Palestinian Students at MIT: The Scheduled Israel Celebration Makes Us Feel "Unsafe;" We Want It Cancelled

Of course.

The Israeli Independence Day raises politically sensitive questions given that it just so happens to represent the 1948 Palestinian Exodus, also known as the “Nakba”. This is a day of extreme tragedy and traumatic loss for millions of people, including many students here at MIT. As Palestinians and supporters of Palestine in the MIT community, we are alarmed by the fact that the UA are endorsing this event, given that the UA represents us as well. We feel unsafe in an environment that celebrates a catastrophic day for one nation at an official school-wide capacity by a body that represents all students equally, with no regards or sympathy towards our tragedy.

We direct this message to the entirety of the student body with a request for change. We request the UA to detach the carnival from SpringFest, and to refrain from sponsoring and/or publicizing it at a school-wide capacity.

Meanwhile, at Reason, those who claim to be made to feel "unsafe" by Christina Hoff Sommers' speech are engaging in some rather threatening stuff themselves: Posting placards claiming that specifically-named Oberlin Republicans "perpetuate rape culture."

David Bernstein writes about that this claim of free speech being "unsafe" is actually making it unsafe to practice free speech.

This is a huge threat to the future of free speech nevertheless. Today's college students are going to be tomorrow’s judges, and if they truly believe that "safety" means "never having to deal with opinions that disagree with one's cherished beliefs," then censorship has a good chance of gaining the upper hand over freedom of speech. After all, public safety can be a justification for suppressing speech, as with the "fighting words" doctrine.

Hot Air runs down Sommers' appearance on the Megyn Kelly show, and how infantilizing this whole concept that girls are fragile little hysterical things who need to repair to the fainting couches the moment they hear something that offends their virginal ears.

If that's what women really are -- I don't think most are, but I know some women are like that -- then I'm sorry, but you're not equal. You are children, and children have special protections encoded in the law because they are children -- but they are also not considered to be legal adults or to have legal capacity to make important decisions.

If you want to be children, fine -- but don't expect to be hired for jobs requiring adults.

Megyn Kelly concludes the segment with advice from her old trainer, a patriarchal penis person who probably #Raped her with crunches or something: "Toughen up, Buttercup."

posted by Ace at 04:44 PM

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