‘Offensive language police’ at Canadian university
November 20th, 2008
Students at a university in Canada who make offensive remarks in public may now be officially challenged about their actions.
Queens University in Kingston, Ontario has hired six student facilitators to step in when they overhear remarks which are homophobic, sexist, racist or otherwise offensive.
The initiative, believed to be the first of its kind in Canada, is part of a broader program this autumn to foster diversity and encourage students to think about their beliefs.
However, some students feel the move is oppressive and limits freedom of expression.
“Having a program like this in place could stifle public discussion if people are worried their private conversations are being monitored,” said Angela Hickman, managing editor of the Queen’s Journal, a campus newspaper. “For a lot of people, their opinions get formed in conversations and so stifling that is dangerous.
“The program could also become engulfed by political correctness, which stifles meaningful discussion and critiques. Students living in residence could easily adjust or hide their behaviour without changing their attitudes.
“It’s unlikely six facilitators in a crowd of thousands will have much impact on fostering dialogue in residences,” she added.
But Dean of Student Affairs at Queen’s, Jason Laker, believes the initiative is positive. “If you’re doing anything that’s interfering with what other people need to be doing, that’s not cool,” he said. “If people are having a conversation with offensive content and they’re doing it loud enough for a third person to hear it … it’s not private.”
Laker believes that if students become uncomfortable when a facilitator challeges someone for using an offensive slur, it shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing - it means they’re forced to think about their choices. “That is an acceptable tension to have,” he said. “I would go further. I would say it’s a beneficial tension.”
Students at a university in Canada who make offensive remarks in public may now be officially challenged about their actions
[via The Globe and Mail]
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