Wednesday, October 31, 2018


College Millennials 'Traumatized' by Trump's Election?

When a narrow-minded, coddled generation doesn't get what it wants, it feels traumatized.

A recent survey of students attending Arizona State University found that a whopping 25% were suffering from stress "on par with that of school shooting witnesses" stemming from President Donald Trump’s surprising election victory. Study author Melissa Hagan noted that roughly one in four students "met criteria for clinically significant symptoms," adding that "elevated symptoms of event-related stress are predictive of future distress and subsequent PTSD diagnoses." To be clear Hagan notes that these students are not actually suffering PTSD, but they are currently in a high-risk category.

Evidently, they are feeling severely stressed, but their stress isn’t due to having experienced an actual traumatic event. So what does this say about the state of mind among a significant number of the Millennial generation? When the individual they voted for did not win the election, their world was so rocked that their emotional distress is said to be "on par" with having witnessed a school shooting? This is what happens when the state becomes one’s god. When one’s hopes for the future are almost completely and inextricably tied to the implementation of a political agenda.

As The Resurgent keenly observes, "Elections matter. They have consequences. You should care who wins and who loses. But if the outcome of an election is causing you to have PTSD-like symptoms, it is likely that the real problem isn’t at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s in your own heart."

When a generation is raised up on a steady diet of social grievance culture and encouraged to go "change the world" via social justice activism, politics becomes everything and political opponents devolve into dehumanized and mindless "enemies." Thus the earth-shaking shock when the "enemy" wins an elections.

One last note, speaking of enemies. Many in the Millennial generation — and older people too — suffer actual PTSD from fighting real enemies in true wars. To even remotely suggest that a snowflake who’s upset about Trump’s election is in the same ballpark as Patriots in uniform is not only absurd but denigrating to the service of these brave young soldiers.

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University student vows to paint over mural of WW1 war dead as they are ‘white men’

Leftist racism again

A LEFT-WING student union president in the UK has sparked outrage by vowing to deface a mural commemorating the fallen World War One heroes as they are "white men".

Emily Dawes, president of Southampton University Student Union, threatened to paint over the uni’s Rothenstein Mural, which depicts students who died during the Great War collecting degrees that they didn’t get to finish.

"Mark my words — we’re taking down the mural of white men in the Senate room, even if I have to paint over it myself," she tweeted.

Many were outraged at Ms Dawes’ pledge, which came on the centenary of the end of WW1 and the day before the Royal British Legion launched its Remembrance Day Poppy Appeal today.

"The white men who died so you can spout such hateful nonsense?" one person replied. "You’re a f***ing disgrace and should be kicked out of any state education system. A state created by hard working brave people: most of whom were the white men you profess to despise."

Another said, "Is this the mural to those heroic students from the university that had to forego their studies in order to fight for the freedom of Europe in WW1, and never got to graduate?

I’m trying to think of a reason why anyone would actively want to deface a war memorial …"

Another added, "Jesus. Are all students left-wing morons? Only academia could protest a painting that depicts men lost at war protecting the freedoms you take for granted. It’s of days gone not present day. You cant rewrite history even though you lot want to. Grow up. Pathetic."

One said, "What’s she studying, clearly not history. Why can’t people accept you can’t change history. These young men went to far a war against tyranny. Her words are not far off that! Do this or else."

Others fumed that to even want to personally vandalise the mural was "disrespectful" and a "disgrace". "One of the most insensitive and disrespectful comments I have ever seen," one person said. "Time for reflection, time for remembrance of what they gave for our freedom. Never forget #Remembrance #LestWeForget."

Another added, "I hope you start, and immediately get arrested. What a disgrace you are to students everywhere, putting your ignorance on such prominent display."

A few tweeted to the university to bring Dawes’ tweet to their attention. "I really hope you won’t allow that mural to be defaced and painted over?" one said. "Those young men were sent to war and unfortunately a lot didn’t come back to be able to complete their studies! But they gave their lives which means students today can study freely."

Another added, "I have just tweeted @unisouthampton to ask if they will do anything. To talk of those young boys from their uni who died in this way is a disgrace."

One said Ms Dawes was going about it "the wrong way". "If there are black people forgotten you’d have mine (and most people’s) support to include them. We should represent everyone equally. By suggesting the memorial of men who died to protect your freedoms is racist says more about you."

Dawes finally issued a grovelling apology one day after her original tweet and two hours after The Sun Online published its story.

"Firstly, and most importantly, I would like to apologise for the offence and upset I have caused with what I have said. I never meant the disrespect to anyone past, present and future. I had no intention of the tweet being taken literally, and upon reflection realised how inappropriate it was," she said.

"My intention was to promote strong, female leader and not the eradication and disrespect of history. I do not believe that to make progress in the future, we should look to erase the past. Once again, I would like to apologise for the offence and upset I have caused."

Ms Dawes was the president of the university’s Feminist Society before she was elected to current position in the student union.

During her election campaign she called for the Vice Chancellor Christopher Snowden to take a pay cut so that university societies such as her own FemSoc could receive more funding.

The Londoner is currently on a sabbatical from her astrophysics degree.

Southampton University Student Union today apologised for its President’s remarks and has urged her to explain her actions.

"We apologise for the recent statement from our President regarding the Rothenstein Mural and any upset this may have caused," it said.

"This is a personal view and not that of the Union. We do not believe the statement was said to cause upset or disrespect to anyone and does not follow our mission or values. We have reached out to our President to ask for a statement to be released."

A University of Southampton spokesperson said, "The comments made by the Students’ Union President regarding the Rothenstein Mural are not shared by the University of Southampton and do not represent the views of the University community.

"We are very proud to display the Mural, painted in 1916, which serves as a memorial to all members of British universities who served in the Great War (World War I)."

Southampton MP Royston Smith tweeted, "I am proud to live in a country where people voluntarily sacrificed their lives for the freedom that allows people to make ill thought out, insensitive comments such as these. I assume she will reflect and apologise."

Scottish UKIP MEP David Coburn tweeted, "If she vandalises that mural I’ll bring in restorers and get it revealed again."

This outburst came as Cambridge University Students’ Union tried to scrap the mention of poppies in the university’s plans for Remembrance Day.

In an initial poll, 30 of 31 representatives voted to remove the mention of poppies and "British war veterans". The motion was debated and eventually defeated.

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Foreign threats to free speech at Australian universities

The growing concern about academic freedom and free speech on university campuses typically relates to illiberal student activists shutting down debate. But there is potentially a more subtle threat to free speech in higher education coming from foreign governments, especially China.

At a CIS breakfast on Monday, NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes outlined his concerns regarding Australian universities being too reliant on international students — to a point that undermines academic independence.

“When academics who criticise certain countries are hauled before senior diplomats to explain themselves, or when universities self-censor by using teaching materials that conform with foreign government propaganda so as to not upset international student cohorts, we have a duty as educators to speak out”, he said.

This may be controversial in some timid quarters but it shouldn’t be. To be clear, no one is suggesting that having large numbers of international students in Australia is a bad thing. Education is Australia’s third-largest export, and international students are an essential part of our higher education sector and university culture.

But given recent cases where academic independence appears to have been undermined on topics regarding Chinese politics, we should be vigilant.

Of course, some people will argue this problem at universities is imagined or exaggerated. Is there any concrete evidence of widespread political interference from China in Australian higher education? Surely, the more fee-paying international students studying here, the better for our economy? And shouldn’t we be far more concerned about attempts by local university student activists to restrict free speech?

Even if we concede the sceptics may have a point, one thing is certain: this is an issue worth debating. We can’t be afraid of identifying potential overseas threats to our universities’ independence out of fear of upsetting foreign governments.

Kudos to Minister Stokes for kick-starting the debate.

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