactory letter, is it?<br />John Sidleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16286860374431298556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-75893891414681419492016-09-03T23:31:51.044-05:002016-09-03T23:31:51.044-05:00I think the US schools have generally become too c...I think the US schools have generally become too conservative regarding freedom of speech and exchange of ideas. This is really a result of extremist liberal activists who view expression of any idea inconsistent with their world view as an insult. The reaction is often in my opinion not different from religious extremists: they cannot defend their views rationally so they resort to silencing their opponents. <br /><br />The case of people losing their jobs because they expressed an opinion against these activist groups view point is beyond count. Let's take Larry Summers's case where the extremist activists forced him to step down because of what he said about women and math. I can disagree with this statement and explain why I do, but forcing him to step down because he disagrees and have a different opinion? It just shows who extreme the intolerance has become at the US schools. Same with many other issues. For me these extremist progressive activists are dogmatic ideological fundamentalists that have no interest in having a discussion, they know what is *the* truth and opinion of people who disagree with them means nothing to them.<br /><br />In my opinion this arrogant attitude of extremist progressives contributes to the loss of respect for the intellectuals and experts among conservatives and feeds the anti-intellectual movement that support politicians like Trump. We have reached a situation where discrimination against Republicans and conservatives might be higher than that against African-Americans and women. So conservatives have lost their appetite to listen to us and ignore us, and progressives have no appetite for listening to them, so we have ended up in this very divided country with no respect for each other to even let them speak their mind. It has turned into a social fight and universities have become castles hold by progressives and with that it is no surprise that we have such intolerance for expression of ideas opposed to ours. We are not interested in understanding where the other side is coming from, we know what is right and we judge them.<br /><br />ps: Internet in general is not a nice place, when arguing on the internet people very often have no empathy towards the other side and forget that they are humans just like them, something we generally are less likely to do when we meet people in person.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-6435020494141092042016-09-03T02:46:49.877-05:002016-09-03T02:46:49.877-05:00I believe it is a mistake to not push back harder ...I believe it is a mistake to not push back harder against the misunderstanding of trigger warnings implicit in the letter. I wish your post did more to directly refute this problematic confusion instead of leaving a general impression of celebration and agreement with the letter that seemed altogether too charitable.<br /><br />Molly, what do you think a trigger warning is?<br /><br />Material that challenges your beliefs is not a trigger, though it can be upsetting. Material you disagree with is not a trigger. A trigger is material that causes you to experience dissociation, panic, or extreme somatic distress that you cannot control.<br /><br />Here's an example of a trigger warning: "the movie we're about to watch has a scene with a graphic depiction of rape. I'll let you know right before it happens." The movie still gets shown, but the warning lets students with a recent experience of rape figure out how to feel safe.<br /><br />I hope you get pushed outside of your comfort zone at UChicago and grow intellectually. And I also hope you don't lose compassion for people who don't find it so easy to navigate a world where academic freedom gets smugly equated with a lack of concern for the pain of others and even smart and well-meaning young women write in a way that seems to dismiss something crucial for some of us to be able to function well enough to even participate in academic life.Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12790096318551866567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-81302346080169712842016-09-01T15:09:52.225-05:002016-09-01T15:09:52.225-05:00Wow, I wish I could write in w style like that! Al...Wow, I wish I could write in w style like that! Also, you should definitely read this post as well in five years, after university is behind you...domhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05790539025733385232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-9575298451636444532016-09-01T09:23:27.470-05:002016-09-01T09:23:27.470-05:00Great post Molly! Congratulations and I hope you e...Great post Molly! Congratulations and I hope you enjoy your intellectual journey at U Chicago! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14194595139510665851noreply@blogger.com