11 Comments
User's avatar
mermcoelho's avatar

This is one of those things that is obviously true but until now has not been acknowledged. Thank you for shining this light. My heart goes out to that TA- it seems like she may have been deliberately targeted by the student.

If you don’t do the assignment, you don’t get the credit. You don’t get to whine that your teacher doesn’t like what you wrote. If it wasn’t the assigned work, it doesn’t matter. Also, that TA could have filed a harassment report for the content of the paper, but didn’t.

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Lucius's avatar

Yeah. This is a very concise explanation of the problem with so many free speech arguments.

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Lucius's avatar

Until we, as a nation and culture, get over the idea that Christianity can't ever be meaningfully reproached or constrained this kind of shit will never end.

Christians can't (and more importantly, won't) police themselves. The rest of us need to do it for them.

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Noah Berlatsky's avatar

#notallchristians obviously!

but yeah, christian hegemony and christofascism is a serious problem.

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Lucius's avatar

At this point I prefer dealing with the evangelicals, honestly. At least they have the spine to be open and upfront about what they are. That way, the instant one of them opens their mouth I know they're a societal write-off.

It's the “progressive” and “liberal” Christians that piss me off more. Specifically the ones who do nothing but tone police and No True Scotsman anyone who dares criticize the cross club and demand headpats because they're “the good ones”. 😑

Bonus points of they're white and start (mis)quoting MLK. Like, holy shit people, the disappointing white moderates he wrote about should refrain from invoking him as a shield.

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Noah Berlatsky's avatar

I do appreciate the clergy demonstrating at broadview though!

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Angie's avatar

Wait, what? The 1st ONLY applies to government interference in speech, right? There is no 1st amendment issue with an instructor grading a paper for a class at a private university, is there? Or is there a grey area because the university receives government funding?

I thought this would be more akin to someone being banned from Facebook for saying something controversial, which also has nothing to do with the 1st amendment. Private companies have every right to censor any and everything they desire to. "No shirt, no shoes, no service" kind of thing.

I'm still unclear how 1A applies to a private college, though, no matter the level of government funding, if the government isn't the one actively trying to suppress speech. Also, is giving a bad grade actually the equivalent of suppressing speech? How does a bad grade limit the expression of ideas, exactly? Did the TA refuse to read the paper to the class while everyone else's work was shared?

I'm very confused.

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Noah Berlatsky's avatar

it's an issue in part because it's a state university I'd guess, in part.

I doubt that there's actually a first amendment cast here that would hold up in court.

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Angie's avatar

It doesn't help the TA with the vicious campaign against her from TPUSA at any rate. These are just the logical questions that no one is really asking in the heat of the battle. However, it's obvious that there shouldn't even BE a battle. The whole thing is taking place in the court of public appeals, though, so no logic is needed or even helpful. This is just more manufactured outrage from the manufactured outrage machine that keeps grinding 24/7 to feed the masses the righteous, God given indignation they need to sustain their hateful, miserable souls. I hate it here.

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human being's avatar

Thank you so much for this

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David Perlmutter's avatar

"A man said to the universe;

"Sir, I exist!"

"However", replied the universe,

"The fact has not created in me

A sense of obligation'.

-Stephen Crane.

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