OPINION: University of Portland may help stimulate discussion about politics topics, not indoctrinate students
Individuals who have difficulty sharing their political views may chastise President Donald Trump, according to a University of Portland political scientist.
Professor Jeffrey Meiser said, according to the newspaper’s phrase, that “hesitancy to talk about the election, perhaps in areas like schools, can be attributed to the law Donald Trump has established for political meetings. ”
Meiser told the student newspaper that “[ Trump’s ] whole political strategy overall is to attack people and often attack people for their identity. ”
“And so how do you listen to that if your personality is being attacked? It actually draws out a lot of feelings, ” Meiser told The Beacon.
For the record, Trump is not to blame for students not being able to explain politicians in the classroom. Reminds me of the woman who sued Indiana for its pregnancy restrictions, claiming it was affecting her marriage, to place it in G-rated speech. Someone tells me she had troubles before.
Meiser and another professors and administrators at the officially Christian university provided additional tips for lawful adults to understand discussing politics.
“You can certainly learn from hearing other people’s thoughts, ” Meiser said. “ But when you’re feeling physically hurt, you’re never in a learning mode. You’re in a very simple, responsive fight or flight mode. And therefore there’s no understanding. ”
Interim Director of the Wellness Center and Coordinator of Interpersonal Violence Programming Erin Currie had different ideas concerning meetings.
“Divisive meetings can put people at risk of losing their methods of support, ” Currie said, according to the scholar newspaper’s phrase.
“You may lose your house, you may lose your ability to go to school, ” Currie told the student newspaper.
Currie also said students “might lose people that [they ] love. ”
“It is a chance in some of those situations, ” she said.
Psychology doctor Lauren Alfrey even helped feed pupils ’ worry with this offer: “Authoritarianism thrives when people are afraid and when they turn inside. ” To her credit, she did say kids may have discussions with someone with whom they disagree.
The university may look inside and determine out what it can do to help promote good dialogue.
After all, this is the same school that held a scream program where individuals complained about a Catholic priest on school who objected to a rainbow pride flag in a mansion house.
This might be a great declaration for university officials to launch and to market through events on school:
The school is a place for individuals to learn from different viewpoints and learn about recent events. Especially as a Catholic school, we see it as our objective to not just teach students with understanding, but equip them with ethical and moral decision-making capability. This may involve available conversations in schools about critical problems such as the sanctity of life, human sexuality, and the common good.
Learners who are capable of grasping this may consider finding a unique school, or maturing a little, until returning to school.
Less: Academia, student groups help fight Trump commencement ‘anxiety’
Photo: White House/X
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