Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Columbia Student Claims To Be Traumatized By Reading About White People
Daily Caller ^ | 11/20/2015

Posted on 11/20/2015 4:33:55 PM PST by Altura Ct.

A student at Columbia University is urging the school to inject more diversity into its required courses, claiming she suffered severe emotional trauma from reading too many books by and about white people.

Columbia students and faculty gathered Wednesday night for a panel discussion on “Race, Ethnicity, and University Life.” According to the Columbia Daily Spectator, much of the commentary revolved around the idea that minorities on campus simply spend too much time being traumatized by the white-centric content of their classes.

One of the panelists at the event was black Columbia student Nissy Aya. Aya was supposed to graduate in 2014, but instead is only on track to receive her degree in 2016. That, Aya says, demonstrates “how hard it has been for me to get through this institution,” though it’s worth noting she is an exceptional case, as Columbia has one of the highest four-year graduation rates in the country.

Aya attributed some of her academic troubles to the trauma of having to take Columbia’s current Core Curriculum, which requires students to take a series of six classes with a focus on the culture and history of Western, European civilization. Aya says this focus on the West was highly mentally stressful for her.

“It’s traumatizing to sit in Core classes,” she said. “We are looking at history through the lens of these powerful, white men. I have no power or agency as a black woman, so where do I fit in?”

As an example, Aya cited her art class, where she complained that Congolese artwork was repeatedly characterized as “primitive.” She wanted to object to that characterization but, in the Spectator’s words, was “tired of already having worked that day to address so many other instances of racism and discrimination.”

Roosevelt Montás, Columbia’s associate dean for the Core Curriculum, didn’t exactly offer a spirited defense, instead saying Aya was showing the troubling racism that may lurk inside the Core.

“You cannot grow up in a society without assimilating racist views,” he said, according to the Spectator. “Part of what is exciting about this conversation is that it’s issuing accountability for us to look within ourselves and try to understand the way that racism shapes how we see the world and our institutions.”

This isn’t the first time students have complained about the mental anguish of studying the Western canon. Last spring, four students published an editorial for the Spectator complaining that a student was triggered by having to read Ovid, and proposed replacing his offensive works with those of Toni Morrison.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-90 next last
To: Altura Ct.

Do you ever get the feeling you’ve lived too long? I sure as hell do


21 posted on 11/20/2015 4:46:11 PM PST by atc23 (The Confederacy was the single greatest conservative resistance to federal authority ever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.

Oh, the humanity. Wait... that was for the Hindenburg, wasn’t it? /s


22 posted on 11/20/2015 4:47:03 PM PST by ataDude (Its like 1933, mixed with the Carter 70s, plus the books 1984 and Animal Farm, all at the same time.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.

And I’m traumatized by having to watch football and basketball games with so many black people in them. /s


23 posted on 11/20/2015 4:47:31 PM PST by Roger Kaputnik (Just because I'm paranoid doesn't prove that they aren't out to get me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.

Doesn’t say what she is majoring in. But, I can make some guesses.


24 posted on 11/20/2015 4:47:58 PM PST by NewHampshireDuo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Click The Pic To Donate

Support FR, Donate Monthly If You Can

25 posted on 11/20/2015 4:48:08 PM PST by DJ MacWoW (The Fed Gov is not one ring to rule them all)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.

This “Aya” person needs to be forced to produce Congolese art that comparable to Michelangelo or Benvenuto Cellini, then laughed out of school.


26 posted on 11/20/2015 4:48:19 PM PST by Little Ray (How did I end up in this hand basket, and why is it getting so hot?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.

She thinks it’s traumatic reading about them? She certainly couldn’t handle being one!


27 posted on 11/20/2015 4:48:19 PM PST by usacon (United we stand divided we fall.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cardinal4
She'd be right at home in Columbia, South Carolina. I see nothing but blacks here. It's really scary and I can't wait to get home to Los Angeles.

some much less frightening about Mexicans - that's just me, though

28 posted on 11/20/2015 4:48:21 PM PST by atc23 (The Confederacy was the single greatest conservative resistance to federal authority ever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Da Coyote

As well as the fact that she’s been going to college for 6 years and still hasn’t earned a 4-year degree.


29 posted on 11/20/2015 4:49:02 PM PST by Roger Kaputnik (Just because I'm paranoid doesn't prove that they aren't out to get me.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.
Traumatized By Reading About White People

I know the feeling except..

these federal crime statistics in the table here expose

lies that crime is almost entirely white police, white neighborhood watch, and whites in general violence against Black Americans.

And now some real violence is welcomed on campuses.. good "chickens come home to roost" where hate-whitey is taught by white employees of the universities.

30 posted on 11/20/2015 4:49:17 PM PST by WilliamofCarmichael (If modern America's Man on Horseback is out there, Get on the damn horse already!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: doc1019
Here is the Reader's Digest version of the above article with all the journalistic fluff removed for those in a hurry...

she suffered severe emotional trauma white people too much time being traumatized white-centric black how hard it has been for me attributed some of her academic troubles to the trauma of having to take highly mentally stressful for her. traumatizing to sit powerful, white men, a black woman, so where do I fit she complained. instances of racism and discrimination troubling racism that may lurk inside the Core. assimilating racist views racism shapes how we see the world students have complained about the mental anguish of studying the Western canon. Last spring, four students published, a student was triggered.
31 posted on 11/20/2015 4:50:22 PM PST by SpaceBar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: All

I call B.S.

A person this dumb couldn’t read.

She is just upset that most of the ‘pitchers’ in her book on western european history are of white people.


32 posted on 11/20/2015 4:52:07 PM PST by LegendHasIt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.

I don’t think she’s triggered or offended.

I think she’s a stinking liar.


33 posted on 11/20/2015 4:52:14 PM PST by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.
Columbia Student Claims To Be Traumatized By Reading About White People

Obama's excuse???

34 posted on 11/20/2015 4:52:36 PM PST by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cardinal4
Makes me wonder why 600,000 Americans died in that little dust up from 1861-65

By current population levels, that's over 7 million of us.

35 posted on 11/20/2015 4:54:28 PM PST by atc23 (The Confederacy was the single greatest conservative resistance to federal authority ever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

“Why aren’t colleges promoting him in their history and science classes?”

Maybe they are.

.


36 posted on 11/20/2015 4:54:52 PM PST by Mears
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.
I cant do my homework 'cause thays jus' too many white peeples inna whorl.
Thas why Imma be grajatatin' fum collage two years too later then Imma 'posed to.

https://twitter.com/nissyjournee/


37 posted on 11/20/2015 4:55:06 PM PST by Iron Munro (<p> The wise have stores of choice food and oil but a foolish man devours all he has. Proverbs 21:20)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: doc1019

This is being pushed and coordinated from above. Soros, Jarrett, Obama are being pushed to do this.


38 posted on 11/20/2015 4:55:39 PM PST by Vic S
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: relictele

This will be wonderful for so many burdened black students. We can clear out the riffraff courses like calculus -— Newton was a white European, physics -— Newton again and Einstein was a Jew, biology -— Watson and Crick. White others mainly white.


39 posted on 11/20/2015 4:55:51 PM PST by JimSEA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.
I have no power or agency as a black woman, so where do I fit in?

Try Liberia.

40 posted on 11/20/2015 4:55:54 PM PST by bkopto
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-90 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson