As we often say, we’re cursed with an active mind. It’s one of the reasons this blog exists.
And that characterization is becoming all too real…the cursed part, that is.
Regular readers know that one of the consequences of Side’s affliction is a tendency to read journals dealing with ‘academia,’ and specifically the state of affairs on college campuses. Combined with the proximity of Bowdoin College, which we ‘watch’ to some modest degree, we can find ourselves in the strangest of places.
Now throw the Brunswick “Human Rights Task Force” into the mix, and we end up with a concoction so yeasty that we worry it could ‘explode’ all over the walls and ceiling of the Other Side editorial kitchen. It’s actually quite amazing what basic flour, salt, yeast, and water can do if you give them some time, and don’t pay attention.
Our friend Chance stops by from time to time, and he’s visited longer than we would have liked this week. He told us of some happenings on the campus of our Alma Mater, Rutgers University, that figuratively blew our minds.
Our memories of the four years we spent on the Old Queens campus in New Brunswick, NJ are so strong and fresh in our mind that we were afraid what he brought to us would burst our bubble, to borrow an image.
We stipulate that we are a cranky old SOB, and not easily given to the social compulsions and trends of our day. We even think, from time to time, that whatever we’ve learned and experienced in our three quarters of a century might offer some useful counterpoint to the au courant sensibilities of the post-modern era.
As one example, we find it a bit cognitively dissonant that the coeds of Bowdoin make an annual ritual of putting on a Vagina Monologues show, and willingly subscribe to a ‘hook-up’ culture that rationalizes and glorifies the one night stands of not that long ago. Yet at the same time, they bemoan the ‘objectification’ of themselves, and the ‘campus sexual assault’ culture.
Duh, we say.
The image just above is at the top of this article: http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=8081
There’s enough in the article alone to keep us busy, if we’d allow it, for weeks. For now, we’ll just hit you with some of the ‘new language’ developments, like the three types of ‘micro-aggression:’ microassaut, microinsult, and microinvalidation. Just imagine the new types of victimhood this opens up.
Are you paying attention, Brunswick Human Rights Task Force members? You better be if you’re gonna stay ahead of the game. And THIS is a game; a very serious one.
Fertile as our imagination is, we see this whole ‘micro-‘ thing working its way into the hook-up culture.
“Hey, babe, I may be micro-attracted to you, and it could turn into micro-affection. If I told you I micro-loved you, would you take it laying-down for one night of micro-sex?” Maybe micro-relationships will evolve from the hook up culture. You know, something lasting 36 hours or more, which is to say beyond the hangover phase.
(Warning to those with fragile sensibilities; a brief adult moment follows immediately)
Reminds us of the old joke about a guy at a bar asking the broad sitting next to him is she’d go to bed with him. “What is it with you? You don’t care about my mind; all you care about is my body!”
“Whadda ya mean? I wanna bleep your brains out!”
Ok; the moment is over.
Then there’s this passage:
Rutgers president Robert Bachi defended Yiannopoulos’ right to speak on campus despite expressing views that may be considered offensive, but the “Language Matters” campaign contradicts that message through 60- to 90-minute workshops examining how “negatively charged words...create a damaging environment for all of society,” during which presenters seek “to demonstrate how microagressions hinder our ability to have a diverse and inclusive society/community."
Once you’re paying staffs good money to generate that sort of psycho-social-babble, there’s no turning back. They become self-perpetuating and self-breeding.
Call us alarmists, but we wouldn’t be a bit surprised if students at the Rutgers College of Law are busy preparing themes on how to take this concept and turn it into a case to repeal First Amendment free speech rights. “For the greater good,” you understand.
The link embedded in the passage quickly took us here: http://socialjustice.rutgers.edu/about-us/
Which offered up innumerable rabbit holes; far more than we care to explore right now. But if you spend a few moments surfing through the top level menu options, it shouldn’t take you too long to find out about the annual “Gaypril” celebrations, and the free renaming services.
“Whatever floats your boat” obviously won’t cut it anymore. Between what you’ll find on the bleeding edge of campus social revolution and the now relatively mundane “body art” pursuits, somebody needs to come up with a fresher platitude. We’ll gladly accept your suggestions here, and offer them up for our readers. Here’s a hint: we think sinking fits better than floating.
We’ll leave you with this assurance: we aren’t the least bit apolgetic for being put off and saddened by what we glean from our ‘scholarly research,’ both that we’ve given you a glimpse at, and far more that we haven’t. What we’ve found doesn’t make us ‘more hopeful’ or ‘renew our faith in humanity.’ To the contrary, we fear for what our children will be facing as they approach the years of sending our grandchildren off to an IHE (Institution of Higher Education) they’re willing to tolerate. And for your progeny as well.
By the way, we’re currently considering renaming Bowdoin College “Fort Bowdoin, Home of the 7th Brigade of the Social Justice Warfare Command” or something to that effect. What’s going on there seems too militaristic at this point to continue thinking of it in the old ‘boola, boola’ framework. If it makes you feel any better, we intend as well to rename our Alma Mater “Fort Rutgers, Supreme Headquarters of the Social Justice Special Warfare Command.”
And for a little levity, we’re going to put together a training syllabus for the skills we adopted and perfected during our college days. We exoect the response will be underwhelming on both campuses, but you gotta start somewhere.
Good night, moon.
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