Published on 12, July, 2020
Did you see the news story last week about the students union that wanted to ban clapping because it might cause distress to sensitive souls like myself. It was the cause of much hilarity on various topical comedy shows. But I thought it was a thoughtful and well-meaning attempt to be a bit more inclusive and maybe a hopeful sign for the future.
It wasn't a ban, but "a request". If there was anyone clapping I'd imagine that they would have been lambasted though. The hysterical nature and ideological "sensibilities" that linger around academia today would have certainly played a part in making "a request", an enforcement.
I totally understand people not liking clapping, I have pretty bad sensory difficulties. I wouldn't expect "a request" for it to be stopped though.
Using the "critical theory" that this stems from, and the solipsistic, post-modernistic ideals that constitute the direction this came from, it's easy to deconstruct it. What if there was someone there who had a pathological need for applause? What about people who were hypo-sensitive to sound and found it a soothing stim? What about the feelings of someone who came from a culture where applause is a common custom? Do they not have rights? Seriously, it's a viable, and possible thing. I know a girl who's stim is jumping up and down, and clapping.
Trust me I have serious sensory issues, but I don't agree with this. This is inclusivity being used as a guise for exclusivity, and basically using people with issues as currency, as pawns to take the high ground for the sake of "critical theory". I would rather endure the discomfort, than be used by a psuedointellectual, faux proletariat for their means.
Cloudy Mountains said:It wasn't a ban, but "a request". If there was anyone clapping I'd imagine that they would have been lambasted though. The hysterical nature and ideological "sensibilities" that linger around academia today would have certainly played a part in making "a request", an enforcement.
And that's how you enforce the social engineering - anyone acting outside the 'request' (clapping) are turned upon by the very vocal minority and probably slaughtered across social media as being 'insensitive to minorities'.
Classic "Art Of War" tactics - kill one to frighten a thousand.
There's probably someone somewhere who will dislike pretty much everything. So if you take this sort of thing to its logical conclusion...