I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you’re right.
@Hanna:
Is there a way, without being on pinterest, to see this list?
And sorry if this offends anyone, but I am still chuckling that Silliman’s crest is a bunch of nuts. Oh, the irony…
Have to disagree exacademic. What you say is true to some extent, but the main objection is that the students seem (in the longer video) unwilling to accept anything less than a apology and seem to want an apology because they were offended and therefore his speech was wrong. I think he could solve this by apologizing for seeming to favor one group over another, but not for his right to express his own opinion.
Thanks Hunt for your daughter’s perspective. NC and EC may not be cut out to be masters if they aren’t interested in the nurturing part of the role.
I don’t really get why dressing in one’s own kimono is offensive. I really don’t pragmatic mom.
Sue22: Are those good costumes the ones from the link above as per Yale or just on Pinterest in general?
a12simon: I hadn’t read your post. I just decided mine needed clarification. I wasn’t trying to be confusing and trip you up in any way. 
The edit was difficult because so many were posting all at once.
According to my daughter (I haven’t checked), it’s against Yale’s rules to film people in non-public spaces without their consent. Of course, this happens all the time at Yale and everywhere else, but I do think it’s relevant to requests to take the video down from social media. But the main point is that this context is pushing the Christakises off the moral high ground, at least on campus. Out in the public blogosphere, you’ll only see the part of the context that fits the viewpoint of the bloggers.
@exacademic: EC certainly does not want a “safe space” for transgressive ideas. She advocates the opposite: that students confront these people if they are offended. That is the difference in their positions.
is an outside quad not a public space? I would think that prohibition would apply to a dorm room or bathroom, but not the cafeteria or an outdoor space that many have access to. Was this outside area only accessible to Silliman students?
Mom2and – I might see it your way if the students accosted him. But, from what I’ve read, it seems like he approached them while they were non-confrontationally expressing their POV. It’s one thing to reach out with an olive branch in such a situation and another to go another round. Especially after you’re told by the kids that they don’t want to go another round. I honestly can’t imagine myself behaving as they have under these circumstances. Can you imagine yourself doing so?
The Silliman courtyard is within a gated residential community that requires an ID card swipe to enter. The fact that it is viewed as “home” by students is part of what underlies this controversy. Also, remember that Yale is a private institution, so areas within in it aren’t “public.”
Wait, so the video was filmed in a private part of Yale, that (say) I couldn’t just walk into?
I can see why the students would want the video taken down. There’s a big, big difference between my having a screaming argument with my family in my living room, and my having a screaming argument with my family in the street in front of my house.
Exactly. all along in my mind I’ve been comparing this to a screaming family argument. I was just confused as to who had posted the argument.
Very few out in the wider world are going to understand the residential college distinctions some here are explaining.
Thank you, Hunt.
A young woman has left school because of this. The situation has placed her in an extremely unsafe place. I don’t believe Lukianoff had that right.
I think that’s right, @“Cardinal Fang” , and the fact that it was filmed by a person who wasn’t a member of that community is relevant, too. None of this excuses the behavior of the girl who yelled at the master, of course, but given the context of the incident, I think a lot of Yale students now think the negative consequences for her are too extreme.
Out of curiosity, was he raised in an environment where he and his family were an active part in the Japanese society or was he raised mostly/completely in a community of American ex-pats?
Just wondering as there is a major difference in how one experiences a culture different from one’s own. One instance of this is the account from an aunt about an American missionary living near her childhood home who spent 50+ years in China/Taiwan and yet, didn’t even know simple greetings like “hello” and “thank you” in Mandarin/Taiwanese and had problematic interactions with the locals unless he had a translator/go-between because he couldn’t be bothered to learn local customs or even simple greetings in the local language.
Similarly, I’ve observed some American and other Western expat communities in China and Taiwan which were so insular they were practically living lives little different from how they would have lived back in the US/other Western countries including never even trying to pick up the local language or interacting with locals in the local society.
Huh, exacademic, maybe I didn’t see the same video. It looked like NC stood there for quite a long time and spoke respectfully, but was not willing to give them what the students wanted - a full apology. They became frustrated by his unwillingness to do so. Are you saying he inserted himself into their meeting on the quad and was unwelcome?
Thanks Hunt, that may make a difference but not sure that makes it a private space. It is certainly not a living room. Depends on what Yale meant. I can see how the students would be upset, but I bet if the professor had lost his cool, the students would not be protesting. Also, Yale may be a private school but I did not think it had a closed campus. I thought members of the general public could walk through the campus at any time - not enter the buildings but take a walk. That doesn’t mean they have access to Silliman courtyard, however.
What is the Master about, letting this private disagreement be put on YouTube? People shouldn’t have screaming arguments, but putting a private disagreement up on YouTube for all to see and publicizing it on FIRE is 1000 times worse.
Here’s what EC wrote:
“Is there no room anymore for a child or young person to be a little bit obnoxious… a little bit inappropriate or provocative or, yes, offensive? American universities were once a safe space not only for maturation but also for a certain regressive, or even transgressive, experience; increasingly, it seems, they have become places of censure and prohibition. And the censure and prohibition come from above, not from yourselves! Are we all okay with this transfer of power?”
Did NC know the encounter was being filmed?
In the old days, the residential colleges were open to the public during the day, but now they aren’t. The Silliman courtyard is more like, say, a common room in a typical college dorm. It’s outdoors, but it’s definitely part of the college and mainly for Silliman residents. Other parts of the campus are open to the public.
"Wait, so the video was filmed in a private part of Yale, that (say) I couldn’t just walk into?
I can see why the students would want the video taken down. There’s a big, big difference between my having a screaming argument with my family in my living room, and my having a screaming argument with my family in the street in front of my house."
I assume you feel the same way when other videos come to light that show unacceptable behavior, eg at fraternity parties where members go over the line? That they should be taken down and we should pretend the contents don’t exist?
Most college campuses I’ve attended/visited are open campuses which the public could walk through. However, it’s conditional and the college does reserve the right to close the campus off for certain events or ban individuals from stepping onto the campus once they’ve been given trespass warnings.