Freedom FROM Thought

When I was in school I loved the classes where the teachers let you get into controversial topics.  I had my first taste of this in high school.  The teacher's would assign the class to take sides on a controversial issue.  The topics would sometimes be political, or religious.  They were always be emotional.

The thing that was fun about these exercises was that you weren't being graded on if you won or lost.  You were being graded on your thought process and the way you structured your presentation.  The teachers always made that point up front.  You could take any side you wanted, but you were required to follow the rules of the assignment.

In college I found this style of education very beneficial as well as entertaining.  By the time I was an upper division undergraduate, case study was commonly used as part of the curriculum.  I loved it.  I also learned a great deal of practical application that I have actually used in the real world.

In the University of Northern Colorado they don't like it when you think unapproved thoughts.  They even have a University department that enforces thought conformity.

Professors investigated for presenting opposing viewpoints

Two professors at the University of Northern Colorado were investigated after students complained that they were forced to hear opposing viewpoints.

Apparently there are no grown ups working for UNC.  The teachers were the ones who got in trouble, even though one teacher made it clear that  he did not agree with the opposing point of view, but was merely presenting it as the other side of the argument.

That's right, the teacher was actually on the "right side" of the issue as far as the student was concerned.  The mere fact that the teacher acknowledged and confirmed the existence of an opposing point of view was the problem.

Anyone want to take a guess at what the topic under discussion in both cases was?  LGBT. 

It wasn't mentioned in the article but the traditional and until recently, medical view of LGBT people was that they suffered from either mental/psychological/emotional defect or disease or were predisposed to the lifestyle as a result of abuse or conditioning.  Got it?  LGBT is the result of mental disease or defect, not a genetic mutation.  The professor doesn't believe or teach that, but that is the opposing viewpoint.

"I would just like the professor to be educated about what trans is and how what he said is not okay because as someone who truly identifies as a transwomen [sic] I was very offended and hurt by this," the student wrote in their complaint.

From the other student:

"I do not believe that students should be required to listen to their own rights and personhood debated," the student wrote. "[This professor] should remove these topics from the list of debate topics. Debating the personhood of an entire minority demographic should not be a classroom exercise, as the classroom should not be an actively hostile space for people with underprivileged identities."

It's too hurtful to hear that other people don't agree with you about everything you do.  Wow!  They can't handle it if someone even mentions that there is a different point of view and they need the university to stop it.

It's almost like they suffer from a mental disease or defect or something.