Well I just Experienced a Weird SJW Thing

I had one too early this semester. In literature class, during class discussion a woman actually used the term "white privilege". And, not in a joking manner. Like, she was dead serious about it.

I was in a diversity and inclusion group setting and this lady kept repeating "toxic masculinity" over and over again like it was the root cause of all issues.

That's really stupid. Why would it matter? Most people are naturally accepting of everyone. Universities as they have been known are on the way out. New forms of education are on the way.

enjoying your circle jerk?

srths wrote:

That's really stupid. Why would it matter? Most people are naturally accepting of everyone. Universities as they have been known are on the way out. New forms of education are on the way.

For actual PhD and academic research which are what universities primary purpose is?...to your point I think not.

jklj wrote:

I was in a diversity and inclusion group setting and this lady kept repeating "toxic masculinity" over and over again like it was the root cause of all issues.

Repetition is an effective means of teaching invertebrates. She was just trying to provoke the formation of a few novel neural networks in your ganglia.

Faculty spouse has to undergo this training next week at their institution of higher learning.

PhD's know a lot about a subject (that anyone can learn on their (his, her or other) own but in my experience they don't reach correct conclusions.

I have come across precisely one university web page that had preferred pronouns on faculty bio pages. If your inquiry went to a campus affirmative action administrator or similar, it's not too surprising. If your inquiry went to your would-be advisor, the program might not be a great fit for you.

I've also come across one essay in a mainstream academic publication (think: Chronicle of Higher Education or similar, I just don't remember which one) suggesting that maybe asking students to pick preferred pronouns wasn't actually a good idea.

Dick Van Dyke wrote:

I'm all for having a diversity and ethnic culture department but inclusion reallllyyy?

No you're not.

I attended a public university in NYC and on the first day the professor asked us to introduce ourselves and choose our preferred pronoun. Don’t believe anyone chose a pronoun other than he/him or she/her.

srths wrote:

PhD's know a lot about a subject (that anyone can learn on their (his, her or other) own but in my experience they don't reach correct conclusions.

You do realize that PhDs contribute new info to their academic focus right? Which is how we evolve as a society right? Even if it is the wrong conclusion at least it is advancing the space.You also realize they go through months of academic peer review to get it right, right!

One of the ironic points about identity-activism, is that it is not about 'equality' at all... it is about power.

All I know is that in my experience in the practical world PhD's have been wrong. This has been surprising to me.

srths wrote:

All I know is that in my experience in the practical world PhD's have been wrong. This has been surprising to me.

One time in real life, I did a thing and it evoked a reaction. Then something else occurred so I reacted. My response was perhaps surprising, perhaps not, it depends on your perspective. But this is all I know. I shall rest on the laurels of this experience, which I truly did experience.

srths wrote:

I know is that in my experience in the practical world PhD's have been wrong. This has been surprising to me.

Oh, and this gem:

srths wrote:

PhD's know a lot about a subject (that anyone can learn on their (his, her or other) own but in my experience they don’t reach correct conclusions.

I have two PhD’s and I have one HS-educated neighbor like you. He frequently holds forth on random subjects that fall within my two science fields. I have a practiced neutral expressions and noncommittal nods for these occasions, but occasionally he insists on my input anyway. He invariably finds my conclusions to be wrong.

Dick Van Dyke wrote:

I've been sheltered in the working world from all this SJW stuff but in an inquiry about my PhD application this winter the grad person had this at the bottom of their email under their contact info:

My pronouns are: He, Him, His

Are schools and people in general really doing this on email taglines, is this a thing?! There's actually inclusion departments now? Universities are wasting money on hiring people large sums of money to deal with "inclusion"? I'm all for having a diversity and ethnic culture department but inclusion reallllyyy?

A perfect example of the fragility of the male ego.

What email service do you use that requires you to pay by the character?

overeducated and not via TED talks wrote:

He invariably finds my conclusions to be wrong.

Well, are you?

It sounds like you aren't a very open minded individual. At my current university as well as my previous institution, people can choose what they put in their email signature or faculty pages. Some people put a preferred pronoun, others don't.

You are overreacting -- this is likely not mandated by the university and they are not "wasting" loads of money on it. Rather, forward thinking individuals are making a personal choice.

On a practical level, this can be helpful because names can be ambiguous - I've misgendered emails before. But more importantly, doing this shows inclusivity and respect for individuals who don't fit into the mainstream gender bianary, and shows they can be comfortable using/sharing the pronouns they prefer.