When I was a kid, one of the worst things to be called was a "tattletale." It was a sign that you were thin-skinned, that you couldn't take care of yourself, and that you would run to an adult whenever you were uncomfortable. It was almost an unforgivable weakness, and it hindered your chances of making friends. At one major university, turning into a tattletale is no longer something to be avoided; now it's a job opportunity.
As if we don't need more reasons to avoid sending our kids to public universities, the University of Arizona has begun a program of secret policing of their student body...by other students. For those that don't have a decent grasp on history, you would do well to Google the word "Stasi" and see how dangerous this new campus program is.
The Stasi were the East German secret police, often undercover civilians, whose job was to report their fellow citizens to the leaders in the Socialist Party. This system of informants was extremely successful for decades, and aided in some of the most repressive political regimes the world has ever known.
At the U of A, students are being hired, at a rate of $10 per hour for 15 hours per week, to report "bias incidents" and "microaggressions" perpetrated by their classmates. Their job will be to maintain close contact with administrators in an effort to foster a more "multicultural" environment and, of course, promote "social justice" on campus. Those buzzwords, as always, lack clear definition, as does how exactly such "incidents" will be defined and what punishments may be dispensed.
Encouraging students to spy on one another, hoping to "catch" a classmate saying something inappropriate is an incredible misuse of taxpayer money and encourages not the free thinking atmosphere of a liberal arts education, but a totalitarian state where ratting out others is held as a virtue. Instead of teaching students to approach those who happen to be disrespectful with something polite--"Excuse me, but what you're saying is inappropriate, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't use that term. If you disagree, let me by you a slice of pizza and we can chat about it."--we are simply nurturing the next generation of ignorant activists, those who would rather cover their ears and shout instead of engaging and conversing like adults.
This week's development at U of A is just the first of these kinds of programs, I assure you. Do your family a favor and send your kids to schools that promote free speech, listening, and learning. History has already shown us what thought police and tattletale citizens can do to a culture. Make the change for yourself by avoiding public colleges like U of A.
As if we don't need more reasons to avoid sending our kids to public universities, the University of Arizona has begun a program of secret policing of their student body...by other students. For those that don't have a decent grasp on history, you would do well to Google the word "Stasi" and see how dangerous this new campus program is.
The Stasi were the East German secret police, often undercover civilians, whose job was to report their fellow citizens to the leaders in the Socialist Party. This system of informants was extremely successful for decades, and aided in some of the most repressive political regimes the world has ever known.
At the U of A, students are being hired, at a rate of $10 per hour for 15 hours per week, to report "bias incidents" and "microaggressions" perpetrated by their classmates. Their job will be to maintain close contact with administrators in an effort to foster a more "multicultural" environment and, of course, promote "social justice" on campus. Those buzzwords, as always, lack clear definition, as does how exactly such "incidents" will be defined and what punishments may be dispensed.
Encouraging students to spy on one another, hoping to "catch" a classmate saying something inappropriate is an incredible misuse of taxpayer money and encourages not the free thinking atmosphere of a liberal arts education, but a totalitarian state where ratting out others is held as a virtue. Instead of teaching students to approach those who happen to be disrespectful with something polite--"Excuse me, but what you're saying is inappropriate, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't use that term. If you disagree, let me by you a slice of pizza and we can chat about it."--we are simply nurturing the next generation of ignorant activists, those who would rather cover their ears and shout instead of engaging and conversing like adults.
This week's development at U of A is just the first of these kinds of programs, I assure you. Do your family a favor and send your kids to schools that promote free speech, listening, and learning. History has already shown us what thought police and tattletale citizens can do to a culture. Make the change for yourself by avoiding public colleges like U of A.