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cali

(114,904 posts) Mon Dec 21, 2015, 06:51 PM Dec 2015

Helen Keller sums up my feelings about the concept of safe spaces

which I believe is being carried to an absurd length in a number of cases. I'm thinking particularly of colleges.

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

I'm unconvinced that college should be a cocoon.

5 replies

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Helen Keller sums up my feelings about the concept of safe spaces (Original Post) cali Dec 2015 OP

If you don't risk you don't gain. upaloopa Dec 2015 #1

It reminds me of Jim Carey's role in Dumb and Dumber notadmblnd Dec 2015 #3

Yes. It does. And the genius who penned those words spent the next 40 years locked inside himself... Journeyman Dec 2015 #4

I do get that there should be an effort to be sensitive The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2015 #2

actually these days we mostly do hfojvt Dec 2015 #5

upaloopa

(11,417 posts)

1. If you don't risk you don't gain.

Reply to cali (Original post)

Mon Dec 21, 2015, 06:59 PM

Dec 2015

Last edited Mon Dec 21, 2015, 07:51 PM - Edit history (2)

Safe spaces remind me of the Beach Boys song "In my room".

notadmblnd

(23,720 posts)

3. It reminds me of Jim Carey's role in Dumb and Dumber

Reply to upaloopa (Reply #1)

Mon Dec 21, 2015, 07:11 PM

Dec 2015

where he's cowering in a bathroom stall, chanting something to the effect- go to your safe place go to your safe place.

Journeyman

(15,038 posts)

4. Yes. It does. And the genius who penned those words spent the next 40 years locked inside himself...

Reply to upaloopa (Reply #1)

Mon Dec 21, 2015, 07:11 PM

Dec 2015

So there are prices to be paid for everything we do.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,829 posts)

2. I do get that there should be an effort to be sensitive

Reply to cali (Original post)

Mon Dec 21, 2015, 07:04 PM

Dec 2015

to students' problems and concerns. I teach at a public university, and so far haven't seen any of the more controversial attempts at achieving "safe spaces," but they do make a reasonable and pretty commendable effort to be sure students aren't subjected to racial/ethnic/gender/other discrimination or inappropriate language. Maybe one reason we haven't seen the kind of thing that's been going on at, e.g., Yale is that a lot of our students are working adults who've already figured out that the universe gives everybody an ass-kicking from time to time and you have to be ready to deal with it.

hfojvt

(37,573 posts)

5. actually these days we mostly do

Reply to cali (Original post)

Mon Dec 21, 2015, 09:18 PM

Dec 2015

Out of 100,000 males babies, 97.45% are still alive by age 30. Even more to the point 98.1% who were alive by age 1 are still alive at age 30.

That's a huge majority.

And for women the numbers are even higher. 98.62% from birth and 99.2% from age 1.

And for Europe the numbers are even higher.

For Germany 98.7% of males born are still alive by age 30, and 99.1% of those alive by age 1 are still living by age 30. Even 95.7% are still alive by age 50.

That's a pretty long run, and quite a bit of security.

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