BristolUK

Souvy

You are Dan Brown and I claim my ten pounds!

Shard

Another one for the WILT!

Novocastrian

It was the use of the phrase "non-rotating bond" which whiffed of wikipedia.

...or that there was a Transco kid?

Shard

From the ridiculous to the sublime...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-as-he-or-lord

BristolUK

If you scroll down, just to include the top of that picture, it looks like an arse.

Shard

Not seeing it. I know it's Friday, but isn't it a tad early to start on the sherries...

Siouxie

Bristol Cream, I presume.

BristolUK

Focus on the spire

Yum

Pizzawheel

If nor more dear sir/ madam letters, would that rule out Dear John letters too?

carcajou

I did listen to the recording. It took them 40 minutes to get to the point - it is a grammar unit, not a politics of grammar unit. Teach the class thesis statements and writing, and not controversy of the day.

The video clip had no place in that particular class. That goes into the Politics of Grammar unit (or whatever equivalent).

There is more to this than it seems. I have a PhD from one of the world's most respected universities and was a graduate assistant myself while studying - I cannot remember any occasion where I had a thought of bringing a recorder to a meeting, nor do I know of anyone who would. That would not be a default reaction for any normal situation, not even when told "we need to have a meeting due to a problem in a class." Trouble was already brewing, and had been for some time, which is why she thought to bring the recorder. Part of that trouble was her presenting inappropriate content for that unit.

That being said . . . the professors were completely in the wrong for the first 35 minutes of the recording and deserve to be lit up, the way they are being lit up. This meeting should have taken five minutes: "Stick to the unit syllabi and leave the politics for a politics of language unit." It was highly, highly inappropriate for them to go down the "teach only what we like" route, with a topping of witch-hunt, especially when so unnecessary in this situation. Bringing in the Ontario Code of Human Rights was something out of Orwell or a cartoon, unless there had been previous incidents, which we will never hear about since the university would be prohibited from discussing.

It does take a particular nuance and sensitivity to teach controversial material in university classes, which I would not expect a 22 year old TA to have (nor would I expect them to have, need, or use that nuance or sensitivity in a first-year grammar unit about writing).

That is, as one of the professors noted, particularly more acute today as students have changed in the last 15 years to be a lot more sheltered.

Shard

I couldn't listen to more than 6-7 mins of the clip, skipping through to different sections. It did sound like a "thought police" session. As you say, if the material was age unsuitable (big if) the matter could be cleared up in five minutes, but these 'gender philosophers' have far to high an opinion of themselves for that. Bringing in the power of the state through the Ontario legislation was beyond pathetic; it was scary, first that such legislation exists, and second that groupthinking drones like the woman who mentioned it might be empowered to inflict their warped views on other individuals. On the whole, it was a contemptible episode of academic bullying a reminder of why there needs to be pushback against bad ideas. A panel discussion between the WLU academics, Jordan Peterson, and Douglas Murray would be fun.

Shard

Partially discharged

Thanks. I would last about 5 minutes today if I had to work on a campus with all of these special interest groups and precious snowflakes who are offended by anybody who has an opinion that challenges their own agenda which they are trying to impose on others.

Laurier has changed a lot since I was a student at U of Waterloo and WLU was referred to as that 'high school down the street'

Shard

It does seem a different world. I can't help but think that many of these students are being confused into gender issues by academics who are seeking to establish some raison d'etre.

Has WLU reputation changed for the better in recent years? At least an official apology was made.