We are living in strange times. We can only hope that Spring comes soon and all the snowflakes melt away.
A recent op-ed in the University of Pennsylvania’s student paper, written by an unhappy student of color, paints a frustratingly bleak portrait of the emotional state of the modern campus liberal.
That students, James Fisher, claims that the recent semester was the worst he’s had at college so far, and for one reason: several of his white professors caused him to feel marginalized and traumatized.
Why? It’s not entirely clear. Nor is it obvious what should be done about it, or even what Fisher would like done about it.
“Imagine being a black student on Penn’s campus with even one of these types of professors,” wrote Fisher. “I had three. And each one of those professors either did not care to learn about their white privilege, or lied to me and said that they did.”
What cause does Fisher have to presume his professors were lying about their disinterest in issues of privilege? He does not say.
Perhaps the professors made offensive statements or used racially charged language? Nope.
“They think that by not saying racist comments in class, they are doing good,” wrote Fisher. “Not knowing that that half-hearted attempt further contributes to the oppression that I experience in my predominantly white classrooms.”
It seems like Fisher has constructed a lose-lose scenario for his professors. If they make racist comments, they would no doubt be marginalizing him. But if they refrain from making racist comments, they are also contributing to his oppression.
Fisher went on to accuse one of his professors of “perpetuating these systems of oppression in class.” Why? The professor showed images of plantation slaves, and also permitted other students to “say ignorant comments.”
Fisher evidently told the professor that this wasn’t okay—the professor had an obligation to silence other students in order to protect Fisher from mental anguish. The professor tried to console Fisher, but to no avail. As a result, Fisher stopped going to class.
“I stopped going to his class for a month,” he wrote. “With different emotions going through my head from not only this class but from the Trump election, I did not want to step foot into another white space until I made sure that my mental health was restored.”
Readers might find it incredible that a college student could remain a college student even after he stopped attending class for a month because he was offended by some of his peers. But the professor’s flexibility wasn’t sufficient for Fisher.
“It is not enough that you gave your black students extensions on their papers because Trump got elected,” he wrote.
Via Reason