Friday, September 23, 2016

Gonzaga: "Asking Asian Classmate For Help Is 'Microaggression'"

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A handout given to students this week in a Gonzaga University gender studies class, warns that "asking an Asian classmate for help with a math problem" is "microaggression."---It's off limits in a politically correct culture.

Asian students are stunned.

So are a lot of others.

One kid posted on Facebook-- "Truth---it's the new hate speech."


Earlier this week, Gonzaga handed out a guide to help students avoid being "microaggressive" in their interpersonal relationships.

Ironically. the guide was handed out in a "gender studies class" with emphasis on "feminist theory."

When you figure that out, let me know.

The handout lays out how students should interact with one another so no one is offended.

From what I hear, the handout itself has offended many if not most of the students.

In fact, Ben McDonald posted it on his Twitter page, saying a friend of his who was in the class gave it to him.

Katherine Timpf, with National Review Online, reports on such things, and she too found it almost unbelievable.

The handout says, "Asking an Asian person to help with a math and science problem" is "a microaggression."

According to the handout, asking that question is a problem because the "message" of it is that "all Asians are intelligent and good at math/science."

Well, a lot of them I know are really good at math and science. Who knew that was an insult?

Timpf writes, "Asking an Asian student for help with math and science is saying that you think that particular Asian student is good at math and science, which could obviously be for reasons other than his or her race."

But then, in the make-believe microaggression---gender fluid sphere, persons may not be "he or she."

The handout goes through a list of no-nos including:

  • You should never ask an Asian or Latino where they are from, because that is really saying "You are not American."
  • You should never tell a person of color that he or she is "articulate," because you are really saying "it's unusual for someone of your race to be intelligent."
  • Never ask an Asian American to teach you words from their native language, because that is saying, "You are a foreigner."
  • Never say "everyone can succeed in this society if they work hard enough," because that is saying "people of color are lazy and/or incompetent and need to work harder."

This is not coming from some fringe group out on the edge---it's coming from a historically respected university.

Have we lost our minds?

Albert Einstein once said, "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."

Timpf says, "Without considering the role of context, such a list actually runs the risk of inhibiting communication---it can freak people out about saying things that they really don't have to be freaked out about saying."

She says, "Discussions about sensitivity are one thing, but making definitive claims that a particular phrase always has a particular meaning is not the way to deal with something as nuanced as language."

Timpf writes, "Sorry, that's absurd."

It is.

Mark Twain agrees and had a solution--"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."

Much of the reaction on campus is reflected on Twitter.

"Microaggression: a college instructor hands a student this list."

"Message: You are an infant."

"So actual facts are micro-aggression?"

"Truth---it's the new hate speech."

And someone posted this quote: "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." George Orwell.

The Patriot Post commented on this episode: "Higher education is supposed to encourage thought and generate knowledge to help students flourish in the real world. Instead, universities are being held hostage by leftists who implant in their acolytes the absurd belief that avoiding 'microaggressions' and diving into gender studies will provide important life lessons. The reality is that it's making the next generation equally dimwitted."

Ben Franklin must have seen the future. He pretty well-defined education in 2016: "He was so learned that he could name a horse in 9 languages; so ignorant that he bought a cow to ride."

Joseph Stalin made this sobering observation: "Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed."

Paul described a lost confused generation to young Timothy, as "ever learning, never able to come to an understanding of the Truth."

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Prayerful. Be Blessed.