Good news and... enforced tolerance
We'll do the good news first because I'm looking forward to really going on about the second part. The Senate passed a bill on Friday (7/29/05) that put severe limits on the ability of private citizens to sue firearm manufacturers for harm caused by those firearms. Which is good, otherwise all our gun companies would go out of business, and a whole bunch of people would lose their jobs. On the other hand, that sure would pave the way for my plan to sue Honda to pay my speeding ticket. They made that car to speed, you know. It wasn't my fault. I'm a victim! Anyway, this is really good. Our senators have some sense! I'm quite excited! Here is the article by the Washington Post. They seem vaguely disgruntled.
Well, I was excited. Then I realized I could get in trouble for talking about my opinions. Big trouble. This guy, Jihad Daniel, works for William Patterson University and attends classes there at the same time. He got an unsolicited e-mail invite to watch a movie about "lesbian relationship[s]" from a professor there. He, being a Muslim, believes that homosexuality is a sin. So he told her, the professor, so. He asked not to be sent "any mail about 'Connie and Sally'...and 'Adam and Steve'. These are perversions. The absence of God in higher education brings on confusion. That is why in these classes the creator of the heavens and the universe is never mentioned." WELL. What a snippity response. This made Professor Arlene Scala quite nervous, as it was obvious that she had stumbled upon a deviant who was sure to come and harass her. Her life was most probably in danger! The incident (meaning the e-mail response) was quickly referred to the Office of Employment Equity and Diversity (the name speaks for itself; next we'll have a Ministry of Truth). They responded with an investigation, culminating in an official letter of reprimand in Mr. Daniels file. Here is the article from Washington Times; they seem to be the only newspaper to pick this one up. Good for them. I really like them; they're sensible.
Anyways. Holy crap. The educational establishments have in recent years been a bastion of liberalism, but they've always paid lip service to freedom of opinion. No more. If your idea threatens their idea, you're in for it. Obviously Mr. Daniel should not have been punished in any way, especially considering the relative docility of his e-mail. His response was quite appropriate, a statement of his beliefs and a request to not be contacted about stuff like that in the future. It was not threatening. I can see no better way for him to have kept his integrity and dignity at the same time.
This instance kinda points at a different, more fundamental malady that our society is suffering from; the insistence that everything should be fair. Life is not easy, it's not fair, and will never be so. And that shouldn't be a goal to strive for. We learn from adversity, from the dice rolling consistently against our interests. It doesn't matter if someone oppresses you, or takes away your rights. Deal with it. Our ancestors spent their lives being oppressed, and they seem to have turned out fine. I'm not talking about the effort to protect other people from oppression, that is one of the more noble activities we can engage in in this life. But this constant whining; "Help! Help! I'm bein' oppressed!" (quote courtesy of Monty Python) is just pitiful. It's like a bunch of two-year olds running around in suits, having an generation-wide tantrum.
Well, I was excited. Then I realized I could get in trouble for talking about my opinions. Big trouble. This guy, Jihad Daniel, works for William Patterson University and attends classes there at the same time. He got an unsolicited e-mail invite to watch a movie about "lesbian relationship[s]" from a professor there. He, being a Muslim, believes that homosexuality is a sin. So he told her, the professor, so. He asked not to be sent "any mail about 'Connie and Sally'...and 'Adam and Steve'. These are perversions. The absence of God in higher education brings on confusion. That is why in these classes the creator of the heavens and the universe is never mentioned." WELL. What a snippity response. This made Professor Arlene Scala quite nervous, as it was obvious that she had stumbled upon a deviant who was sure to come and harass her. Her life was most probably in danger! The incident (meaning the e-mail response) was quickly referred to the Office of Employment Equity and Diversity (the name speaks for itself; next we'll have a Ministry of Truth). They responded with an investigation, culminating in an official letter of reprimand in Mr. Daniels file. Here is the article from Washington Times; they seem to be the only newspaper to pick this one up. Good for them. I really like them; they're sensible.
Anyways. Holy crap. The educational establishments have in recent years been a bastion of liberalism, but they've always paid lip service to freedom of opinion. No more. If your idea threatens their idea, you're in for it. Obviously Mr. Daniel should not have been punished in any way, especially considering the relative docility of his e-mail. His response was quite appropriate, a statement of his beliefs and a request to not be contacted about stuff like that in the future. It was not threatening. I can see no better way for him to have kept his integrity and dignity at the same time.
This instance kinda points at a different, more fundamental malady that our society is suffering from; the insistence that everything should be fair. Life is not easy, it's not fair, and will never be so. And that shouldn't be a goal to strive for. We learn from adversity, from the dice rolling consistently against our interests. It doesn't matter if someone oppresses you, or takes away your rights. Deal with it. Our ancestors spent their lives being oppressed, and they seem to have turned out fine. I'm not talking about the effort to protect other people from oppression, that is one of the more noble activities we can engage in in this life. But this constant whining; "Help! Help! I'm bein' oppressed!" (quote courtesy of Monty Python) is just pitiful. It's like a bunch of two-year olds running around in suits, having an generation-wide tantrum.
posted by Mike Belliveau at 12:24 PM
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