Readers React: When targeting ‘micro-aggression’ runs afoul of academic freedom

To the editor: Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro coauthored an Op-Ed article that advocates avoidance of words some might find offensive. But the piece didn’t go into what action universities should take in such cases. (“Baby boomers, don’t be so quick to mock colleges on ‘trigger warnings’ and ‘micro-aggressions,’” Op-Ed, Aug. 30)

Remarkably, Schapiro failed to mention his own university’s misadventure in the case of film professor Laura Kipnis, who wrote a column on her campus’ sexual harassment policies that some students disliked. The university opened an Orwellian investigation into Kipnis. Instead of backing down, however, she exposed the investigation publicly, and Northwestern officials beat a hasty retreat.

Perhaps Schapiro might reflect on his own institution’s affront to academic freedom before offering advice to others’.

Daniel J.B. Mitchell, Santa Monica

The writer is a professor emeritus of public policy at UCLA.

..

To the editor: I am part of the boomer generation self-appointed to achieve world peace and universal harmony. It looks like we didn’t that get done, and I am pretty sure that Barry Glassner and Schapiro aren’t expecting that on college campuses now.

It’s not possible to stamp out (much less forbid) inadvertently hurtful speech or behavior. The extreme positions on both sides of this issue are, at best, starting points to a debate about what’s reasonable to expect, not just from those who say or do hurtful things but those who feel hurt. It does the latter group no good to simply protect them without encouraging them to learn to manage in a world that’s not geared to ensure such protection.

Simply punishing those who offend reinforces the victims’ sense of powerlessness. That this is an issue isn’t a failure of the boomer generation; it never had that power in the first place.

Richard Moldawsky, Laguna Beach

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook