Quote:
Originally Posted by Toy Soldier
It’s complicated really. There is a legitimate fear amongst academics from all across the political spectrum about the consequences of asking unloaded questions in the genuine pursuit of knowledge if they think those questions are going to bring down the wrath of large, and often aggressive, emotionally-driven groups. My wife has had to turn down offers of co-authoring a few papers recently, because the topics are simple “too hot” to risk exploring, even from a neutral/professional standpoint, at this point in her career. From an intellectual/academic angle that is really quite worrying. There is a not-small group that believes neutrality = the enemy, academic enquiry rather than blanket acceptance = hateful.
On the other hand - this issue IS all too often hijacked by the “right wing free speech” crowd who want to whine about not being able to express genuinely hateful views that are in no way academic or neutral, which leaves the waters very muddy.
|
I've just started reading a book my brother recommended called The Coddling of the American Mind which really delves in to that and how society has arrived here