Thought Police
At UT:
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports proposals include reviewing current policies on derogatory language, encouraging people to report incidents of bias even if they are not criminal, and creating wristbands, T-shirts and slogans to market the campaign for civility.
The report also encourages lectures on civility by prominent administrators, faculty and coaches.
January 20th, 2011 at 11:23 am
You know what works to combat a lack of civility? Parenting and peer pressure.
You know what doesn’t work to combat a lack of civility? Criminalization and legislation (or, in this case, policy-making).
If we have a societal problem, which incivility is, then it requires a societal change. Anything else will, at best, make the problem less frequent but much louder.
January 20th, 2011 at 11:40 am
I had to sit through a few of those “civility and diversity” lectures in college. Thank god that BS didn’t start until my Senior year.
January 20th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
I guess its because I’m old or something, but every time I hear about PC crap like this I think of Dirty Harry:
Gonzales: There is one question, Inspector Callahan: Why do they call you “Dirty Harry”?
De Georgio: Ah that’s one thing about our Harry, doesn’t play any favorites! Harry hates everybody: Limeys, Micks, Hebes, Fat Dagos, Niggers, Honkies, Chinks, you name it.
Gonzales: How does he feel about Mexicans?
De Georgio: Ask him.
Harry Callahan: Especially Spics.
January 20th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
David that is ironic considering parents have been trying to get their kids not to give in to peer pressure all these years…
January 20th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
Civility is like gun bluing. After years of use and abuse it wears away…
January 20th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
…and if you try to renew it with coarse steel wool and something poured from a bottle, you’ll spoil the whole piece.
Good one, J.Smith. “FIFY” though.
January 20th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
Civility is good because it makes things work better. But it cant be legislated. Water is good because it quenches thirst. But you cant make horses drink it. Beyond that, there is the First Amendment. And even if there were no First Amendment, how far is the civility legislation to go? Might there not be a law saying that it is uncivil to say anything negative about anything? And what if you said something positive but the listener thought it was insulting? People who want to control everything end up fostering resentment and hatred.
http://www.williamlafferty.com
January 21st, 2011 at 7:50 am
Markie Marxist sez: “Brownshirt tactics are fine if they’re our brownshirt tactics because we’re the political left, not the political right. That’s a very important distinction to make.”