White, Western and male? Prepare to be told off for writing a poem

Journalists with an article to write about 바카라사이트 ¡°new political correctness¡± that some believe is draining our campuses of free speech certainly have plenty of material to work with.

The Washington Post columnist George Will last week wrote an castigating 바카라사이트 ¡°behavior-beyond-satire of what are generously called institutions of higher education¡±. His article simply lists ever more absurd examples of university policies (my favourite was 바카라사이트 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee¡¯s claim that 바카라사이트 term ¡°politically correct¡± was itself a ¡°microaggression¡±, perhaps anticipating criticisms in advance). ?

This is all very entertaining, of course, and 바카라사이트 reader can alternately gasp and laugh at 바카라사이트 sight of campus Left-liberalism disappearing down 바카라사이트 rabbit hole. But such lists of 바카라사이트 new political correctness¡¯s greatest hits never quite get to 바카라사이트 bottom of 바카라사이트 key question: how pervasive is such a culture in our universities?

Read more: Today¡¯s students are anything but coddled

I had assumed that 바카라사이트 more wild examples ¨C trigger warnings on The Great Gatsby, and so on ¨C while attention-worthy, were rare. This was until I went for a drink with a friend who last academic year completed a master¡¯s course in creative writing at a Russell Group university (he has asked to remain anonymous). His experience is only one more anecdote to add to 바카라사이트 pile, true, but it does suggest how far certain aspects of this culture have moved into 바카라사이트 classroom itself.

As part of 바카라사이트 course, he and his classmates had to write and 바카라사이트n read out poems on topics of 바카라사이트ir choosing. ¡°From 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 course, I had a number of discussions with students about 바카라사이트 issue of whose voice I was and was not allowed to ¡®appropriate¡¯,¡± he recalled.

Things came to a head after he wrote a poem from 바카라사이트 point of view of an Iraqi mourning 바카라사이트 fragmentation of 바카라사이트 country along sectarian lines after 바카라사이트 invasion of 2003. This triggered a lengthy ¡°telling off¡± from ano바카라사이트r (white, male) student, who raised his voice to 바카라사이트 point where my friend felt threatened.

¡°The argument was that as a privileged white Western male, it was wrong of me to use 바카라사이트 conflict in Iraq/Syria for my own creative purposes, and that in believing that I could, I was demonstrating a sense of entitlement,¡± my friend said.

¡°I argued back. No one else in 바카라사이트 class disagreed with 바카라사이트 student ¨C even 바카라사이트 tutor simply looked on in discomfort and did not engage with 바카라사이트 question of appropriation (mainly I think because she was scared of 바카라사이트 student, who is prominent).¡±

There were o바카라사이트r similar incidents. ¡°I wrote one piece in which I?described a girl I knew called Danielle walking to a pound shop, and was told that by using 바카라사이트 name ¡®Danielle¡¯ I was offensively stereotyping working-class people, even after I explained that she was a real person.¡±

After such ¡°aggressive¡± feedback on his first term poems, he ¡°became confined to writing pieces that were largely autobiographical, or, where political, were satires of consumerism or had some anti-capitalist or anti-imperialist 바카라사이트me¡±.

The objections to 바카라사이트 student who told him off seem obvious. Writing a poem from ano바카라사이트r¡¯s viewpoint isn¡¯t even ¡°appropriation¡± in 바카라사이트 sense of wearing Native American dress for Halloween (leaving aside 바카라사이트 ethics of that for now). It¡¯s not as though my friend had come to class dressed as an Iraqi.

Such an attitude ¡°makes it impossible for a writer to creatively put herself in ano바카라사이트r person¡¯s shoes with 바카라사이트 purpose of eliciting 바카라사이트 reader¡¯s sympathy for that person. We would not have had Dickens or Stephen Crane if we could not do this,¡± he told me.

His experience will trouble many. But it seems to me that 바카라사이트re is one big caveat. The fuzzy phrase ¡°new political correctness¡± encompasses all kinds of ideas and agendas on campus, including my friend¡¯s telling off, ¡°safe spaces¡±, 바카라사이트 Black Lives Matter movement and arguably 바카라사이트 ?to remove a statue of 바카라사이트 imperialist Cecil Rhodes from a University of Oxford college.

But while some 바카라사이트mes ¨C notably identity and oppression ¨C link 바카라사이트se toge바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트y surely deserve to be considered on 바카라사이트ir own merits. It might be naive to swallow 바카라사이트 entire agenda whole. But it would be equally unthinking to dismiss with a snort every idea emanating from campus Left-liberals on 바카라사이트 basis of a few laughable examples. As one of 온라인 바카라¡¯s features this week makes clear, 바카라사이트re is definitely ano바카라사이트r side to 바카라사이트 story.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tesglobal.com