What has happened to the freedom of expression? Whether we are talking about speaking to another person in the context of personal interaction, in a classroom on a college campus, in the political arena, or wherever humans are involved. Indeed, such freedom should not adversely affect another person, but how do you know what is or might be offensive. The recent uproar over Joe Biden touching the shoulders of a young woman and kissing the back of her head has garnered much more attention than might be expected in “normal” times. Obviously, what was once normal is no longer normal. As Biden has stated, throughout his political career, he has been a person who shows affection without any hidden meaning attached to such displays. The intent of focusing on the Biden situation is not to make light of how our actions and words are perceived by others. It is interesting that the incident involving Biden occurred in 2014, and over four years later, it became an intrusive issue for the young woman.
My developmental years and the years of my young adulthood occurred in the northern sections of the country. Illinois, Indiana, New York, and Colorado are the states of my earlier years, and I moved to the “Deep South” in the mid 70’s to join the faculty of the University of Alabama. One thing I learned in the early days of living in the South was that many women would refer to me as “darling”, “sugar”, and “sweetheart” or as I would leave the convenience store, the clerk would holler, “sugar, you come back, now.” I also learned that some women in the South were prone to touching as they talked with you. In these situations, nothing was meant by it, but as a young man from the North, I was confused. Such language and actions were not customary in the Chicago area where I was raised. What occurred was simply a function of the cultural norms of the South. Now, let’s fast-forward to the current time. If such words or actions were expressed today, one would run the risk of offending someone. There are two terms that have become common-place on college campuses—Microaggressions and Trigger Warnings. This new language which has emerged throughout society cause individuals to be leery of alluding to something that might “trigger” a reaction or be viewed as microaggressive. Let me refer to some examples that put this in perspective.
Universities throughout the country have held faculty accountable for creating situations that have triggered adverse reactions by students. In an article in The Atlantic, titled, “The Coddling of the American Mind”, the authors raised a critical question; “What exactly are students learning when they spend four years or more in a community that polices unintentional slights, places warning labels on works of classic literature, and in many other ways conveys the sense that words can be forms of violence that require strict control by campus authorities, who are expected to act as both protectors and prosecutors?” The authors go on to identify examples of the policing by university administrators. In 1993 at the University of Pennsylvania, an Israeli-born student yelled “Shut up, you water buffalo” to a group of African American sorority women who were making noise outside his dorm. The phrase “water buffalo”, roughly translated is a Hebrew insult for thoughtless or rowdy individuals. The university determined that it was a racial slur against the African American students. In 2008 at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, a white student was found guilty of racial harassment for reading a book title Notre Dame vs. the Klan. A picture of a Klan rally on the cover offended a co-worker of the student and the student was found guilty. Students were emotionally offended by chalk writings on sidewalks at Emory University in support of Trump during the 2016 elections. Students at the University of St. Francis in Minnesota cancelled an event called Hump Day because it offended some students. There would was to be a live camel for people to pet, and this was tabbed as animal cruelty and being insensitive to Middle Eastern people. At the University of Colorado in Denver, a required course for Political Science majors, American Political Thought, removed from the course any reference to every single white male and their contributions. Thus, there would be nothing on Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton nor any mention of Locke or Rousseau. This decision is a blatant example of political correctness. Decisions which are reflected in the examples have led to an environment of uncertainty and, potentially, fosters unnatural human interaction—everyone second guesses their words and actions. Several comedians will no longer perform on college campuses because of environmental restrictions on their material and the oversensitivity of college students. The phrase, “I’m offended” has become an unbeatable trump card.
Returning to the Biden matter. He has adamantly stated that he did not engage in his personal touch approach with any intentions beyond being friendly. In the “Me Too” era, women continue to come forward with accusations that go back many years. Indeed, there have been egregious incidents, including those alleged to have been committed by the President, and they should be addressed. Yet, to broaden the field of accusations to include harmless actions or words does little to bring reason to a situation that seems to have gone a bit off the tracks. Additionally, it can lead to undermining and trivializing the “real” concerns.