Free Republic

The first two presidential debates were rife with mudslinging, explicit allegations of sexual assault, uncomfortable discussions about gender and race, and quick-tempered interruptions from both sides So with just hours to go until tonight’s third and final 2016 debate, many parents across the nation are asking themselves one question: Should they let their kids watch?

If you want to be unquestionably affirmed and unchallenged in all your beliefs and views, don’t go to the University of Chicago. In a letter published by Intellectual Takeout, John Ellison, dean of students at the Chicago college, warns incoming students that there is no tolerance for the kind of student demands that have trended in recent years: Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called ‘trigger warnings,’ we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from...

"WE DO NOT SUPPORT SO-CALLED 'TRIGGER WARNINGS,’ WE DO NOT CANCEL INVITED SPEAKERS BECAUSE THEIR TOPICS MIGHT PROVE CONTROVERSIAL, AND WE DO NOT CONDONE THE CREATION OF INTELLECTUAL ‘SAFE SPACES.'"

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual Resource Center at the University of California Davis warns that some “words hurt” — including the expression “you guys.” That common phrase is among a list of “Words that Hurt” detailed on the public university’s website. The expression “hurts” because it “erases the identities of people who are in the room” and “generalizing a group of people to be masculine,” the website states. “Sometimes we say words without realizing the impact they may have on others,” it adds. “Take time to educate yourself about language and histories of oppression.”

I’m assured that, on occasion, learning still happens on college campuses. I have not detected any evidence of this, but I accept it as a matter of faith. People I trust have assured me that universities are not just bastions of cultish indoctrination — there’s a lot of sex and beer pong, too. But sometimes, I’m informed, a rebellious student might endeavor to adsorb an actual fact or piece of knowledge. Again, I cannot independently confirm this shocking claim. These rogue learners aside, it’s obvious that college is often a place where students go to erase from their minds any...

On January 5, the Council on American-Islamic Relations offered a new service for the Muslim American families among its members: It released a guide titled "A Muslim parent's guide to talking to children about acts of violent extremism." It was meant to help parents guide their children through a new world in which the tide of Islamophobia, as well as the threat of violent extremism, is growing. The guide reflects a difficult new truth: Muslim parents in the US and Canada today no longer just have to worry about giving their kids the "birds and the bees" talk. They must...

Harvard professor and legal eagle Alan Dershowitz talks about political correctness and 'safe spaces' on college campuses. Dershowitz tells college students to "stay home" if they want a safe space. ... they don't want to hear opposing points of view. They know everything they need to know about race, about gender, about rape, about you name it, climate control. They don't want to hear opposing points of view... ... We have to distinguish between safe spaces for ideas, where there should be none, and physically safe places where you're not intimidated or you're not threatened. And christian speakers, pro-Israel speakers,...

It would be easy to call protesting college students crybabies and brats for pitching hissy fits over hurt feelings, but this likely would lead to such torrents of tearful tribulation that the nation's university system would have to shut down for a prolonged period of grief counseling. Besides, it would be insensitive. Instead, let me be the first to say: it's not the students fault. These serial tantrums are direct results of our Everybody Gets a Trophy culture and an educational system that, for the most part, no longer teaches a core curriculum, including history, government and the Bill of...