^^^I see someone woke up a bit gumpy this morning.
^^^ yea ohsoomelooo woke up grumpy.
I highly doubt any student cares at all about the program…just like most other widespread campaigns through campus
When the term “politically correct” was introduced, it was supposed to be derisive - as if someone could presume to tell us what is “correct” politically. The university used to be a place where an open exchange and clash of ideas could occur - in fact that was its very purpose. The First Amendment used to protect political speech, and not pornography. The path we as a society are being pushed down by apparatchiks at schools like U of M is terrifying to someone who is old enough to remember when people didn’t get fired for their political stances. It’s also a disservice to the kids who are graduating into a world where they are not protected from opinions they don’t like.
But people do have a right to be offended, because we all have the right to free thought, and our own free speech. If you say something that offends me, I have a perfect right to tell you that it offends me, and that in my opinion, it is an unkind (or even evil) act for you to say it. That’s entirely different from your right to say it.
^I think it’s more so “you do NOT have a constitutional right to not be offended by me”
A few observations and poiints about this thread’s original topic:
- This initiative by the University is aimed at raising awareness, not curtailing freedom of speech
- $16k is peanuts. It would be the equivalent of a millionaire purchasing a value meal from Dominos Pizza!
- The $16k was not siphoned from financial aid or admissions office funds
- If students wish to express themselves by using boorish language, they may still do so to their hearts' content
In other words, breaking the “news” about this initiative has the journalistic relevance of Emma Stone’s hair dye job. Who cares?!
That being said, I am saddened at how many here think that freedom of speech can be perverted into the freedom to behave poorly. That is an abuse of a right that should be cherished rather than squandered. Only the most advanced societies are privileged to have such a right and it was probably never intended to aid individuals deride and denigrate others. Hiding behind free speech in order to do so amounts to cowardice.
No-one is saying they want the right to abuse others they just don’t want to listen to a bunch of PSA’s trying to make them feel guilty anf thoughtless every time they use the word crazy. Causes - even good ones which I am not at all convinced this is - but still, they frequently get demolished by overreach into silliness.
Hey, my list of potential colleges just got shorter, thanks UoM
Marie, I do not see what’s the big deal. I personally always prefered the term madness! 
“This is madness” sounds way cooler than “this is crazy”! Seriously, like I said, I do not think the point of this campaign is to make people feel guilty or thoughtless, but rather to raise awareness.
ausernamenotaken, there are so many other awesome universities out there, I am sure you will find several that will fit you well (better than Michigan). All the best to you.
"yea ohsoomelooo woke up grumpy. "
Hey! That’s offensive! My cat’s name is Grumpy and she doesn’t appreciate you using her name in such a negative manner. I’m calling PETA nao!
Now offense speech can be applied to cats???
Sounds like the next initiative for Michigan to fund and raise awareness for!
At some point, we can’t talk at all.
The word “rape” is such a hot button issue now, it’s like every time someone uses it as a metaphor for being taken serious disadvantage of, they are insulting every person who was ever raped. Purposefully and with malice.
Like if your back is killing you, you insult anyone who was ever murdered.
There is a song (from 1942), and a movie for that matter (the movie is HILARIOUS!), called “Murder He Says”. The lady’s guy says “Murder!” when they kiss. And he says “Chick, chick, you torture me” also.
Maybe we just need to be more descriptive. That test sent me to bed without any dinner. That test took my homework out of my backpack and ate it. That test made me feel like Lavinia in Titus Andronicus. (if anyone knows that character, they’ll know that is pretty bad and in essence is what kind of thing they are trying to ban).
But likely, no one will know what you are talking about if you reference Titus Andronicus.
RomaniEyes, NPR has a blog post that may be of interest to you, and some comments make interesting points, it’s called: “why being gypped hurts the roma more than it hurts you”. The blond-haired blue eyed girl “kidnapping scare” strikes me as well as I am part Roma and dark, and I have a blond-haired blue-eyed child. (for those who don’t recall the story, the girl was proven by DNA testing to be the child of the dark-haired dark-skinned parents who were raising her. Someone saw the girl and thought she had to be “stolen”.)
“Hey, my list of potential colleges just got shorter, thanks UoM”
Good
“You know, there are words that hurt people’s feelings that aren’t necessarily common racial or sexual slurs.”
“Such as?”
“I can’t give you any examples, because you’ll just quibble over the examples.”
“That’s crazy. What are you, some kind of retard?”
Well, no I don’t want people to have the right to “abuse” others, that is true, although in that case I would need an operational definition of abuse as it would apply for legal purposes. Because I certainly do want the right to insult others. Not that I want to run around insulting people for its own sake, nor do I want to be known as a thoughtless person who insults people easily and classlessly. But I absolutely want the right of free speech to include the ability to use insult when I feel it is appropriate for effectiveness, and I don’t want the words I choose to be restricted to the point of losing that ability, either through law (very unlikely) or through social pressure from the word police. Just like the circumstances when speech is not covered by the First Amendment should be rare and well known, so should the number of words that are considered out of bounds for common usage be rare and well known.
If the universitys would have learnt how to make proper use of money than the system wouldn’t have gone this bad. This is how university spends. There was a better way of spending by giving a scholarship. But 16000 is nothing compared to 16 million spent like this. There is no accountablility. And why would there be - it is someone else’s money. Intelligent kids needs to understand that this system is not meant for them.Basically you need a degree and it does not matter from where. It is just university’s way of marketting that you can get admission into good school for masters only if you have done bachelors from a reputed school. In reality if you are really good you should be hired in good schools. Check how many of professors in good schools are coming from best schools.
Similar thing at the University of New Hampshire:
http://www.educationnews.org/higher-education/unh-speech-guidelines-call-american-offensive-updated/
WHAT ABOUT FREEDOM OF SPEECH? The First Amendment, anybody?
I would support a 16k campaign that educates… A campaign that gives students perspective about the origin of words that they use, and how that can be potentially offensive. That is a life skill, to be aware and educated enough so that you don’t inadvertently offend your future co-workers or mother-in-law 
But I don’t support this. This seems like an attempt to control free speech. Those who cannot conduct themselves socially will experience the effects of that. I don’t want to live in a politically correct world. There’s nothing to learn from shushing people.
I love my First Amendment Rights and will exercise the right to call anyone a moron who misunderstands the implication and meaning of the words they choose to use. Can U-M use the 16k to educate people about the Constitution and Bill of Rights? It’s a shame most people have never read a single sentence from either of these two very important docs.