by Will McGowan
As a part of “Generation Z,” it is understandable why our generation has been labeled as the most sensitive towards disagreements. However, it’s not fair to label one specific generation as sensitive; our entire society now fits these negative descriptions.
In fact, it’s fair to say that this article may even offend a few people’s opinions. It’s hard to get much across these days without receiving unwarranted backlash.
Yes, it’s perfectly okay to have opposition towards a subject and/or statement. In fact, it’s what builds discussions and can spark change in a community. Despite that, it seems clear that sometimes, people need to let things be.
Take, for example, the implementation of “safe spaces” in colleges. They were created for students that didn’t want to be around others with opposite views or morals. I wish I were joking.
Van Jones, a political and Civil Rights activist, reflected his views in a speech at the University of Chicago. He said,
“But there is another view that is now ascendant … It’s a horrible view, which is that ‘I need to be safe ideologically, I need to be safe emotionally, I just need to feel good all the time. And if someone else says something that I don’t like, that is a problem for everyone else, including the administration.”
His speech was met with applause from the audience. However, even after all of his efforts, movements like ones led by Laura Kipnis, a feminist intellectual and cultural critic, still exist.
She insists that the insertion of a censorship committee is needed so that “disempowered groups” could be shielded from any ideas that may make them uncomfortable. That’s what colleges and universities shouldn’t be avoiding: a challenging environment with real-life opposition.
Such a proposal sounds nearly identical to rules forced in dictatorships. Revolution in North Korea doesn’t happen for a reason: citizens that have any other thoughts than the ones that are considered acceptable are, unfortunately, executed or taken to labor camps.
I must emphasize that safe spaces are not a figment of anyone’s imagination, and that they exist for the sole purpose of protecting the ever-so fragile minds of society that will lead into older generations, creating a cycle of sensitivity.